Questions about recalls and build date

[Rule of 100]

Looking hard at a 21 ST at my local dealer. It's being offered as a CPO Gold vehicle. A family member has had one from new and it has spent a lot of time in the shop for various warranty issues. So, need to do some homework to find out about warranty repairs and how useful the CPO warranty is.
A quick look at the warranty forum here shows an intake valve recall for 2021 models built between May and October. Yikes! How do I find out when my prospective ST was built? The dealer provided a facsimile Monroney sheet that doesn't show build date. When I went to the dealer service department to ask about recalls, they just said that all recalls had been satisfied with no details given. The NHTSA website gives no details, either.
Have had my eye on the ST for quite a while. The tipping point came earlier this year when I bought a used F150 with the 3.5 EB and fell in love with the engine and really the whole driving experience. On first test drive, the ST proved itself to be a solid athletic performer, well composed on rough, twisty roads and on the freeway too. Not too excited about the center stack display, but oh well.
Finally, can any boat owners tell me how well the ST performs at the boat ramp? I would like to be able to pull an 8k boat and trailer out of the water and no more than 1/4 mile to a parking area.
TIA, Rule of 100

 

[23 Explorer ST]

Looking hard at a 21 ST at my local dealer. It's being offered as a CPO Gold vehicle. A family member has had one from new and it has spent a lot of time in the shop for various warranty issues. So, need to do some homework to find out about warranty repairs and how useful the CPO warranty is.
A quick look at the warranty forum here shows an intake valve recall for 2021 models built between May and October. Yikes! How do I find out when my prospective ST was built? The dealer provided a facsimile Monroney sheet that doesn't show build date. When I went to the dealer service department to ask about recalls, they just said that all recalls had been satisfied with no details given. The NHTSA website gives no details, either.
Have had my eye on the ST for quite a while. The tipping point came earlier this year when I bought a used F150 with the 3.5 EB and fell in love with the engine and really the whole driving experience. On first test drive, the ST proved itself to be a solid athletic performer, well composed on rough, twisty roads and on the freeway too. Not too excited about the center stack display, but oh well.
Finally, can any boat owners tell me how well the ST performs at the boat ramp? I would like to be able to pull an 8k boat and trailer out of the water and no more than 1/4 mile to a parking area.
TIA, Rule of 100

Welcome! The build date should be on a sticker inside the drivers door jam.


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[Caster]

I wouldn't think anyone would recommend you pulling an 8K lb. boat with it, especially at a wet boat ramp. You're completely blowing the GVWR and towing capacity by a mile and you want to do that on a slippery ramp. Who on her is gonna say "Sure since it's only for a 1/4 mile or so..".

This is exactly what the Darwin awards are for. Do this completely at your own risk and not at any positive advice you may (or may not) receive here to go ahead with that plan.

 

[Cruising68]

I wouldn't think anyone would recommend you pulling an 8K lb. boat with it, especially at a wet boat ramp. You're completely blowing the GVWR and towing capacity by a mile and you want to do that on a slippery ramp. Who on her is gonna say "Sure since it's only for a 1/4 mile or so..".

This is exactly what the Darwin awards are for. Do this completely at your own risk and not at any positive advice you may (or may not) receive here to go ahead with that plan.

Agree with this. I’ve towed heavy for most of my driving career. It’s not something you want to mess around with imo. Had a few butt puckering moments. I’ve towed near the limits of my trucks and stuff definitely gets sketchy but you are talking doubling the rating. Might not hurt anything but I wouldn’t chance it.


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[Caster]

Agree with this. I’ve towed heavy for most of my driving career. It’s not something you want to mess around with imo. Had a few butt puckering moments. I’ve towed near the limits of my trucks and stuff definitely gets sketchy but you are talking doubling the rating. Might not hurt anything but I wouldn’t chance it.


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This is also a HUGE public safety issue if something were to happen doing this. There's a lot more at risk than just the vehicle.

