Powertrain malfunction on a 2023 Lariat ER. Haven't heard anything back from dealer for a week.

[cargsl]

So I had the unfortunate opportunity to join the Powertrain Malfunction bandwagon with my 2023 Lariat ER (10K miles). Dropped it off at the dealership on Thursday last week. I haven't heard anything from them since Friday, when they put me into an ICE Edge that sucks to drive.

I've tried calling the service advisor and end up in voicemail (which is always full) and don't know what is wrong with my truck nor when I should expect it back. I'm generally a chill person, and I love the truck, but my patience is wearing thin.

Besides showing up at the dealership in person and asking for the status of my truck, what else could I do? Is there a way to get more info on when the truck will be fixed (or if they've even diagnosed what is wrong)?

Sponsored

 

[Armadillo]

My truck went down on March 30th after the over-the-air 23B57 software update completed. It has been in the shop since. A cell went bad in one of the high voltage battery modules and needed to be replaced. I am speculating that the cell was likely going weak and the the update which deals with the battery control module, allowed the truck to detect the problem sooner. Supposedly the module was replaced at the beginning of this week but I still do not have the truck back, and have not gotten an update from my service advisor yet. I can see when they work on the truck (moves around the lot or into service garage), charge it, etc in the fordpass app.

 

[Gozinta]

When mine went in I left several messages and texts for the service advisor without any returns. I eventually called the dealership and asked for the service manager. I left them a message and the service advisor called me back within 30 minutes. You can try the Ford Relationship Center and also open a case. Showing up in person would be the ultimate move.

 

[carys98]

Call the BEV team at Ford and get them to open a case for you. You can also try to tag @Ford Motor Company on the forum and see if they will get you in touch with the right people. It helps a little to have pressure from the other direction.
Electric Vehicle Team 800-392-3673 or 866-631-3788 x79969

 

[Nomoregas]

you know it should not be like this from ford or their dealers!

 

[tommyb]

Unfortunately I'm in the Powertrain Malfunction holding pattern too. My dealer diagnosed the problem very quickly, a problem with a diverter valve in the battery cooling system. Dealer said it's a relatively easy fix, but the part is on a national backorder and after 10 days they still don't even have an estimate of when they might get this part. Based on what I could find from web searches, it could easily be several weeks before this gets resolved.

Dealer didn't have loaners, and they've been no help with rental car assistance. Tried the BEV team, also no help. That person said I could always submit receipts to Ford's Consumer Affairs Department and request reimbursement. Whatever. I'll do it but doubt it will help. So at this point I'm out my truck, accruing rental car charges and have no idea for how long this will last. All for work that is clearly within warranty.

Looks like I'm past the thresholds for my State's lemon law, so triggering that after 30 days is likely not an option. Not sure if that precludes requesting a buyback. Just friggin' frustrating.
BTW, my truck has just over 26,000 miles and I thought I might be home free with any powertrain malfunction issues, but looks like that gremlin can appear whenever.

 

[VAF84]

Welcome to the party folks.

OP - Go to the dealer and talk to them, maybe even involve the service manager (not in a rude way). When I and the Ford CSR tried reaching the service person via phone, I got no answer or return calls. Turns out that person only checked their personal phone. Once I got his direct number, he was easy to reach and get updates.

Second thing is something I wish I'd done earlier in the process. Look up the template online for the certified letter you can send Ford to initiate lemon law. It basically tells them they have 30 days to fix the car before you take action to have the car lemon'd. Only catch is, the thirty days technically starts upon diagnosing the issue. Still, that triggers a legal analyst to create a case and potentially involve Ford engineers, not to mention opens the door for a buy back if things go south.

Seeing as you got the Ford Edge, we may be in the same area. That was the last loaner I got from the local dealer.


Tommy - I had the diverter valve issue when I was working in Indiana/Kentucky. The first time the service light came on, I took it in, attempted diagnosis, found coolant a little low so they cleared the codes and returned. Light came on the next day again; it went back in and it took them about 10 days to diagnose. Then, the back ordered part took another two weeks to show up and get installed. I pick up my truck at the Indiana dealer, and immediately have the service light back on with the same code. Drove it back to Texas. Local dealer came up with same diagnosis. Replaced the replacement diverter, and issue is resolved.

This is a long way of saying that I'd expect your car to be down at least 3 weeks total.

I had the same issue about being told they could reimburse rentals, but none would pre-approve in writing despite my requests. Luckily, the dealers I used had loaners, even if they weren't comparable. Suggest sending the certified letter I mentioned above. I sent mine in around week 3. I went through four buy back requests, and on the fourth I got it approved, but at that point the vehicle had been to the shop three times, and over 30 days of shop time post diagnosis.

