Transmission Grinding?

[EODVince]

Hi All,

Long time reader, first time posting. However, I wanted to check and see if anyone else was having a grinding noise happen in certain gears on their ST.

1st and 2nd are totally fine, but 3-6 have this weird grinding noise that sounds kind of like it’s coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle. 7-10 are also totally fine. The car still drives fine, and power delivery seems normal. Though, admittedly, I haven’t pushed it hard due to the grinding. I’m thinking maybe those gears are slipping?

I’ve also had the hard downshift problem that some other folks posted about-though I didn’t see anything about grinding in that thread. Called Ford and the service guy on the phone said it may be the PTU, but they won’t know until they look at it (Monday).

Figured I’d start a new thread and update it in case it’s a new issue, but looking to see if anyone knows anything because I can’t stand having car trouble.

 

[EODVince]

Well, I figured I would update this thread to let everyone know what’s going on.

I spoke with my local Ford dealer this afternoon and they said they have no idea what is causing this issue. They are keeping the car overnight so they can do a series of tests (starting with the power train cold, and then into normal operating temperatures) to see if they can diagnose it. There were absolutely no trouble codes in the system. I did remind them that this issue really manifests itself when the vehicle is warm.

I’ll update if/when I get a diagnosis. At least this was a decent time to get all of the recalls taken care of?

 

[EODVince]

Went and picked up the ST today. Both of the recalls (22S27 and 21S44) were completed. No resolution on the transmission grinding or the hard shifting. I now have an appointment to bring the vehicle back on the 8th of August for a complete transmission tear down and overhaul to further diagnose the problem.

Dealer said to take the car home and I did. We probably will not drive the vehicle, but I’ll be documenting everything in case of a lemon law situation. Pretty bummed about this whole ordeal. My wife and I love the car, and even attended the driving school.

 

[Cruising68]

Went and picked up the ST today. Both of the recalls (22S27 and 21S44) were completed. No resolution on the transmission grinding or the hard shifting. I now have an appointment to bring the vehicle back on the 8th of August for a complete transmission tear down and overhaul to further diagnose the problem.

Dealer said to take the car home and I did. We probably will not drive the vehicle, but I’ll be documenting everything in case of a lemon law situation. Pretty bummed about this whole ordeal. My wife and I love the car, and even attended the driving school.

Sorry to hear. I feel your pain. Hang in there.

 

[kroezer54]

I think I am having the same issue, please keep us posted on what the resolution is!

 

[EODVince]

After doing a little research and reading the paperwork I received from my local dealer a little more closely, it looks like the vehicle is tentatively diagnosed with SSM 50529 (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10208154-0001.pdf).

I called Ford Customer Care regarding this issue and was pretty much told to just let the dealer attempt to fix it and was assured that this would work. I brought up the potential of a lemon law situation and was told that this was handled by “specialists” that would take over once I initiated the case for a lemon law buy back.

As it is, I’m still scheduled to have the car in the shop again starting next week (which will technically be the second attempt at fixing this) for one week to do the complete transmission tear down. The car will be out of what I would consider “usable service” since 20 JUL.

 

[EODVince]

Ok folks, here we go…

Got a call from my Ford dealer yesterday. The first thing they did when starting to work this problem was drop the transmission pan. The service manager said he couldn’t believe what he saw. Large chunks of metal and a ton of metal shavings were in the pan and my transmission fluid was burnt black. He said at that point the just took pictures and put the pan back on because they were unable to fix it without doing a complete rebuild or installing a new transmission.

Ford has approved a new transmission for the vehicle, but I am going to be pursuing a lemon law buyback. The question now is whether or not I want another ST to try my luck again or to go with a different vehicle.

If you are having similar problems with your vehicle (rough shifting, grinding), I would highly recommend taking it in as soon as possible.

 

[Lightning Struck]

Good luck with that. This doesn't sound like it qualifies for lemon law, as the dealership has done everything in their power to rectify the situation, Ford has as well. If you're going to lemon law every vehicle you have a warranty claim on, then good luck. The vehicle hasn't even been out of service long enough to qualify.

My dealership had my '21 for 35 days while I had an entire long block replaced at 10k miles. Then again for 2 weeks while the entire rear differential was replaced. Not once did I think about lemon law.

 

[EODVince]

Good luck with that. This doesn't sound like it qualifies for lemon law, as the dealership has done everything in their power to rectify the situation, Ford has as well. If you're going to lemon law every vehicle you have a warranty claim on, then good luck. The vehicle hasn't even been out of service long enough to qualify.

My dealership had my '21 for 35 days while I had an entire long block replaced at 10k miles. Then again for 2 weeks while the entire rear differential was replaced. Not once did I think about lemon law.