 

[Rule of 100]

Well, now we know how a few members feel about overweight towing. The 8k figure was arbitrary, but still valid in that there are quite probably ST's out there that are used to pull that much weight up a ramp. The question was designed to find out people's real world experience with the torque multiplication abilities of the drivetrain.
Not looking to start a flame war on my first day on the forum, but plenty of folks tow their boats safely for very short distances with vehicles whose tow ratings are exceeded by their boat/trailer rigs.
My current boat weighs about 10k and I don't even have a trailer for it. Previous boat/trailer ran about 8k with fuel, toys, etc. Its trailer had top of the line E/H brakes and was towed by a 2500HD Duramax. The plan is to downsize to a newer boat, so I'm trying to get a feel for how much weight the ST could handle for towing it at walking speed from ramp to parking area.
All responses are welcomed even if not agreed with. Cheers,
Rule of 100

 

[Caster]

SMH..

 

[cheetoduster]

Probably a ton of "boat ramp fail" videos on YouTube where midsized SUVs end up under water due to grossly exceeding their tow rating.

 

[powerboatr]

Back to other part
If it's a cpo vehicle. You may be eligible to buy a ford ESP used car plan
Zeigler , and few other sale them discounted or your dealer can also discount
Some do and some don't
Negotiations is the key
For example in 2018 I bought a 2012 edge with 51k miles..got a ford bumper to bumper 100 deductible for 1200.
It was 6 years 125k Miles
It paid for itself with new rear camera and front struts at around 60k Miles
Best part for us. It's ford esp ..any ford lincoln dealer can fo the work and paperwork. Plus we got rental car

 

[2020FordRaptor]

Looking hard at a 21 ST at my local dealer. It's being offered as a CPO Gold vehicle. A family member has had one from new and it has spent a lot of time in the shop for various warranty issues. So, need to do some homework to find out about warranty repairs and how useful the CPO warranty is.
A quick look at the warranty forum here shows an intake valve recall for 2021 models built between May and October. Yikes! How do I find out when my prospective ST was built? The dealer provided a facsimile Monroney sheet that doesn't show build date. When I went to the dealer service department to ask about recalls, they just said that all recalls had been satisfied with no details given. The NHTSA website gives no details, either.
Have had my eye on the ST for quite a while. The tipping point came earlier this year when I bought a used F150 with the 3.5 EB and fell in love with the engine and really the whole driving experience. On first test drive, the ST proved itself to be a solid athletic performer, well composed on rough, twisty roads and on the freeway too. Not too excited about the center stack display, but oh well.
Finally, can any boat owners tell me how well the ST performs at the boat ramp? I would like to be able to pull an 8k boat and trailer out of the water and no more than 1/4 mile to a parking area.
TIA, Rule of 100

I’d like to point out that the I haven’t seen any intake valves crack on these cars (the Bronco on the other hand). A ESP is definitely going to be worth it in the long run for safe keeping.

The STs towing capacity is 5600, add 2400 pounds more, a wet boat ramp, and extra pressure, it’s a recipe for disaster. These are really smaller cars in comparison to trucks, so that heavy of a trailer would control the vehicle dangerously too much. But hey, if it’s not my vehicle, doesn’t matter what I say, just pointing it out.

 

[cheetoduster]

If the vehicle is subject to the intake valve recall Ford is extending the power train warranty to 10yrs/100K miles.

 

[2020FordRaptor]

If the vehicle is subject to the intake valve recall Ford is extending the power train warranty to 10yrs/100K miles.

Oh yeah forgot about that too.

 

[Cruising68]

As somebody that has towed a lot with 2500 and 3500 dually’s I will say this. While I think my ST is a great vehicle it is a toy compared to my tow vehicles. Pulling a boat that weighs twice what the ST weighs up a slippery boat ramp incline would not be my idea of fun. Just my opinion.


