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2020 Engine issues

mcpa2998

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2020 explorer st
#1
Currently own a 2020 Explorer St. Also currently have a blown engine that I’m fighting with dealership and Ford about. Purchased July 2020. 56k miles. Provided oil change records per manufacture recommendations (10k miles). Never had a check engine, overheating engine, or low oil pressure indicator light. Both entities are insistent they are not at fault. I have been without a car for 6 weeks with no rental and no solution. All I get is finger pointing back and forth between dealer and Ford. Dealer tells me if I pay to fix I admit fault and will get nothing. Ford tells me dealership is the one who is putting me at fault. Where have I gone wrong in getting a solution?
 

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Naples, FL, USA
#2
Do you or have you opened a case with a Ford representative? You personally, not the dealer.

What grenaded the engine? Do you know? That might help your case.

As a last resort, you could always get a lawyer involved. I don't think you've done anything incorrect, however there is much to the story we don't know in inter web-land.

Did you buy it new? You've put 56K miles on it in 2 years? etc.
 

KegsBdry

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#3
Did you have a tune on it? What was the cause of the blown engine?
 

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Nevada
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2020 Ford F-150 Raptor
#4
Currently own a 2020 Explorer St. Also currently have a blown engine that I’m fighting with dealership and Ford about. Purchased July 2020. 56k miles. Provided oil change records per manufacture recommendations (10k miles). Never had a check engine, overheating engine, or low oil pressure indicator light. Both entities are insistent they are not at fault. I have been without a car for 6 weeks with no rental and no solution. All I get is finger pointing back and forth between dealer and Ford. Dealer tells me if I pay to fix I admit fault and will get nothing. Ford tells me dealership is the one who is putting me at fault. Where have I gone wrong in getting a solution?
You should personally file a case with Ford. Isn't it still under warranty?
 

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2020 Ford F-150 Raptor
#5
Did you have a tune on it? What was the cause of the blown engine?
Ooh yeah. That might be what could be causing the finger pointing.
 

Kirk ST

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#6
Currently own a 2020 Explorer St. Also currently have a blown engine that I’m fighting with dealership and Ford about. Purchased July 2020. 56k miles. Provided oil change records per manufacture recommendations (10k miles). Never had a check engine, overheating engine, or low oil pressure indicator light. Both entities are insistent they are not at fault. I have been without a car for 6 weeks with no rental and no solution. All I get is finger pointing back and forth between dealer and Ford. Dealer tells me if I pay to fix I admit fault and will get nothing. Ford tells me dealership is the one who is putting me at fault. Where have I gone wrong in getting a solution?
I'm really sorry this happened to you. My engine blew at 32k miles with zero warning! I have no tunes or mods and I don't drive like a maniac. I have had and still have cars with well over 150k miles on them, so it's not like I don't know how to take care of a vehicle.
Here's a bit of a timeline:
23,000miles. oil change at the dealer - 6 quarters of new oil put in as per the receipt.
+5000 miles later at the deal for some tires where they performed a multi-point inspection. No oil service recommended or required.
+4500 more miles, I'm getting the "change oil soon" message and seeing that oil life was around 10%. I was literally going to get oil done after the weekend I was on.

at roughly 32,000miles, while driving at highway speeds, my engine totally failed. Nothing smelled like it was burning, nothing was dripping, yet when I pulled the dipstick after the engine cooled down, it was bone dry. I couldn't believe a car that can basically drive itself can't tell me if it's running low on oil. Yes, I know it can burn 1quart every 3k miles, but after 9k miles, I should have still had 3qts left. Where did the oil go? (no leaks or anything!)

My suspicion is that the original oil change I had done did not top off the engine with 6 quarts. I think they put less in there and it just burned up. What made me really angry is that the app on my phone told me service was due, but also told me what the remaining oil life was estimated to be. I realize that's just based on an algorithm, BUT why would it say remaining oil life IF there was no actual remaining oil? The car had been running just fine and I had no reason to pull the dipstick. (my 2007 BMW wagon doesn't even HAVE a dipstick!)

I was out of state and had it towed to a local ford dealer. They told me there was metal all through the engine, there was no oil in it, and initially they were going to put it on me. I Sent them my service records and most of the explanation from above and ultimately they decided to perform the work at their risk. They would file it as a warranty claim with Ford. It took me about 90days to get this all done. I have the 100k extended warranty on the truck, but the new engine doesn't start from zero under a warranty claim. It just plugs into the existing mileage on the vehicle. Had I paid for the engine myself, they'd have given me a rider with a new warranty policy for the engine alone.

I hope my bad story helps you out with your bad story. Best of luck with your claim. I suggest you find a more friendly dealership that cares about the customer experience.
 

TMac

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#7
I want to make sure I understand this: You went 23,000 miles before your first oil change. Then you went another 9,500 miles without a change and then the engine failed with no oil in it?
 

