I used Tri-State Automatic Transmission in March of 2018 to rebuild my 4R100 out of my 2000 F250 4x4 with a 7.3 diesel. I paid $2525 for the work. From the moment I took ownership of my newly rebuilt, I was unsatisfied. The shifting was sometimes so jarring that it would feel like I was being rear-ended. The trans came with a 12-month warranty. My truck is my backup vehicle and rarely sees any mileage outside of a trip to Home Depot. When I was purchasing the rebuild, Tri-State was very friendly and mentioned that if I had any problems to take it back to them. I did so at the six-month mark with the transmission. Tri-State took the truck in and asked what I was unsatisfied about.
At that time, 2nd gear was a violent shift. When I got the truck back, Tri-state told me that my transmission was designed to shift harshly because of the heavy-duty nature of the truck, but they did what they could to make it better. After their second try at my transmission, the harsh shifting had moved from 2nd to 3rd and would also do a double shift feel, of sorts, going into 3rd. Tri-state said this was because of a torque convertor locking up and reminded me that it was to be expected because of the heavy-duty nature of my diesel truck. I reluctantly let the issue go after being bullied into accepting it over the phone. On the 11th month (Feb 2019) of my 12-month warranty, the transmission left me stranded on my way to work. The tow truck driver took the truck back to Tri-State, and I found an alternate ride to work.
Tri-state honored their warranty and got the truck running again, but shifting was still harsh and less than desirable. As previously stated, this truck spends most of its time in my driveway, and I use my other vehicle to commute. That was until March of 2021 when my daily car was involved in an accident. After that, I began to use the truck for my daily commute. Last week (Sept 2021), the transmission let me down again on a camping trip out of town. While driving the truck, it lost 3rd gear. I am now in the process of finding a new transmission for my truck. I knew that when the truck would shift into 3rd, it was so harsh that it would only do that 'trick' so many times, and someday it would finally break whatever it was violently banging against inside the transmission. I tried to express my concern during the initial 12 months. Tri-state had two occasions to make this right, and both times I was bullied into accepting this subpar rebuild and repairs. I am writing this review to warn others of this shop's shotty work and terrible after transaction customer service. I only hope to help one person decide not to place your hard-earned dollar or faith in Tri-State. read more