Truck broke down! Front axle and transmission issue after 60 miles

[TSAINTS1115]

Full stop on the story and all the "warranty, dealer, etc" stuff.

The real issue is WHY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH DO YOU KEEP DRIVING A VEHICLE ONCE YOU DISCOVER THE MECHANICALS ARE LEAKING VITAL FLUIDS?!!!

What might have been just a leak will turn into a blown trans (or in the case of oil an engine) so the LAST thing to do is keep driving. Unless your life is in immediate danger shut it down and get it towed.

Sponsored

 

[TSAINTS1115]

They probably got that idea from reading this forum.

Dealers would be right about some.

 

[VBMav]

Pic of the leaking fluid while on the flatbed:

Looks like chip fluid to me!

 

[Nomadikhan]

I’ll attest, although I went eco awd 4k, I have just over 3300 miles and got mine Dec 6 2021. Not a single mechanical issue. I haven’t even changed oil yet. The radio, however; I’d love to do away with the buggy glitchy screen.

Definitely hope the OP gets sorted soon and that it’s done right.

 

[MORRISX5]

Almost 3k on my eco and other than the wet cabin filter i've had no issues

 

[JennyJoannSuebeeMcNash]

I'm not sure about the Maverick, but Ford has used cherry juice for power steering on previous vehicles, so I wouldn't guarantee transmission vs power steering solely on the fluid.

Definitely agree that there's more to it than the rear end though, you might have a bad bearing, bad wheel balance, etc. Given there's a cross beam in the rear, they may have just called it a rear axle for simplicity sake, not knowing your level of knowledge.

I would definitely ask for the extended warranty, and for them to foot the bill.

My Dad purchased a brand new Colorado last year, drove it home, and the next day the transmission grenaded. He ended up with a new truck, with a free redline package because of it... YMMV, but it never hurts to ask.

Back in 1984, my mother finally purchased her very first brand new car after years of buying used VWs. She managed to drive her brand new, fully loaded Toyota Camry for all of 700 miles before the engine blew. Turns out no one had done a thorough inspection on the car and missed the fact that there was no oil cap on the engine. Needless to say, within a week's time Toyota replaced her car. Glad to hear your dad had a similar experience in getting a new truck. These days, the customer service is seriously lacking across the board.

 

[NJBob]

Because dealers think we are all stupid

Service advisors know nothing about cars. They are just order takers. And insulate you from the mechanic.

 

[mrbill]

Pretty sure the Maverick has EPAS which does not use any power steering fluid, also, I'm going to assume that the trans fluid leak and the issue are directly related. My guess is that the intermediate shaft on the trans popped out of the trans housing because it wasn't properly seated or they didn't properly secure the mount where the intermediate shaft transfer to the CV axle. Just a guess though.

the maverick should have the electric power steering like y 2019 f150 so no belt-pump-fluid, ( I was told)

 

[DeanR]

Almost 3k on my eco and other than the wet cabin filter i've had no issues

6500 here and no issues, not worried at all.

 

[bmwchicken]

Was able to talk to the service manager and got a slightly better understanding of what is going on. Sorry if I don't get all the terms right, he was speaking pretty fast and I didn't fully understand the parts he was describing and how they worked together over the phone, but this is what I took away.

It's a FRONT axle issue, not rear axle. (The service advisor was the one that told me rear axle initially) The front axle connects to some support bearing which then connects to the transmission. There’s a spring that goes into some holder which is then bolted onto something else (I think he said it's connected the drivetrain?). The spring or the holder wasn't installed correctly at the factory so at some point something broke and now the axle shaft is separating under acceleration.
He said that part of the transmission (the differential) isn't under pressure so it's possible not all the fluid leaked out.

He's waiting on a new front axle and after that is repaired he's going to test it, run diagnostics and drive it to see if there are additional repairs needed. He said he has done a visual inspection of the transmission and it looks ok, but he can't promise if it was damaged or not internally. He said it's not uncommon for Ford to extend the warranty in cases like this, so that is reassuring to know.

 

[Pickles]

I feel for you. Stinks you waited so long to have a lemon. Im not certain what advice youre looking for though. You asked about options…
Your options are:
A) wait for your truck to be fixed
B) … ?

 

[Glenn]

Looking for some advice from the knowledgeable people here on MTC. After 8 months of waiting I finally was able to pick up my hybrid XLT so I was super excited!

I was driving on the highway, going about 70mph, back from the dealership when all of a sudden the truck started shaking pretty violently. I used to own a Wrangler and it felt just like the infamous "Death Wobble" that my Jeep used to get on the highway.

At first I thought it was a flat tire because of the way it was rumbling, but the tire pressure indicator didn't go off. I pulled over and looked over all 4 tires, and they all looked good. No warning lights on the dash either. I got underneath the truck and saw reddish fluid dripping from the engine compartment, I'm guessing that was power steering or transmission fluid. Not a good sign. It had about 60 miles on the odometer at this point.

The whole truck was shaking over 15mph and the shaking was so bad that it felt very unsafe over 30mph so I didn't want to drive it far. My home is about 90 miles from the dealership so I ended up limping at a slow speed to the closest Ford dealership and crashed in a hotel room until the next day when I learned that service was booked full for 3 weeks so I just got it towed back to the original dealership. It didn't feel safe to drive all the way there with all the shaking, plus I was worried about causing further damage so I got it towed. The truck was still leaking fluid the next day and the tow truck driver thought it was transmission fluid. It's also good that I requested a flatbed given that it turned out to be a rear axle issue. Luckily the original dealership was able to give me a loaner so I could get home.

Spoke to the service manager on Monday and they said it was an issue with the rear axle and that something wasn't "seated correctly" from the factory. They said they would need to order a new rear axle and it would take a week to come in. I asked for more details and also asked about the transmission and they said they would get back to me. I called back today (Tuesday) and asked to speak to the mechanic directly to get more details and the service manager said he'd try to get a video and send that over to me. Sounds like they might still be diagnosing it.

I'm sure they will eventually find and fix the issue so it's driveable but I am obviously worried about longer term damage that might have been caused to the transmission, axle, engine, rest of the truck that might not show up until years from now. I'm thinking of asking them to add on an extended warranty and hopefully Ford picks up that tab at a minimum. I definitely want the Maverick so what do people here think?

Anyone else that might have run into a similar issue?
Any ideas on what could cause leaking transmission fluid and require a whole new rear axle?
Any other suggestions on how to proceed or other options I may want to explore with the dealership?
What other things should I ask them to check?

Love this forum, thanks everyone for your advice!

TL;DR New truck broke with a rear axle problem while I was driving it home. It's at the dealer now and I want to know what options I have going forward.

Update: Spoke to the actual service manager and he said it was a problem in the FRONT axle, not the rear.

Pic of the leaking fluid while on the flatbed:

The shaking inside the truck doesn't show up on video, but you can certainly hear it.

I’ve been reading a lot on this Forum with people having issues with their Mav right out of the gate. With FORD being so backed up with orders I hope they aren’t just SLAPPING together these trucks at a record pace. FORD had a logo years ago “ QUALITY IS JOB 1”

 

[Dun4791]

Transmission looks ok

Should have just kept driving it

 

[StillWaiting]

Dang when they test drive it, they may get more mileage out of it than you!

No but seriously that sucks.

 

[Area51BS]

Almost 3k on my eco and other than the wet cabin filter i've had no issues

Wet filter?

Sponsored