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Transmission issues update
- Thread starter Santa
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OP
Thread Starter
#42
OP
Thread Starter
#43
I mostly drive around in Sport mode, which obviously leaves the lower gears in gear longer than necessary when letting off the gas pedal. I like it.
But with a lot of people mentioning their issues with the explorer's transmission (including some mechanics at the Ford dealership I frequent), that has made me skip a 3rd party tune. Don't want to pay out of pocket on a new tranny.
But with a lot of people mentioning their issues with the explorer's transmission (including some mechanics at the Ford dealership I frequent), that has made me skip a 3rd party tune. Don't want to pay out of pocket on a new tranny.
Well what I was afraid of finally happened. My 2020 ST transmission "ate itself" for lack of a better word. I've had the car for 10 months, never a problem. The owner of a Ford dealership had it before me, he retired at 78 and I bought the car with only 7k on it. Now with 18k on it I've started having issues. Last week I noticed some hard shifts from 7 down to 6 and some hesitation at weird moments on the highway. It wasn't anything crazy, and I hadn't had any symptoms before then. Then suddenly this Monday while driving on the highway the car started bucking and lost power completely. Kept going in and out of gears, wheels would lock up, wouldn't go over 10-15mph, and eventually after turning it off it wouldn't restart. Definitely was leaking trans fluid and could smell it burning. Had to have it towed (which is a whole other horror story) and now the dealer is tearing the trans down. Tech said he ordered a new separator plate and valve body assembly for replacement but isn't sure exactly what the full extent of the problem is. Told me that the transmission has some "serious problems". No kidding.
After reading your experiences here I'm really concerned. I think this trans is done for, like won't ever be normal again and needs a straight out replacement. I've driven this car pretty easily, haven't been beating on it and I haven't done any mods yet. What actually seemed to precipitate the issue was some slipping and sliding in a snowstorm we had. That's when the hard shifts started. I did find a TSB for that exact issue (hard 6-7 downshift) and had an appointment for service when it died Monday. I was actually on my way to the dealer when it died.
Any suggestions on how to handle this best considering I got it used? I do have the extended warranties and whatnot thankfully. It's the first major mechanical car trouble I've ever had. It's also my first Ford, though I've used them for years and years at work and put them through hell there (as a firefighter).
Thanks everyone for your posts on this. I appreciate any help you can suggest.
Dave
After reading your experiences here I'm really concerned. I think this trans is done for, like won't ever be normal again and needs a straight out replacement. I've driven this car pretty easily, haven't been beating on it and I haven't done any mods yet. What actually seemed to precipitate the issue was some slipping and sliding in a snowstorm we had. That's when the hard shifts started. I did find a TSB for that exact issue (hard 6-7 downshift) and had an appointment for service when it died Monday. I was actually on my way to the dealer when it died.
Any suggestions on how to handle this best considering I got it used? I do have the extended warranties and whatnot thankfully. It's the first major mechanical car trouble I've ever had. It's also my first Ford, though I've used them for years and years at work and put them through hell there (as a firefighter).
Thanks everyone for your posts on this. I appreciate any help you can suggest.
Dave
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Well just an update. Finally got my ST back. They replaced the entire transmission. It took about 2 weeks to get the part in. I have to say I'm a little impressed that they went straight to full replacement and skipped piecemeal repair. I'm not entirely sure what the damage was, getting a straight answer was nearly impossible, but I have to say so far I'm pleased. Not pleased that a vehicle with less than 30k mi on it required a transmission replacement, but at least they did the right thing and gave me a new one. I'd suggest anyone with issues to be very stubborn and demand replacement. YMMV but my advisor helped get it done. Only put about 50mi on it so far, taking it easy, driving it like a break-in period, but so far so good (knock on wood). I haven't even put it in sport mode yet, which always featured some hard downshifts, so I can't comment on whether those are gone yet.
I believe (based on what service advisor told me) the transmission issues were only with a few months of manufacture. However I don't know the time period. It seems like fluid leaking from seals is what precipitates the problems. Anyone who starts seeing hard 6-7 downshifts (there's a bulletin for this) needs to get in for service IMMMEDIATELY. That's how it started for me, then to power loss on acceleration, then pretty much complete destruction of the transmission. Get it early. Check for fluid leaks (it's a very noticeable smell when it gets on something hot). That's all the advice I can offer right now. Hopefully things continue to work out. I'm glad I got the extended service coverage though. Almost didn't.
