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

[TSAINTS1115]

Personally I feel you should have kept driving until it grenaded. I wouldn't want them to just replace a seal or bearing. I'd want the entire unit replaced with new.

Yea...................that wouldn't result in the truck being down forever while the dealer and Ford decide whether or not it would be under warranty since the computer would show everything.

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[Sunset Ranch]

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.

Cherry juice? Come on.. Most new Ford's have electric steering now anyway

 

[Sunset Ranch]

They may have called it a rear end, but it's actually called a differential. The differential is part of a rear axle and also part of a transaxle.

Hybrids do not have a rear axle of any kind

 

[Robrmrz7]

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.

Hory chit, sorry thi happened to you.. Take it back and since is only 60 miles have the replace the vehicle. Looks like your truck was assembled on a Monday after a weekend of drinking.

 

[Barracuda340]

Hybrids do not have a rear axle of any kind

I said a differential also part of a transaxle. Do you have any idea what a transaxle is? Duh It's part of a FWD car.

 

[Oggy]

Cherry juice? Come on.. Most new Ford's have electric steering now anyway

The last vehicle I spent any considerable amount of time working on was a HMMWV in the middle of Baghdad. There its used for the tranny, brakes, and power steering. EPAS wasn't a thing then.

Either way my point was it could be used in more than one place. (No offense taken, just showing my history/thought process)

Ultimately there is going to be a failure rate though. The objective is for it to be as low as possible, we'll see after a considerable amount have been produced...

 

[TheGriffin1313]

humm
you can add "wrong seal used"
to the list of issues stemming from lack of training, fatigue or just we dont give a hoot... I think I have harped enough on the assembly plant but these assembly issues need to stop and be addressed by Ford. Can anyone from Ford chime in and say what we need to hear.

Like the assembly plant is going through some growing pains and we will address each vehicle.
The main crew was on vacation and the B team was just not aware of the location of the correct part.

Give us something some sort of assurance that we are all not going to be in a ticking time bomb just waiting for the right bump or jolt in the road to brick our wonderful truck that we have been so eagerly waiting for.

Can someone throw us a bone please?

 

[mspmms]

Personally I feel you should have kept driving until it grenaded. I wouldn't want them to just replace a seal or bearing. I'd want the entire unit replaced with new.

 

[FORdEVER]

What happened to breaking a car in??? Are you not supposed to drive 500+ miles before going over 50 mph?
Having said that, it sounds like the issue was unavoidable. Initial diagnosis of driveshaft made me cringe.
Am hoping to get a problem free one later this year.

 

[Fluegelmeister]

This is the site to report problems to that matters to Ford:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2022/FORD/MAVERICK/PU%252FCC/2WD

Trending are glowing cats and auto-start.

 

[BlackXL]

7500 miles on the mav hybrid as of today. Subzero to 70 degrees during operation. On and offroad. Velocity exceeding 90 mph on the interstate a few times. Trust it with my life daily. In my experience, all vehicles will eventually experience cv joint wear and seals will eventually fail independent of manufacturer. Unfortunate that the halfshaft was improperly hung, but they are cheap vehicles imported from Mexico. Hopefully the OP is back on the road with their new econotruck…

 

[Dooma99]

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.

Looks like you got a Lemon

 

[mcc63303]

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

Retired Ford Dealer Service Advisor here, after 20 years of being a tech I found it more to my body's liking to use a pen and computer rather than be under a vehicle dripping ice water down my neck, leaning over and working on a 300 degree engine or stuffing myself under a dash. Service advisors have a very tough job, no say so on the work being done but being blamed by owners for poor engineering design, no parts availability and not to mention how an owner treats the vehicle. My favorite saying to myself (wish I could say to owners).... I didn't make it... and I didn't break it. Don't blame me!... I'm here to help you! Maybe take a look at my 57 Chevy in the Showcase and tell me (a retired Service Advisor) I know nothing about cars. 57 has been down to frame off, not a piece attached to the body, all engine, transmission and rear axle work as well as stripped of paint twice painted twice, all done by me. NJBob, you are so wrong. I sir, was no order taker.

 

[Tbolt]

I get being a fan of certain brands etc.
What I will never understand is someone like TROLLBY joining a site just to bash on a product they probably don’t have to make themselves feel better about the one they like. I mean, there are a million better things you could be doing with your time. It’s just weird man.

OP that sucks, hope they fix it quick and it’s the last of your problems. I had a brand new Saturn and something went bad with an engine sensor and it was running on like half an engine. Got it fixed and never had another problem with that car.

 

[jbandc122]

Looks like you got a Lemon

There is no reason to think OP got a lemon yet. Sure the truck shouldn’t have passed its’ quality checks, but it’s possible OP will get hundreds of thousands of miles out of it still.

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