My vehicle has been jerking/hesitating upon acceleration and at times can barely move going up an incline at low speeds. This has been going on for over a year. Last year I was told by the Ford dealership that it was the RDU recall which did not make a difference, and they replaced the PTO which also did not resolve the issue. I took it back in for more diagnostics this week to the same Ford dealership and was told that the transmission was bad and required replacement – that the fluid was black with metal particles and the level was low although their regular oil changes reflect as recently as two weeks ago that the level and color of the transmission fluid was normal. No warning lamps or messages. I declined the replacement at this time as I feel that it is a manufacturer’s defect. It is available for inspection.