2021 hybrid transmission problems?

[goatlord99]

You are extremely patient. After 30 days in shop and attempts to repair and replace the wiring harness, new transmission, etc. all failed, I requested a buyback which Ford approved within a few days (presumably since lemon law applied and they knew they had to). It then took two more months before I actually had a check in hand. I'm now on my second hybrid....so far so good.

did you request buyback via your dealer or via Ford MoCo?

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[benrhodea]

Figure I'll add my experience to this thread. I purchased a 2021 Powerboost back in May and immediately went on a cross country road trip from Seattle to Moab. Our payload was nothing substantial; luggage for a family of 4 (all fit underneath the tonneau), plus a 3 bike rack. The truck did great, except that we experienced brutally harsh shifting at the top of each substantial mountain pass. This was not a transmission that's not smooth, this was a disconcerting THUNK. Each mountain pass, I experimented with different modes. It did it in tow/haul, Eco, normal, sport, as well as manual. No engine errors or warning lights were thrown. I called the dealer, and they said it was likely the Adaptive Transmission strategy learning about my driving habits. Fair enough I thought; the truck did have 200-ish miles on it when I drove it off the lot, so I figure it had been learning plenty of knuckleheads test driving an F-150 that goes 0-60 in 5.3 and needed some time to calm down. I figured I'd have them check it out during the first service.

We returned home and the truck was running great; no issues around town and loved the truck.

I did my first substantial tow in August, hauling a 6,000 lb boat from Seattle to Eastern WA. This drive consists of 4 substantial climbs. Without fail, the transmission overheated (275-300) at each and every climb. I typically tow at the speed limit, but had to reduce by speed down to 40-45 mph in a 70 to keep the transmission temp down. Unlike the hard shifting when the truck was new, this time it threw Powertrain Malfunction / Reduced Power codes. Interestingly, a 'Pro Power Unavailable' message would also display at the same time, even though it wasn't in use.

So after all that, I brought the truck into the dealer with ~5,000 miles on it. Ford authorized a transmission replacement and I'm just waiting for that to get installed - I'm going on 4 weeks without the truck. From reading this thread, it sounds like I should also have them inspect the wiring harness as that can lead to transmission issues as well...

Will give an update when I get the truck back. The first thing I'm going to do is hitch up a trailer and tow up Snoqualmie Pass to confirm whether or not the issue is actually resolved....

 

[USAFChief]

Mileage continues to improve since the wiring harness / connector replacement. A trip last night through some hilly suburb areas yielded over 28MPG. Another trip through scenic highway with A/C and four adults yielded 29MPG. The electric mode stays engaged longer now.

For anyone having troubles with low mileage I would recommend having a dealer check out the connector cable to the hybrid battery.

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[StewieDad]

Anyone have problems with new hybrid shutting down completely with HEV-Hazard message for electrical fault (FordPass) but it's really a transmission problem? Mine had only 1500 miles and dealer service still hasn't found transmission problem.

 

[StewieDad]

I have had similar problems on my Powerboost for weeks now. (I bought the truck in early October) My first alert (Oct 29) on FordPass was an ABS brake fault that I don't remember showing up on the dashboard display. The second was on Christmas Eve that lit up the dashboard with a "Service Engine Soon" icon and the "Stop Safely" icon. That combination locked my steering column shifter where the engine would not start and the shifter would not shift out of park. FordPass said there was a fault in the High Voltage (HV) system and a "general fault" in the engine system. After a frustrating wait of 20 minutes or so, trying all sorts of combinations, the engine started, I was able to move into Drive and get back home with the Check Engine light still on, but the Stop Safely icon disappeared. The following morning? NO warning icons at all and the truck drove normally. I was 600 miles out of town and the local dealership couldn't see me until 2022, so I drove back home, 13.5 hours away. No problems at all during the trip, but I was understandably wary of stopping the truck. On the 30th, the Check Engine light and the Powertrain fault (little wrench icon) illuminated and a HV malfunction again appeared on FordPass app. I made an appointment at the dealership where I bought it, but before I could take it in, the HV and powertrain faults, with the check Engine icon, reappeared on the 3rd and 4th, the second incident being as I drove it to the dealership. These past 2 times did NOT lock up the shifter. I took it in on the 4th and they got to see the Check Engine light was still on. They called me today and said the truck was ready and that they had updated the programming (per Ford's instruction) and that all the warning lights were taken care of. I headed back home and not more than 2 miles from the dealership, the Powertrain fault and Check Engine light returned, along with the HV Malfunction and Powertrain Malfunction messages on FordPass. I am going to try again at a closer dealership and let them take another swing at it. For now, my wife refuses to go anywhere with me in this truck, ESPECIALLY towing a camper, which was the main reason we bought it in the first place.

 

[toyko joe]

Just had a 900 mile round trip and the truck ran great but fuel mileage was TERRIBLE!!! (well not terrible just way worse than sticker)

900 miles at cruise control set at 56-71mph (mostly 68mph) 18.7 mpg.

• Tire pressures 36-37psi
• Mostly flat roads and rolling hills of coastal Florida
• 40-72degrees F
• No trailer - all cargo under tonno-cover

I am not sure how to have a conversation with Ford about this, I am not getting any errors or warnings; I am certainly not getting anywhere close to sticker on fuel mileage.

