I am confused as to whether or not my vehicle needs a transmission fluid change. I have 62000+ miles on it. I must admit that I am not sure I like the fact that it is a sealed transmission. According to my dealer, at least at 60K it does not require a transmission fluid change. The manual specifies that a transmission needs the change at 60K. Not sure if mine is that one or some other.
The car has been extremely reliable. Other than poor city fuel mileage it is a great vehicle. This may be one of the very few vehicles I can drive 600 miles in a day and not be extremely sore.
The change interval for transmission fluid is open to debate. Most manufacturers state no change is required, but they really don’t care what happens after the warrantee period is over. The experts usually recommend an interval of 30-40k miles.
And in your case, if the manual says change it, than do so. Avoid a flush.
Strange that the dealer contradicts the manual.
transfer case and differential service is also nixed? How do they keep the lights on?
I would service the transmission using the proper factory-spec fluid if you plan on keeping the car and want it to be reliable.
Carmakers have been been lowering operating costs for vehicles by promoting longer maintenance intervals. And their halfway right about doing that. I read a study that showed there was virtually no difference in transmission failures at 120,000 miles between cars that had regular fluid service and cars that had none. And that makes sense. But it’s what happens after that interval that matters. The failure rate for non-serviced units begins to rise sharply.
For my customers I recommend transmission service at the 50 or 60K service. For anyone who tows or hauls loads, I recommend 30K.
+1 for @acemaster Ford maintenance guides leave something to be desired most of the time, like the 100,000 miles coolant for instance. At least in this care there is a recommended change of fluid,. So, I would follow that.
In many cases manuals state more frequent service if the vehicle is used for towing, in which case I would go with 24,000 mile intervals.
The fluid should be changed every 30-40k miles. For what it’s worth anyway, I’ve talked to a long time friend of mine who has been in the transmission business over 40 years as a well-established independent after taking over his dad’s business.
He didn’t tell me anything that I didn’t already know but he’s told me that the common denominator in premature transmission failures he sees is:
A. Lack of fluid changes.
B. Minor leaks that were never caught or ignored which led to low fluid levels.
He strongly recommends 30-40k miles fluid changes also.
I just looked up the transmission service procedure in the factory service manual for this vehicle, and it states that a Ford ST2654-A, fluid exchange machine be used, or a 211-00018 or a 199-00010 be used if the FORD machine isn’t available.
It also instructs where to connect the machine to make sure that the transmission fluid coolers are flushed of any debris.
Tester
This transmission has a standpipe inside the pan
yes, you need to fill from the bottom
No, you do not need a machine that meets Ford specs.
You just need the proper adapters
not a big deal
Any competent independent shop that does lots of maintenance work SHOULD be set up to do this
SHOULD 
I’m not sure what Ford says, but I’ve heard that GM is recommending to not flush their transmissions. OP can probably google “GM recommends to not flush transmissions” to find more info.
George.
Stay on subject!
This a FORD! transmission.
Not a GM transmission!
Geez!
Tester
George, your membership does not require you to comment on every post made.
I second Tester’s motion.
Take it easy guys; GM, Ford, they are all domestic 
So are Toyota trucks.
Anybody have a guess why GM would say “no” to flush-machine-ing their trannys, but Ford apparently has no objections? Just curious to the experts here, is there a difference in the two manufacturer’s designs that would make GM’s more likely for something to go wrong during a flush-machine operation?
Flush machines are rare, What does each manufacture say about fluid exchange procedures?
TSB 04-06-01-029E, GM
“The use of external transmission fluid exchange or flush machines is NOT recommended for the automatic or manual transmission. Use of external machines to replace the fluid may affect the operation or durability of the transmission. Transmission fluid should only be replaced by draining and refilling following directions in SI. Refer to Automatic/Manual Transmission Fluid and Filter Replacement.”