As I’m sure you already know, lemon laws are different in every state. Since I live in California, my dealership and Ford are afforded either 4 opportunities to fix a minor problem, or 2 opportunities to fix a major problem. I would consider the transmission in my vehicle failing a major problem. Furthermore, I have no clue what other damage may have been caused by the transmission failing on the rest of the system.

I’d also like to add that the transmission replacement was approved yesterday. Again, as I’m sure you know, lead times for parts are crazy. I’m looking at another month at best before I get my vehicle back.

It’s not that I “do a lemon law on every vehicle I have a warranty claim on”, guy. I’ll do a lemon law claim on a vehicle that has major components fail within a year of purchase. I would’ve done one in your situation. These laws are in place to protect the consumer. All of it is paid by Ford, even the cost to fix the vehicle they buy back if Ford chooses to do so.

 

[kroezer54]

Ok folks, here we go…

Got a call from my Ford dealer yesterday. The first thing they did when starting to work this problem was drop the transmission pan. The service manager said he couldn’t believe what he saw. Large chunks of metal and a ton of metal shavings were in the pan and my transmission fluid was burnt black. He said at that point the just took pictures and put the pan back on because they were unable to fix it without doing a complete rebuild or installing a new transmission.

Ford has approved a new transmission for the vehicle, but I am going to be pursuing a lemon law buyback. The question now is whether or not I want another ST to try my luck again or to go with a different vehicle.

If you are having similar problems with your vehicle (rough shifting, grinding), I would highly recommend taking it in as soon as possible.

Sorry to hear about such a major issue! Fingers crossed I don't have a similar situation with my '22.

Can you describe the rough shifting/grinding? The noise I hear in gears 3-4 is somewhere between a grinding, a warble, a rattle, and a ticking, haha. I also can't hear it unless it's pretty quiet in the car. My car shifts pretty smoothly, just some subtle lunging on downshifts. It's almost like I just need to learn how to brake smoothly, but then I get in my wife's Flex, and that's a smooth as can be.

 

[Lightning Struck]

As I’m sure you already know, lemon laws are different in every state. Since I live in California, my dealership and Ford are afforded either 4 opportunities to fix a minor problem, or 2 opportunities to fix a major problem. I would consider the transmission in my vehicle failing a major problem. Furthermore, I have no clue what other damage may have been caused by the transmission failing on the rest of the system.

I’d also like to add that the transmission replacement was approved yesterday. Again, as I’m sure you know, lead times for parts are crazy. I’m looking at another month at best before I get my vehicle back.

It’s not that I “do a lemon law on every vehicle I have a warranty claim on”, guy. I’ll do a lemon law claim on a vehicle that has major components fail within a year of purchase. I would’ve done one in your situation. These laws are in place to protect the consumer. All of it is paid by Ford, even the cost to fix the vehicle they buy back if Ford chooses to do so.

A few glaring issues with your thought process here. While you believe that "Ford pays for all of these", they don't.. Every single customer of Ford pays for it in higher costs. Ever wonder why health insurance costs so much? It's not the doctors salaries, it's the malpractice insurance and all the lawsuits.. So while "the hospitals" pay for it all, it's actually every single person/company with insurance paying for it.

I don't get bent out of shape about these issues, because early hour failures happen. Look up "bathtub curve". Mechanical objects usually either fail when new(infant mortality), or at end of life(wear out), with a large time between failure(random failure). I understand that "normal" consumers might not get this stuff, but having worked as a Quality Manager and Quality Engineer for large OEM's I understand that failures happen, and it's how the entities involved make it right. You won't be "without a vehicle", they'll give you a loaner.

 

[EODVince]

Sorry to hear about such a major issue! Fingers crossed I don't have a similar situation with my '22.

Can you describe the rough shifting/grinding? The noise I hear in gears 3-4 is somewhere between a grinding, a warble, a rattle, and a ticking, haha. I also can't hear it unless it's pretty quiet in the car. My car shifts pretty smoothly, just some subtle lunging on downshifts. It's almost like I just need to learn how to brake smoothly, but then I get in my wife's Flex, and that's a smooth as can be.

So the rough shifting ranged from a jerky shift to an audible thud that was very noticeable not just because of the noise, but because it slammed me forward. The grinding was a little harder to hear. I had to turn off the AC/Radio, leave the windows up, and it would start as soon as the car went into 3rd gear and would continue until it went into 7th gear. You can hear it outside of the vehicle a little better, so if you have someone that can listen for you while you drive by, it’s very noticeable.

It sounds like something isn’t engaging is the best way I can describe it.