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[Rule of 100]

If tow vehicle weight were the only metric, the ST should tow as well as my F150 3.5 EB, since they weigh the same. But in the manufacturer's ratings, the F150 can tow twice the weight, which is also more than twice its own weight. So much for getting on Youtube with the ST for a loading ramp fail!

The obvious difference between these two is the transmission: the 4wd F150 has a low range transfer case to make pulling the boat out of the water an easier task. My initial question had to do with how well the ST's transmission can handle pulling a boat at the ramp. Does anyone know if the 10-speed in the ST is the same transmission used in the 2wd Expedition? That one is rated to tow 9200 pounds, so maybe the ST transmission can do it after all.

So, by my [somewhat hopeful] logic the limiting factor in the ST tow rating is neither weight nor transmission, but rather the fact that is has a unibody which probably would not stand up to the stresses that towing at speed places on the chassis. A shorter wheel base doesn't help either, but neither of those factors comes into play when towing a short distance at low speed. I will have to revisit the one ramp that would be in use: a public ramp at Windmill Point, VA. Think "coefficient of friction".

re: warranties. Ford Gold CPO covers all drivetrain repairs for 7/100,000. The ST I'm considering is a CPO Gold.

re: intake valves. The ST I'm considering has a 4/21 build date, so that is a non-issue.

Thanks to all for your comments, Rule of 100

PS. If towing were not an option, I'd have to look hard at the Edge ST: cheaper, grippier seats, better MPG.

 

[cheetoduster]

If tow vehicle weight were the only metric, the ST should tow as well as my F150 3.5 EB, since they weigh the same. But in the manufacturer's ratings, the F150 can tow twice the weight, which is also more than twice its own weight. So much for getting on Youtube with the ST for a loading ramp fail!

The obvious difference between these two is the transmission: the 4wd F150 has a low range transfer case to make pulling the boat out of the water an easier task. My initial question had to do with how well the ST's transmission can handle pulling a boat at the ramp. Does anyone know if the 10-speed in the ST is the same transmission used in the 2wd Expedition? That one is rated to tow 9200 pounds, so maybe the ST transmission can do it after all.

So, by my [somewhat hopeful] logic the limiting factor in the ST tow rating is neither weight nor transmission, but rather the fact that is has a unibody which probably would not stand up to the stresses that towing at speed places on the chassis. A shorter wheel base doesn't help either, but neither of those factors comes into play when towing a short distance at low speed. I will have to revisit the one ramp that would be in use: a public ramp at Windmill Point, VA. Think "coefficient of friction".

re: warranties. Ford Gold CPO covers all drivetrain repairs for 7/100,000. The ST I'm considering is a CPO Gold.

re: intake valves. The ST I'm considering has a 4/21 build date, so that is a non-issue.

Thanks to all for your comments, Rule of 100

PS. If towing were not an option, I'd have to look hard at the Edge ST: cheaper, grippier seats, better MPG.

F150 has the 10R80, the Explorer has the 10R60. Solid rear axle, gear ratio, body on frame, etc., etc. There are a lot of reasons why the F150 has a higher tow rating an explorer. You're gonna end up like this guy.

https://www.tiktok.com/@alfredmontaner/video/7155834906495454506

 

[2020FordRaptor]

If tow vehicle weight were the only metric, the ST should tow as well as my F150 3.5 EB, since they weigh the same. But in the manufacturer's ratings, the F150 can tow twice the weight, which is also more than twice its own weight. So much for getting on Youtube with the ST for a loading ramp fail!

The obvious difference between these two is the transmission: the 4wd F150 has a low range transfer case to make pulling the boat out of the water an easier task. My initial question had to do with how well the ST's transmission can handle pulling a boat at the ramp. Does anyone know if the 10-speed in the ST is the same transmission used in the 2wd Expedition? That one is rated to tow 9200 pounds, so maybe the ST transmission can do it after all.

