Transmission Shutter at Speed

My 2005 Lincoln LS V8 with an automatic transmission has about 78,000 miles on it. The transmission has been dealer serviced at 30K and 60K miles. I had a full service with a new filter at both services.
I drive in rush hour bumper to bumper for about 20 of the 40 mile commute each way/each day.

I have recently had a problem when driving. The car is hesitating, and jerking slightly, shuttering, when accelerating after slowing down or when accelerating from lower speeds without depressing the gas pedal enough to change gears. It reminds me of a mid-eighties GM car that has the lock out torque converters. It sometimes shakes softly when idling in gear and occasionally in park. I primarily drive in D5.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this?
Is the transmission going bad or is it some type of electronic issue?

Any idea as to the cost to repair this?

Any and all responses will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

It's more likely that one or more of your COPs (Coil-On-Plug) is starting to fail.
They are still covered by Ford (10yr/100K mile). The only catch is that you would have to pay the diagnostic fee (usually about $100) if they test and find that none of the coils are bad.

This explains the extended coverage.
http://www.allstatetrucks.com/Recalls/cust%20satisfaction%20recalls/07m07/R07M07%20dealer%20bulletin.pdf

The failing coils create electrical noise and can cause failures that would seem to be unrelated to coils.

Thank you so much for the response. I really appreciated the link to Ford Memo talking about the extended warranty coverage. I will have that with me when I visit my dealer.

I hope this is the issue and it is not transmission based.

Again, Thank you!

Agreed that the symptoms as you describe them sound like a misfire. If you want to reduce the chances you'll need to pay the $100 diagnostic fee and you have access to a scan tool you might check for pending diagnostic codes. There may be a cylinder misfire code pending (assuming your Check Engine Light has not already come on while driving) pointing to a specific cylinder misfire. It nothing else, it would be good to go armed with that information anyway as more of an informed consumer.

-Rod

Thanks Rod,

I will see my regular mechanic prior to the dealer to get a preview of coming attractions as you suggest. He will only charge me a few dollars, if at all.

I certainly appreciate your insight. Will follow up with my findings and the final resolution.

Have a great weekend

Follow up.

Took the car to the dealer.
They changed 2 of the Coil over's for me under warranty.
The car runs fine. They explained that they can replace up to 2 at one time under the special warranty.

So far the car runs great again.

Thank you all so much!:)

Great, thank you for the follow-up post!

-Rod