 

[hbalek]

It is pretty obvious Ford has used lower grade materials for many components in this new design. They are not as durable as the previous generation. Just look at the interior plastics that get wear and tear and you'll see what I mean. Hold a Tupperware or Rubbermaid container next to it for comparison. Ford's plastics are way too thin to last more than a few years. I can only imagine what the parts you don't see look like. My transmission failed at 25K miles and it was a broken bracket and clutch. I don't even drive it hard or fast 90% of the time! They rushed this Explorer to market and didn't do the adequate durability testing like they used to for previous generations. A brand new car with breaks like these add to this the drivers seats, catalytic converters and exhaust breaks and it looks really bad for the new Ford owners. As loyal fanboys we're clearly more forgiving. But BMW and Audi conquests who took a chance won't ever return to Ford!

 

[EODVince]

A few glaring issues with your thought process here. While you believe that "Ford pays for all of these", they don't.. Every single customer of Ford pays for it in higher costs. Ever wonder why health insurance costs so much? It's not the doctors salaries, it's the malpractice insurance and all the lawsuits.. So while "the hospitals" pay for it all, it's actually every single person/company with insurance paying for it.

I don't get bent out of shape about these issues, because early hour failures happen. Look up "bathtub curve". Mechanical objects usually either fail when new(infant mortality), or at end of life(wear out), with a large time between failure(random failure). I understand that "normal" consumers might not get this stuff, but having worked as a Quality Manager and Quality Engineer for large OEM's I understand that failures happen, and it's how the entities involved make it right. You won't be "without a vehicle", they'll give you a loaner.

I’m not looking to get into a debate regarding economics or healthcare here. Nor am I looking to overlook the quality issues with this product. If you don’t like my thought process, that’s fine. You’re entitled to deal with these issues in your own way just as I am entitled to deal with them in my own way. Just like Ford is entitled to raise their prices and consumers are allowed to not buy their products when they do.

You’re also incorrect regarding the loaner. FMC does not provide loaners-this is left up to the individual dealership to cover. Mine does not (I don’t blame them, or hold them accountable for the failure anyways). FMC will, however, reimburse you for a rental car if you have an extended service plan. I do not because I bought a new vehicle with a factory warranty.

 

[EODVince]

It is pretty obvious Ford has used lower grade materials for many components in this new design. They are not as durable as the previous generation. Just look at the interior plastics that get wear and tear and you'll see what I mean. Hold a Tupperware or Rubbermaid container next to it for comparison. Ford's plastics are way too thin to last more than a few years. I can only imagine what the parts you don't see look like. My transmission failed at 25K miles and it was a broken bracket and clutch. I don't even drive it hard or fast 90% of the time! They rushed this Explorer to market and didn't do the adequate durability testing like they used to for previous generations. A brand new car with breaks like these add to this the drivers seats, catalytic converters and exhaust breaks and it looks really bad for the new Ford owners. As loyal fanboys we're clearly more forgiving. But BMW and Audi conquests who took a chance won't ever return to Ford!

My vehicle was also treated very well, with the majority of the miles driven being on the highway.

Like I said before-I still love a lot of things about this car. The durability issues and the number of mechanical failures I’m seeing aren’t great.

This unrelated to a discussion about explorers, but a coworker of mine is having the same issue with her brand new F-250. Hard shifts, grinding, etc. Her new transmission has been delayed for about a month now.

 

[hbalek]

My vehicle was also treated very well, with the majority of the miles driven being on the highway.

Like I said before-I still love a lot of things about this car. The durability issues and the number of mechanical failures I’m seeing aren’t great.

This unrelated to a discussion about explorers, but a coworker of mine is having the same issue with her brand new F-250. Hard shifts, grinding, etc. Her new transmission has been delayed for about a month now.

It's probably a version of the same 10-speed transmission we have!

 

[flhx06]

My Explorer has been at my dealership with transmission issues since November of '21. Ford has had me in a rental car since March of this year. I also submitted my paperwork for a buyback two weeks ago and got denied by Ford. I also live in California.

There is obviously a lot more to this story but wanted to comment on Buybacks in California and rental cars. Good luck!!

 

[EODVince]

My Explorer has been at my dealership with transmission issues since November of '21. Ford has had me in a rental car since March of this year. I also submitted my paperwork for a buyback two weeks ago and got denied by Ford. I also live in California.

There is obviously a lot more to this story but wanted to comment on Buybacks in California and rental cars. Good luck!!

Wow, that’s ridiculous. Do you have the extended service plan?

 

[flhx06]

Wow, that’s ridiculous. Do you have the extended service plan?

I do not. I am getting time added to the end of my warranty though.

 

[EODVince]

I do not. I am getting time added to the end of my warranty though.

That’s good, at least. Were you having similar issues with your transmission or was it something else?