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Buy the way I talked to a transmission mechanics about it and he said that it sounded like a to a torque converter solenoid switch inside transmission pan (easy to get to)so if your suggestion doesn't work I'll try that.
Thanks Again
When you first start car it runs through gears as should, but when you come to a stop and start again, it won't shift into O/D, the dummy light comes on and says O/D off.
Turn off car and start it right back up does the whole thing over again.
Any suggestion's appreciated
Thanks
Anyone got any suggestions? I just hate to spend the $$ it will take to have it serviced when I only drive it occasionally, especially if it doesn't really need to be serviced again.
Having said that - I hear you, and a 4-runner or Saturn Outlook looks appealing to me.....
I have heard through this forum that the fix is temporary for some (at least the reprogramming) so let me know how it works for all of you. If you have only gone in for reprogramming, go back to your dealer and ask them to replace the assembly (they will probably push back on you if your vehicle was built after 6/16/06) unless they have a new TSB. Good luck to you all...and I hope this helps! :lemon:
The SUV tends to hang in suspended animation when pulling out of the driveway on to the highway.... but not every time. You almost have to drive it for a week to get the essence of the problem a 15 minute test drive does not suffice. This will be the 4th or 5th time I have had the vehicle in for the same issue. I feel like a hypochondriac at times.... this would be funny if it was such a dangerous situation especially with all 7 kids inside the SUV.
So, you have the "suspended animation" thingy too, eh? Thought mine was the only one. I have learned to ignore it as it doesn't seem to affect anything else. Mine does it in reverse only, backing out of the garage, if I don't roll fast, which I hate to do. Never know who is behind me lurking. In light of the rest, this seemed a hopeless thing to demonstrate.
As to the rest of your issues, I took the main trans mechanic from the dealer with me, drove it and when it lurched, I said, "this is normal to you?" He fixed it.
You, Your Vehicle and the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) talks about how to get your car fixed under a TSB without alienating the service writer.
In addition to what Steve said, it may also be that they are fearful of law suits for unneeded repairs.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Kip
I feel like this is pretty ridiculous.
let it cool and put 3 quarts in it and test drove,tested OK.. and no leaks,is this trans not tough enough for pulling the boat? if not, what other beefier trans will bolt up to the 4.0? moter puts out some heavy rpm's when pulling,feels like its strong enough for the job and the trans is'nt..
Has anyone been able to get hold of that TSB 07-13-08? I've tried several places online (even the subscription services) and no one seems to have a copy of it. Any suggestions about where i should be looking for it?
Thanks
On the report I got it said the mechanic test drove the vehicle when it first came in and experienced the same problems I had several times within a two mile radius.
Service writer said there was a TSB on the problem that listed two steps. He said the mechanic suggested they bypass the first step and go to the second which included valve body replacement. He also said they had seen this problem about a dozen times this year....honest guy.
I asked what recourse I would have if it happened again (since I was close to the 36K warranty) and the service person told me they would use the original mileage from the current service ticket to keep it in warranty if it happened again until it was fixed for good.
Time will tell if the repair is permanent but I'm happy with the service I've gotten so far.
It's back to the dealer again Wednesday morning to have the tranny checked and see about the antifreeze leaking onto the floor...........man I thought all this stuff was taken care of........it's still just under the warranty.
Dealer still has it. They are going to reload the updated code to see if that takes care of the transmission problem. The service person couldn't recreate the problem I had with the shifting.
They did find a small pin hole leak on the lower right side of the radiator. Dealer is installing a new radiator today, all under warranty.
Should have the vehicle back this afternoon and time will tell if everything is fixed.
I'm giving serious consideration to buying an extended warranty for this car, first time I've thought of it with a Ford vehicle.
Would like to hear from any other owners about the transmission shifting problems and hear how they managed to get the problem fixed.
Check out: http://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Explorer/2006/transmission/transmission_lunges- - _hard_jolt_when_shifting.shtml
Seems Ford knows of the problem. Expected fix is mid November...
Some have had success with replacing the megatronics unit on the transmission.