It's been a royal pain, but the only good thing that's come of this is a chance to start over with Ford in a new truck after putting 12k miles in 6 months on mine. I've mention in other threads how I'm weighing whether to replace or change my truck, and your thread is giving me PTSD on replacing with LER. Weird that our trucks had similar mileage when the coolant valve went out though.

 

[Heliian]

Call Ford.

Email Ford and your dealer.

Call your dealer and speak to a service advisor or anyone else.

Go into the dealer physically.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

So I had the unfortunate opportunity to join the Powertrain Malfunction bandwagon with my 2023 Lariat ER (10K miles). Dropped it off at the dealership on Thursday last week. I haven't heard anything from them since Friday, when they put me into an ICE Edge that sucks to drive.

I've tried calling the service advisor and end up in voicemail (which is always full) and don't know what is wrong with my truck nor when I should expect it back. I'm generally a chill person, and I love the truck, but my patience is wearing thin.

Besides showing up at the dealership in person and asking for the status of my truck, what else could I do? Is there a way to get more info on when the truck will be fixed (or if they've even diagnosed what is wrong)?

Hi there! Would you send us a private message with your VIN and dealership name and location? I’d like to look into this concern on my end.  

 

[GoodSam]

Build dates (drivers door sticker top) and mileage? I am trying to track battery module failures to see if there are fewer for newly build Lightnings vs. the first made in 2022. Click on the spreadsheet in my signature for some fellow sufferers with PowerTrain Malfunctions, especially battery module fails. Repair times are just too long.
@NPalumbo89, @Tedmister2, @Armadillo, @Gozinta , @tommyb, @Airboss, @Freddyfresh, @Vito, @Christopher Ryan, @CyberIllusion, @ooSHAZAMoo, @davehu

 

[Freddyfresh]

My truck went down on March 30th after the over-the-air 23B57 software update completed. It has been in the shop since. A cell went bad in one of the high voltage battery modules and needed to be replaced. I am speculating that the cell was likely going weak and the the update which deals with the battery control module, allowed the truck to detect the problem sooner. Supposedly the module was replaced at the beginning of this week but I still do not have the truck back, and have not gotten an update from my service advisor yet. I can see when they work on the truck (moves around the lot or into service garage), charge it, etc in the fordpass app.

Just got the high voltage battery warning. Says it's a powertrain malfunction. Will call dealer today.

 

[ooSHAZAMoo]

Build dates (drivers door sticker top) and mileage? I am trying to track battery module failures to see if there are fewer for newly build Lightnings vs. the first made in 2022. Click on the spreadsheet in my signature for some fellow sufferers with PowerTrain Malfunctions, especially battery module fails. Repair times are just too long.
@NPalumbo89, @Tedmister2, @Armadillo, @Gozinta , @tommyb, @Airboss, @Freddyfresh, @Vito, @Christopher Ryan, @CyberIllusion, @ooSHAZAMoo, @davehu

I would also like to add that after you get the battery module replaced, keep an eye one coolant level. I was noticing that my coolant was very low, with no leaks. After about 2-3 visits to dealer and then just topping off and doing a leak test they did a vacuum on the coolant system. After speaking with tech he said that it made absolute sense that the system would have had an air bubble/pocket as a result of the replacement.
Since that last visit I’ve taking several long trips and it has been over month and the coolant level has remained constant.

Some folks will say “just add” coolant but that did not make sense to me.

 

[davehu]

Build dates (drivers door sticker top) and mileage? I am trying to track battery module failures to see if there are fewer for newly build Lightnings vs. the first made in 2022. Click on the spreadsheet in my signature for some fellow sufferers with PowerTrain Malfunctions, especially battery module fails. Repair times are just too long.

[ @davehu

build date for mine was 2/4/2023 (but not received until Sep). module replaced in February. although I had the error message twice I never noticed any issues. currently have 7000 miles with no problems

 

[Freddyfresh]

Build dates (drivers door sticker top) and mileage? I am trying to track battery module failures to see if there are fewer for newly build Lightnings vs. the first made in 2022. Click on the spreadsheet in my signature for some fellow sufferers with PowerTrain Malfunctions, especially battery module fails. Repair times are just too long.
@NPalumbo89, @Tedmister2, @Armadillo, @Gozinta , @tommyb, @Airboss,
@Freddyfresh,
@Vito, @Christopher Ryan, @CyberIllusion, @ooSHAZAMoo, @davehu

Were you guys able to keep driving after the warning came up on your car? My dealer has no loaners available.

 

[bmwhitetx]

Were you guys able to keep driving after the warning came up on your car? My dealer has no loaners available.

I was able to drive with reduced power, but not able to charge at home. The first time I tried it charged for a few minutes and then gave a charge fault. After that it gave a charge fault immediately when I tried again. Some folks were able to DCFC.

As noted, this error has many causes (battery module, diverter valve, etc.). Depending on the root cause (and whether you had the CSP performed) you may or may not be able to charge and/or drive.

Sponsored