HARD 1-2 SHIFT

[Ranchero64]

For about 6 months, my truck has been shifting extremely HARD, and chirping the tires around town between 1/2, (no tune, normal driving) Ive also noticed a drop in MPG, 15 mpg down to 13, everything else "seemed" to be ok.
I tow a 4500 lb trailer about 60 miles once a month, and 1000 miles once a year. I got the truck at 59k, The truck only has 74k on it now, the fluid was flushed and changed at 65k.
I finally took it to a dealer, it was still under the dealer extended warranty. The dealer had it a week before they pulled the pan, they said the fluid "was filled with metal shavings" and that they were just going to replace the whole trans (not a rebuild)

Questions-
Well this doesn't seem normal. What could have caused this?
What can I do in the future to prevent this? Ill do anything. Coolers, external filters, change the fluid more often?
Why would they replace the whole thing? Fine by me, just seems like an expense repair for not investigating deeper.

Thanks,
EP

2009 Silverado 75,000 Miles
MagnaFlow Exhaust
KN Filter/MIT Tube

 

[ccapehartusarmyINF.(ret)]

best guess is yer 1-2 accumulator piston cracked or got stuck and if that did damage to the accumulator housing walls then the whole housing has to be replaced

 

[retiredsparky]

The question us buyers of used vehicles have at a time like this is: How did the previous owners/drivers treat the vehicle. The transmission can absorb lots of stress, but aluminum and steel do have their limits.

 

[Archtoker420]

I have a similar issue on my 99 yukon but the mechanic I bought it from said he rebuilt the tranny and added a "heavy duty shift kit" for towing and that's why it shifts so hard into 1-2 I don't know if it's true or not. Just my 2 cents

 

[adam p]

Mine has had a shudder with 1-2 about 33% of the time for the past year but nothing hard. There's a lot on google about our tranny's 1-2 shifts so it's gotta be a weak point. I can't find a definite answer for mine so my mechanic wants to just rebuild it for $1200