 

[Barefoot]

Well, even though I though my truck was fixed, other problems continued to happen. I have 2 other posts in this thread that explains what I was dealing with, if you want to read them. Basically, the truck still had harsh down shifting once I had been in the truck for 1-1.5 hours. This happened despite having a new transmission installed in May. This past November and after another trip to the dealership to try to fix the problems, Ford said they would do a buyback and I just ordered a new truck today. I was going to order the Tremor, but I need the hybrid as I work out of my truck and it's nice for the engine not to idle the whole time I'm working. I'm an independent insurance adjuster and I normally sit in my truck about 6 hours a day writing estimates. Hopefully, the major problems with Powerboosts have been worked out by now. I'll keep y'all posted once the new one comes in. That will be 3-6 months though, according to Ford. I know there are posts about the buyback process, but if anyone wants to know my particular journey with that, let me know. I'll be happy to post it.

 

[StewieDad]

Well, I got my truck back after 27 days at the dealership, waiting on the new wiring harness to arrive. (I have read other messages on here that the original harness wasn't sealed at the ends properly). I felt bad for the technician when I read that he had to remove the fuel tank, driveshaft, and exhaust system to route the new one to its connections. Since then, I have had NO warning lights or error messages and the truck actually gets better mileage as it operates on the motor more often and for more time. So far, so good!

 

[toyko joe]

Just had a 900 mile round trip and the truck ran great but fuel mileage was TERRIBLE!!! (well not terrible just way worse than sticker)

900 miles at cruise control set at 56-71mph (mostly 68mph) 18.7 mpg.

• Tire pressures 36-37psi
• Mostly flat roads and rolling hills of coastal Florida
• 40-72degrees F
• No trailer - all cargo under tonno-cover

I am not sure how to have a conversation with Ford about this, I am not getting any errors or warnings; I am certainly not getting anywhere close to sticker on fuel mileage.

4th tank after this experience and I still am only getting 18.4-18.7mpg normal driving. If I baby it and try really hard not to keep up with traffic or posted speed limits I can get 20-21mpg on certain trips. Yesterday mixed driving country roads and highway no faster than 70mph, it was about an hour long trip. 20.o mpg.

Stopped in at the dealer because it was on the the way, to talk about the recall and the passenger window, and to my surprise they actually entertained the idea of looking into an issue with the fuel economy!

 

[toyko joe]

I just hit 10,000 miles today. Yesterday the truck exhibited the same thing where there is a lag or 'stall' when entering into traffic. Yesterday I was towing our lawnmower on its trailer (700#s), and the truck stalled entering into traffic for 2-3 seconds, enough time for my wife to say what are you doing! I explained to her that I had the go pedal all the way down!! I tried explaining this to the service writer on the last two visits... no help, I even asked to have the shift learning table shut off so that it wouldn't learn bad habits to economize the fuel over safety of acceleration. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFTEY ISSUE! I guess I have to wait to get t-boned before Ford will do anything, I can't be the only one running into this issue.

 

[jofo]

Trust me you are not! I’ve had a couple of occasions while pulling through an intersection where there is nothing, it just dies for a couple pf seconds and then takes off like a bat out of hell. I’ve also had the brakes slam on while backing out of my driveway a couple of times for no apparent reason. I’m worried that its going to cause a major accident at some point.

 

[herothedog]

Yeah... my transmission is leaking and missing shifts between 4-5, 8,9,10. I have a post on it... could take 30 days or more (not including the 8 days they have already had it) to be looked at by the one and only transmission tech to decide if they are going to rebuild it or replace it. In any case, I'm not pleased.

 

[toyko joe]

Trust me you are not! I’ve had a couple of occasions while pulling through an intersection where there is nothing, it just dies for a couple pf seconds and then takes off like a bat out of hell. I’ve also had the brakes slam on while backing out of my driveway a couple of times for no apparent reason. I’m worried that its going to cause a major accident at some point.

After yesterdays incident I thought - "F this, I'm going to sell this and just get a used 2010 KR and deal with known issues."

 

[SpicySwan]

I just hit 10,000 miles today. Yesterday the truck exhibited the same thing where there is a lag or 'stall' when entering into traffic. Yesterday I was towing our lawnmower on its trailer (700#s), and the truck stalled entering into traffic for 2-3 seconds, enough time for my wife to say what are you doing! I explained to her that I had the go pedal all the way down!! I tried explaining this to the service writer on the last two visits... no help, I even asked to have the shift learning table shut off so that it wouldn't learn bad habits to economize the fuel over safety of acceleration. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFTEY ISSUE! I guess I have to wait to get t-boned before Ford will do anything, I can't be the only one running into this issue.

It's happened on 2 occasions with mine also. Thought I was doing something wrong on the first one. Gets your attention when pulling out into traffic.

 

[Thunderchief]

I have had something like this happen if my left foot is just touching the brake pedal - not pressing but just touching. Sometimes I will get the message on the instrument panel that it is reducing power due to brake application. I was using both feet for driving with my GMC Sierra but that doesn't always work well with my Lariat. My wife's Subaru Outback works like the Lariat where any touch on the brake pedal produces what seems like an engine stall.

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