So, by my [somewhat hopeful] logic the limiting factor in the ST tow rating is neither weight nor transmission, but rather the fact that is has a unibody which probably would not stand up to the stresses that towing at speed places on the chassis. A shorter wheel base doesn't help either, but neither of those factors comes into play when towing a short distance at low speed. I will have to revisit the one ramp that would be in use: a public ramp at Windmill Point, VA. Think "coefficient of friction".

re: warranties. Ford Gold CPO covers all drivetrain repairs for 7/100,000. The ST I'm considering is a CPO Gold.

re: intake valves. The ST I'm considering has a 4/21 build date, so that is a non-issue.

Thanks to all for your comments, Rule of 100

PS. If towing were not an option, I'd have to look hard at the Edge ST: cheaper, grippier seats, better MPG.

Doesn’t matter if it’s a short distance, the damage could still be done. A F150 has a 10r80, Explorer has a weaker 10r60. An F150 is a big full size truck with a frame, wider track, and is built to tow. Your logic isn’t correct, and is what will lead to damage to your vehicle and maybe worse.

 

[Caster]

The OP has asked for advice from this forum which he has received in great detail. Regardless of everyones feedback, he's convinced himself that this will all work out for him.

 

[Cruising68]

The OP has asked for advice from this forum which he has received in great detail. Regardless of everyones feedback, he's convinced himself that this will all work out for him.

His vehicle, his boat, his choice. In my younger years I did a lot of FAFO. Fortunately there were no phones around to record my overconfidence


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[Rule of 100]

Yes, I've had to walk home a few times in the dead of night, too. Usually in the dead of winter.
And yes, there have been lots of opinions from you guys but not, AFAIK, any stories from owners who have actually used the ST to pull a boat.
So far the most compelling arguments against involve axle construction and transmission strength. I'm still not convinced. Sometimes you never know what you can do until you try. I don't think we're discussing a "Hey, hold my beer, watch this" type of situation.
Insurance companies and manufacturers in this country have convinced the general public that you have to have a massive truck to tow anything. In Europe they tow camper trailers with compact cars, and have done so safely for decades. Even in Canada.
Previous tow vehicles include Tacomas, 4Runners, Tundras, Suburbans, F150, 250, and 350, 2500HD's, Volvos, etc etc. Just trying to think outside the box a bit here.

 

[mrjoltcola]

Pulling 8k - 10k lb up a wet, slippery boat ramp with a 400hp light SUV with road tires isn't thinking outside the box. I have a lot of experience towing and off roading with all sorts of things, from 1.5 ton dually to small SUVs. Boat ramps can get slick with algae under the water line and algae is as slick as ice and can cause serious trouble even for larger 2wd trucks. I've seen people slide down on the algae and have to swim. I keep my old 2002 2500HD Silverado Duramax 3/4 ton 4x4 for hauling or spare work truck. Its a 2002 but still a horse and at this point Id only get maybe $10,000 for it which isnt enough for me to sell. I never haul anything more than a mower or a UTV with my midsize SUVs (2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser 4x4 and 2021 Explorer ST 4X4). Anything heavier gets pulled with the 3/4 ton at minimum, but if I'm gonna be dealing with a boat ramp, I'm gonna use a long dually with 4wd so my front wheels stay well out of the water. I have hauled a lot of things in the weight range you mentioned and Id rather be driving something long which is the secondary reason I only buy crew cab trucks. Some boat ramps are evil and I've seen all sorts of trucks have trouble due to algae or Georgia red clay.

An Explorer ST will do nothing special on a slick boat ramp just because it has 400hp and AWD "4WD". My FJ Cruiser only has 280hp but it is setup for off road, and has great traction and will go places my Explorer cant think about, not to mention a Humvee, and the most I'd launch on an unknown boat ramp with my FJ would be a 2-3k lb small boat or Bass Tracker unless I absolutely knew the ramp had good, rough gravel with no algae and a mild grade and even then Id be hesitant with much more. On the road? Explorer ST all day. I love my ST.