Dale5403

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#8
I want to make sure I understand this: You went 23,000 miles before your first oil change. Then you went another 9,500 miles without a change and then the engine failed with no oil in it?
And no mention of the oil ever being checked.
 

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Chattanooga, TN, USA
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2020 Explorer ST
#9
I want to make sure I understand this: You went 23,000 miles before your first oil change. Then you went another 9,500 miles without a change and then the engine failed with no oil in it?
That's not what he said, he's giving you a brief timeline, stating an oil change at 23k miles. No where does he mention his FIRST oil change at 23k miles. He then states at ~28k miles, it was at a dealership and a multi-point inspection didn't recommend or require an oil change. Fast forward another 4500 miles and the change oil soon message appeared, when he had 10% oil life remaining.
 

TMac

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#10
Chill- I just asked the question for clarification. As far as "That's not what he said", it's exactly what he posted. But as it seems you're clairvoyant as to other's posts, just fill us in on all the facts!
 

GearHead_1

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#11
It is readily apparent to me that the owner was not checking his oil. I have no idea what the correlation between the BMW having no dip stick, and his Explorer ST that obviously has one (that should be used) might be.

A quick look in the ST's owner manual will tell you to check your oil monthly. This is my own personal opinion but anyone that chooses to follow Ford's 7,500-10,000-mile interval without checking their oil is inviting exactly what is being discussed here.

Don't get me wrong, I believe that there are a number of quality oils that can go that recommended distance and still perform, but these engines are high performance little bullets. Super or Turbo charged engines can and often do use oil.

These engines can also show an artificially high level, as "pressurized" engines blow fuel past the rings and into the crankcase. I'm not suggesting that everyone will see this. When these vehicles are used as stop and go vehicles they can for lack of a better description, "grow" oil, they need to come up to temp to "burn" this off.

Bottom line, check your oil regularly and add or change as needed.
 

Autoworker

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#12
I can’t imagine going 7,500 -10,000 miles on a oil change. My vehicles get 5,000 mi changes, and have never had any oil related issues. Heck, I’m old enough to remember recommended changes @ 3,000 miles. Hope you get your Explorer fixed.
 

Kirk ST

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#13
I want to make sure I understand this: You went 23,000 miles before your first oil change. Then you went another 9,500 miles without a change and then the engine failed with no oil in it?
ha, no, I was the first owner of the car, bought from the dealer (new title) with 5k miles on it. Dealer's wife drive it for a bit. I got the oil changed at new, then again at about 10k, and then around the 5-7k mark up to the 23k change. At every change, I would check the oil just to see how this engine did. More often than not, it was totally full and generally in still pretty good shape...not dark at all.

After the 23k change, I drove it for about 5k before taking it in for tires and a quick inspection, saying do whatever needs to be done, and nothing came back. no top off, change, or anything. I continued driving it and much later I got the dash alert saying "time for service." Checking the app for oil life and such, it was still fine throughout the next 4k miles. And FWIW, other cars I've had, BMW, Audi, often went 15k miles b/t oil changes. So creeping a newer car closer to 10k really didn't give me any concerns.

I posted something about this happening earlier and people called me an idiot, telling me I had to check my oil all the time, etc. That's not helpful. Again, most of my other cars don't even have dipsticks and are much older and much higher mileage. I've maintained vehicles, motorcycles, tractors, etc. my whole life. It didn't even occur to me that a brand new vehicle: 1) wouldn't monitor the oil level 2)would actually burn through 6qts of oil in 9500k miles (again, no leaks anywhere...) 3)told me on the app and the car itself that there was still oil life remaining (implying there was still oil remaining!) I will be more mindful of this engine of course, but I'm disappointed it happened and am wondering if the original oil change didn't get topped off, or if at the second service visit they started an oil change, but didn't finish it or something. Where did all that oil go??
 

dolsen

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#14
I posted something about this happening earlier and people called me an idiot, telling me I had to check my oil all the time, etc. That's not helpful. Again, most of my other cars don't even have dipsticks and are much older and much higher mileage. I've maintained vehicles, motorcycles, tractors, etc. my whole life. It didn't even occur to me that a brand new vehicle: 1) wouldn't monitor the oil level 2)would actually burn through 6qts of oil in 9500k miles (again, no leaks anywhere...) 3)told me on the app and the car itself that there was still oil life remaining (implying there was still oil remaining!) I will be more mindful of this engine of course, but I'm disappointed it happened and am wondering if the original oil change didn't get topped off, or if at the second service visit they started an oil change, but didn't finish it or something. Where did all that oil go??
So many people would rather cast stones than actually ask the necessary questions to see what really happened. It's easy for some to degrade and insult, but once they're in that same position, all of a sudden they want sympathy and don't understand why they're being attacked.

It's a shit situation all around, and sometimes vehicles just fucking break, which is why the manufacturer has a warranty.

People will say "sHoUlD'vE cHeCkEd ThE oIl LeVeL" but then will turn around and have a heart attack and didn't check their blood pressure for 10 years :rolleyes:
 



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