Meanwhile the 2020 PIU we have at work and beat on relentlessly has had no issues. Go figure.
I believe (based on what service advisor told me) the transmission issues were only with a few months of manufacture. However I don't know the time period. It seems like fluid leaking from seals is what precipitates the problems. Anyone who starts seeing hard 6-7 downshifts (there's a bulletin for this) needs to get in for service IMMMEDIATELY. That's how it started for me, then to power loss on acceleration, then pretty much complete destruction of the transmission. Get it early. Check for fluid leaks (it's a very noticeable smell when it gets on something hot). That's all the advice I can offer right now. Hopefully things continue to work out. I'm glad I got the extended service coverage though. Almost didn't.
Meanwhile the 2020 PIU we have at work and beat on relentlessly has had no issues. Go figure.
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This happened to me today and luckily I was near the dealership and the service department was still open. The transmission technician test drove with me and confirmed that it's the transmission. He told me to leave it and they arranged for a loaner car from a rental car agency which was also about to close. So I lucked out on both counts. We'll see how long the parts take to arrive to complete the repair. I have 25,289 miles on it. They have also ordered me a new rear camera because the recall reprogramming of the IPMB for the blue screen issue did not take care of it. I have another problem too with the rear defroster element starting to peel off the glass. They will probably have to replace the rear glass.
Here is the TSB for this transmission problem:
Ford Motor Company (nhtsa.gov)
Here is the TSB for this transmission problem:
Ford Motor Company (nhtsa.gov)
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After 11 days at the dealership, all the parts came in and the tech performed TSB 20-2337.
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2021/MC-10186386-0001.pdf
The transmission seems to be back to normal operation. I also had the rear camera replaced under warranty after the recall didn't correct the problem.
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2021/MC-10186386-0001.pdf
The transmission seems to be back to normal operation. I also had the rear camera replaced under warranty after the recall didn't correct the problem.
My Explorer ST shifts into Neutral between 1st and 2nd gear. It is extremely dangerous, as it immobilizes the car for a second or so, and then if you have your foot on the throttle the RPMs rise, then suddenly it will reengage in gear. This is extremely jarring when it happens. The easiest way to get the car to do it, is to put the car in manual mode and shift with the paddles. When you start from a stop, try to shift into second as fast as you can. About 5% of the time it will instead act like it is in neutral.
There is 2 major issues with this problem. One is if you aren't paying attention and keep your foot on the throttle it jams into gear and I am sure this is damaging the transmission and shortening its life. The second issue is that if you are turning across traffic and it happens, you are a sitting duck. Therefore you have to be patient when turning left in front of traffic.
Ford just released a recall for the F150 for this. However, I just talked with them and they indicated that there is no recall for the Explorer at this time.
There is 2 major issues with this problem. One is if you aren't paying attention and keep your foot on the throttle it jams into gear and I am sure this is damaging the transmission and shortening its life. The second issue is that if you are turning across traffic and it happens, you are a sitting duck. Therefore you have to be patient when turning left in front of traffic.
Ford just released a recall for the F150 for this. However, I just talked with them and they indicated that there is no recall for the Explorer at this time.
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Well bad news for me. I have a 2021 ST with 12,000 miles on it. I notice some hard down shifting several different times. A couple days ago I got off the freeway it downshifted hard I turned the corner and accelerated and it immediately downshifted very hard and it was like an explosion the whole car shuttered it was very loud and now the the vehicle barely runs. I was told it would take a week for the dealership to look at it so I’m just waiting till next week to hear what’s up, I’m assuming it’s the trans
That looks like the cage of a CV joint, whether driveline or axle I couldn't say. I can't bring the image to my head without crawling under it but I'd have to think it's at the very least dropped a driveline. That would definitely make me wonder what the trans tailshft looks like. I'm just spoutin' off here.
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My 2020 ST started knocking 2 days ago on morning cold start.
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