Been without my Tremor for a month now ... persistent AWD issues that Ford can't figure out

[mrmagoo711]

A "large clunk" would make me suspect there is a hard part between the engine and wheels broken.

Disengaging during acceleration would feel similar though, and I was making a turn through the intersection.

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[Bwicka]

If it didn’t lose a axle to output spline ( thinking passenger long side )causing the open diff to free spin then I would think more like shifter solenoid in trans , hard torque converter issue or actual shift module problem or electronic shift selector .
Trans and axle issues , they should have diagnosed first time in the air .
Trans solenoids and shift module should have cycle and checks or steps to prove each function and they also have fdrs where others can look at it remotely.
Keep us posted what gets found!

 

[JBEN110]

Sounds like they aren't digging deep enough. After the trans disengaged dit it ever move under it's own power again. If not they definitely aren't digging deep enough. Shafts inside sase sometimes fail. They only check for imperfections every so often in any batch. I lil bubble or crack in a casting and a few hundred thousand revolution being imbalanced and boom, she snaps.

i wonder if mavericks with the "extra quality assessment" completed have been having these issues as well? or do they just basically just test drive it?

 

[Maverickman74]

i wonder if mavericks with the "extra quality assessment" completed have been having these issues as well? or do they just basically just test drive it?

Mine did have 17 miles on it when we got it. Dealer had only driven it about 4 of those miles if that. I think the folks down in Old Mexico couldnt resist taking it for a spin.

As I type this I think I would almost pay extra for a vehicle to driven 500 miles in different conditions, and then spent a whole day doing diagnostics, retorquing everything, cleaning it, and analyzing all the fluid samples. Just to make sure its solid. That would be worth paying for.

 

[JBEN110]

Mine did have 17 miles on it when we got it. Dealer had only driven it about 4 of those miles if that. I think the folks down in Old Mexico couldnt resist taking it for a spin.

As I type this I think I would almost pay extra for a vehicle to driven 500 miles in different conditions, and then spent a whole day doing diagnostics, retorquing everything, cleaning it, and analyzing all the fluid samples. Just to make sure its solid. That would be worth paying for.

fair enough, i know mine was chosen for the extra quality inspection and i know someone drove it for that purpose but im not sure if they do anything else with it to insure its a good quality build

 

[mrmagoo711]

Driving home a month ago there was a large clunk and the transmission totally disengaged. Safely coasted to a stop and could never get it to move under it's own power again. Dash warning said AWD Malfunction, service immediately.

Towed it to Ford and they dug into it. Initially thought it was a speed sensor, which they replaced - no change. Then they went through the electrical system thinking there was an error there, no luck. They've now replaced the AWD control module and still nothing. They say the engineers are going to continue trouble shooting it, but the computers are all saying it's fixed shouldn't be having any issues.

Not sure how long this will take to fix the unknown haha, but with 7400 miles it should for sure be under warranty. Never driven hard, or even had it offroad yet. Such a bummer. Glad I have a dealership car in the meantime, but I just want my truck back!

Anyone else had any problems like this that didn't just go away like so many of the AWD issues I've read about on here?

Update on this whole situation -

Last week Ford called and said they were swapping "stock" wheels/tires onto my truck to see if it would make a difference. Mine are less than 1" taller than normal (but 8 lbs lighter per corner than the stock setup), so I can't imagine that would have had an effect on anything other than maybe a speed sensor. They tried that, no luck and no change. haha

They called back yesterday and they're now convinced it's the RDU, so they're replacing that. They also told me that over the last month they've replaced all speed sensors on the truck, and the AWD control unit twice ... Starting to lose a bit of faith that they're ever going to find the solution to this issue

 

[dalola]

Update on this whole situation -

Last week Ford called and said they were swapping "stock" wheels/tires onto my truck to see if it would make a difference. Mine are less than 1" taller than normal (but 8 lbs lighter per corner than the stock setup), so I can't imagine that would have had an effect on anything other than maybe a speed sensor. They tried that, no luck and no change. haha

They called back yesterday and they're now convinced it's the RDU, so they're replacing that. They also told me that over the last month they've replaced all speed sensors on the truck, and the AWD control unit twice ... Starting to lose a bit of faith that they're ever going to find the solution to this issue

An RDU failure/fault would not affect basic FWD function. Swapping wheels & tires? Either we're not getting the full story here, or your dealer service dept. has issues.

 

[colinl]

An RDU failure/fault would not affect basic FWD function. Swapping wheels & tires? Either we're not getting the full story here, or your dealer service dept. has issues.

