"As a side note, the "two transmission" story probably wouldn't be unusual if it involved a Chrysler or a Dodge. As it is, I have the word of a 15-year mechanic that I trust (and who owns one) that the Explorer does not have transmission issues (barring abuse/neglect and all of that)."
Ironically GM seems to get the best reputation for autos in trucks with the Allsion, even if their trucks struggle to compete with the Ford F series. While waiting for a meeting to start someone asked how my truck was doing and I said fine, and it came out in the course of the conversation that I had a manual transmission. Several people couldn't believe it, but two Ford truck owners said that they'd get a stick the next time as they had a lot of problems with their autos. Another coworker had to have the auto in his F250 rebuilt at less than 80k miles. Autos in trucks seem to rely heavily on 'torque management', where power is limited in different gears and loads in order to maximize life.