They also replaced the radiator (under warranty) after finding a pin hole leak. Now here's the kicker........my wife picked up the car and drove it home. 50 feet from the driveway the upper radiator hose blows off. She pulls in the driveway and says smoke is pouring out from underneath the engine hood. I go out and check and see that it's just steam and there's antifreeze dumping all over my drive. I could see the trail from the street into the drive. I open the hood and see the top radiator hose has blown off from the radiator and sprayed antifreeze all over the inside of the engine well. Checking more closely I find that the mechanic forgot to slide the hose clamp back on. I call the dealer and the service manager is gone for the day but the asst. service guy is there. I explain what happned to him (also addressed the mechanics family background and mental disability issues) and he apologizes all over himself and tells me to bring the vehicle in first thing in the morning and he will have the detail shop clean out the engine well and any other areas hit by flying antifreeze. After I hang up the dealership owner calls about 10 minutes later and aplogizes and ask me for the service ticket number and says it will never happen again to me or anyone else.
I go out and the car is cooled down, reattach the hose and clamp, put fresh antifreeze in and thank God that the wife didn't drive any further and risk damage to the engine.
Took the car back at 7:30 this morning and the service guy gives me a loaner car and tells me to come back in a couple of hours. I come back to pick up the car and they cleaned out the engine well and the entire undercarriage of the car so it looks brand new. It also looks like they did a quick clean on the inside as well.
As I get ready to leave the service guy pulls me over to the side and ask me not to tell anyone but the owner fired the mechanic yesterday evening.
So now I'll drive the car for a while and see if the transmission problem is solved............another day in the life of my Explorer.
99 Ford Explorer Sport 4x4 AWD
72000 miles
Major repairs: new steering rack; "something" to do with the 4WD driveshaft (apparently the truck wouldn't move, the local service facility pulled the shaft so that it would function as a 2WD to get it home from vacation and then another shop repaired it - I have no idea what all was done here...)
Recently took ownership of this truck from a family member and have a tranny question for you.
When starting out in the morning, engine cold, first gear makes a bit of a groan/whine when the truck first gets moving. It only lasts as long as it takes to get the truck moving and once the engine/tranny warms up, it goes away.
Now that it has gotten a bit colder out, it does this when changing from first to second gear as well, but again, only when a load is applied and only for a second or two.
Any idea what is going on?
Thanks,
BD
Well, I finally woke up and realized that everyone else is right, and that I was naive.
Last week the O/D light came on in my Ford Explorer. I drove it right home and got the manual out to see what the problem was. "Transmission problem" was what the manual indicated, as well as several websites I reviewed.
I didn't worry at first, since I figured this would be covered under warranty. My Explorer is just under 5 years old and just under 60K miles. Surely there would at least be a 60K power train warranty. No one would buy a vehicle if they knew the transmission would only last 59K miles.
Well, the dealer told me a new transmission was needed (5th and 2nd gears were worn down), that it would cost $3500, and that it is not covered by warranty. And to add insult to injury he charged me $90 to tell me the transmission was bad (something I obviously knew) - isn't this similar to stealing?
I then asked him what trade in value I could get (not that I really would buy another poor quality Ford, but I wanted to explore all options). $5500 is the most they could give. I laughed - since I had taken very good care of the vehicle. It told me that they didn't want the vehicle either - so much for them really standing behind their product. They know the quality is poor.
Obviously I was quite irritated. I asked what caused this. None of the possibilities applied since I took good care of the vehicle and had it serviced according to the maintenance manual. In fact, the dealer (Cover Ford in Austin) did the 30K checkup. I spent $1K on that (and probably got ripped off).
I took it to a transmission specialist and had it fixed for under $2500. He informed me that he sees a lot of issues like this with Explorers - probably a poor design and poor quality. Also, judging by various websites there are indeed lots of complains like this.
I wouldn't be surprised if Ford knew of the poor design - since the warranty that came with the vehicle was only 3 yr/36K even for powertrain. If Ford had good quality, why couldn't they step up to the plate and offer 60K or even 100K power train warranty. They must have known the poor quality. In my mind, this is deceptive practice - and I kick myself for not recognizing this as a red flag.
Well, for the 2008 Explorer I see Ford is offering 60K powertrain warranty. So they must have made some improvements (which further underscores their recognition of the poor quality in earlier years). But it's still a far cry from 100K that some vehicles come with. You also have to wonder what other quality issues are lurking.
I think the choice is now clear to me. In the future I will be considering something like a Honda Pilot. Ford deserves the trend of lower market share. Consumers are very wise, and the quality the provide is reflected in their declining sales and marketshare.
Please don't make the same mistake I made. The foreign competition provides much better quality and customer service.
Did pickup a Ford ESP that covers me to 75K, first time I've ever felt the need for one.
So far everything is okay but I can't shake the feeling that something will happen with the tranny again.
J.McCroary