Sometimes there can be communications issues when the tech says one thing, the service advisor doesn't completely understand, then they explain it to the customer who really doesn't understand and then comes here to post about it. It's hard to know for sure.

However...

But what we do know for sure is that the dealership has not yet resolved the issue. That doesn't rule out bad communications, but it is a very strong indicator that someone at this dealership does not know what the hell they are doing.

OP's profile says Mesa, AZ but he didn't say which specific Ford dealership. He said "Ford" and that is not literally correct. It's at a specific Ford dealership, which are independently owned, and this dealership either does not have certified, experienced techs on staff OR they are not putting their best resources on this problem.

If I were the OP I would have it towed to a different dealership.

 

[JP4AZ]

Update on this whole situation -

Last week Ford called and said they were swapping "stock" wheels/tires onto my truck to see if it would make a difference. Mine are less than 1" taller than normal (but 8 lbs lighter per corner than the stock setup), so I can't imagine that would have had an effect on anything other than maybe a speed sensor. They tried that, no luck and no change. haha

They called back yesterday and they're now convinced it's the RDU, so they're replacing that. They also told me that over the last month they've replaced all speed sensors on the truck, and the AWD control unit twice ... Starting to lose a bit of faith that they're ever going to find the solution to this issue

Super bummed that this happened to you. Out of curiosity, What dealer did you take it to?

 

[mrmagoo711]

An RDU failure/fault would not affect basic FWD function. Swapping wheels & tires? Either we're not getting the full story here, or your dealer service dept. has issues.

I know, I thought the same thing. My dealership is grasping at straws I feel like ...

 

[mrmagoo711]

Sometimes there can be communications issues when the tech says one thing, the service advisor doesn't completely understand, then they explain it to the customer who really doesn't understand and then comes here to post about it. It's hard to know for sure.

However...

But what we do know for sure is that the dealership has not yet resolved the issue. That doesn't rule out bad communications, but it is a very strong indicator that someone at this dealership does not know what the hell they are doing.

OP's profile says Mesa, AZ but he didn't say which specific Ford dealership. He said "Ford" and that is not literally correct. It's at a specific Ford dealership, which are independently owned, and this dealership either does not have certified, experienced techs on staff OR they are not putting their best resources on this problem.

If I were the OP I would have it towed to a different dealership.

San Tan Ford in Gilbert, AZ. It's where the truck was purchased. And I don't think they've got a clue what they're doing, despite what seems to be their best efforts. They've provided a good rental so I'm not without a car - other dealerships here in the valley I've heard have provided a lot less, so at this point I'm just happy I haven't been without a car.

 

[mrmagoo711]

Super bummed that this happened to you. Out of curiosity, What dealer did you take it to?

San Tan Ford.

 

[mrmagoo711]

So an update (as of 4.24.24) ... Ford Service has had my truck for 9 weeks now. They let me know today that they're doing a reflash of the truck's computer. They believe this will fix the issue.

All the new parts (2 AWD control modules, rear differential, speed sensors) make the diagnostic computer THINK the problem is fixed, and then as soon as they start it and try to move the truck we're right back to square one.

There are no physical issues with any of the parts, as most are new. They believe there is a problem/glitch somewhere in the computers coding. The hope is this reflash/factory reset will fix the code issue and the truck should start running as normal.

Fingers crossed! Just want my truck back, 2 months has been a damn long time to be waiting with my poor truck just sitting outside in the weather.

 

[colinl]

So an update (as of 4.24.24) ... Ford Service has had my truck for 9 weeks now. They let me know today that they're doing a reflash of the truck's computer. They believe this will fix the issue.

All the new parts (2 AWD control modules, rear differential, speed sensors) make the diagnostic computer THINK the problem is fixed, and then as soon as they start it and try to move the truck we're right back to square one.

There are no physical issues with any of the parts, as most are new. They believe there is a problem/glitch somewhere in the computers coding. The hope is this reflash/factory reset will fix the code issue and the truck should start running as normal.

Fingers crossed! Just want my truck back, 2 months has been a damn long time to be waiting with my poor truck just sitting outside in the weather.

what a nightmare!

... so, what's the status today? the reflash takes minutes, definitely under an hour, and you said that was their plan as of 4/24, yesterday. I'm still thinking that a better dealership would have sorted this out, a lot faster.

 

[mrmagoo711]

what a nightmare!

... so, what's the status today? the reflash takes minutes, definitely under an hour, and you said that was their plan as of 4/24, yesterday. I'm still thinking that a better dealership would have sorted this out, a lot faster.

Nothing as of yet ...

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