Coolant leak issues fixed?

[DLav8r]

My Powerboost is being delivered in a few weeks.

I’m reading a lot about coolant leak issues. Has this been addressed on the production line yet? Is it As widespread as it seems or a case of seeing it more on the groups? Would hate to be stranded from using my new truck for weeks over this issue. I’ve heard parts have been on back order etc.

Sponsored

 

[Puddle]

Mine is in waiting for the part and repair. It’s been almost a week. I was told initially that they couldn’t find the part anywhere in North America, but last Thursday they found one but didn’t know when it would arrive.

 

[TN Rotty]

Yep - parts are definitely an issue for the PB heat exchanger. Looks like a Feb 22 build date is the newest build on the tracker here. Maybe Ford fixed it, BUT - 3 builds are now going on their 3rd part (original + 2 repairs).

@Puddle - assuming you have the PB heat exchanger leak, if you'd like to have you info tracked, send me or post your info referring to the thread link above.

Good luck to you both.

 

[DLav8r]

Yep - parts are definitely an issue for the PB heat exchanger. Looks like a Feb 22 build date is the newest build on the tracker here. Maybe Ford fixed it, BUT - 3 builds are now going on their 3rd part (original + 2 repairs).

@Puddle - assuming you have the PB heat exchanger leak, if you'd like to have you info tracked, send me or post your info referring to the thread link above.

Good luck to you both.

thanks. Not comforting info the more I read. Zero issues with my 22 5.0. Would hate to trade into a potential lemon situation.

 

[Snakebitten]

125,000 Powerboost trucks built

How many have been reported with the leak?

 

[Puddle]

Yep - parts are definitely an issue for the PB heat exchanger. Looks like a Feb 22 build date is the newest build on the tracker here. Maybe Ford fixed it, BUT - 3 builds are now going on their 3rd part (original + 2 repairs).

@Puddle - assuming you have the PB heat exchanger leak, if you'd like to have you info tracked, send me or post your info referring to the thread link above.

Good luck to you both.

Thanks, what info do you need to track the part?
I believe it’s heat exchanger. The leak is coming from the exhaust

 

[TN Rotty]

125,000 Powerboost trucks built

How many have been reported with the leak?

Good question @Snakebitten - where do you get the production numbers for the Powerboosts? (I know they are published, but I'm getting a lot of noise searching for the data source.)

24 reported leakers on the tracker list - 3 are 2nd repairs. One build , @MrFarly , was fortunately in Detroit and had a retired Ford connection so the Ford team responsible for the part came out to replace it and take the leaker back for interrogation. Hopefully Ford can look at it and determine the issue. In any event a very miniscule number of reports compared to the production number of PBs.

Of course not everyone reports their leaks, just like not everyone will take a survey. 24 is a large number for what I see on this forum, but extremely small for the overall production of 125k trucks.

A better number would be the heat exchanger parts ordered by Ford dealers for repairs:

From June 8th:​

​

6.5' Bed V Part - ~36/week production with 292 now on backorder.​

5.5' Bed W Part - ~50/week production with 726 on backorder.​

​

From May 18th the new numbers (above) are worse:​

​

6.5 was 36/week with 220 backorder.​

5.5 was 96/week with 600 backorder.​

If the backordered numbers are going up, it would seem that more leaks are being brought into the dealers than the suppliers can cover from production. If the suppliers have been producing those numbers for a half a year, it would seem like the trucks are in the low thousands (1,000 to 4,000). If production was for 3 months, then the numbers would be halved (500-2,000).

Also a small percentage of trucks, but larger than reported forum leaks. I wonder how many go back to the dealer and just get a refill of coolant, or the owner just refills it because they don't want the hassle of waiting a month or more for an appointment. Also if the part were re-engineered (new V and W part #s currently in production) are the re-leaks just improper installation, or is there still an issue with the re-design?

So not sure the actual numbers, but it appears to be more than a few and less than a great amount, but for those (thousands?) in this category it's not fun.

I do catch your point about worrying on a new truck having a leak when it's not all of them. But I would not ignore the potential and keep an eye on the coolant levels and if I were going on a long trip, I'd take coolant with me.

Thanks, what info do you need to track the part?
I believe it’s heat exchanger. The leak is coming from the exhaust

The exhaust coolant leak under the passenger seat is the one (or should be).

Name
Blend (build date of your truck)
bed length/part
told dealer date
mileage when noticed
drivable y/n
part ordered date
part arrived date
installed date
any issues after

Example:
TN Rotty
12/19/22
6.5/V
03/01/22
1100
Yes
3/7/2022

If you have no info for a field, no worries - just put ??? or similar for that item

 

[Snakebitten]

I was only pointing out the folly of folks dreading VS enjoying the anticipation of their special order truck arriving.

It's human nature, of course, but unfortunate.

Mine might start leaking tomorrow. But it's not a leaker now.
So I'm going to enjoy the heck out of it.

 

[TN Rotty]

You've got a positive attitude and I appreciate reading your posts. A "glass half full" view in a "glass half empty" world.

My mind goes the direction of "why is the glass twice the size it needs to be"?

I'm hoping it's a short run of PBs with this issue, they have the part redesign figured out, and installation is not an issue (or easily solvable). In the meantime I'll pop my hood nightly, check my coolant each morning, and carry extra coolant if I have to travel far. (Enjoy, but verify.)

 

[Snakebitten]

You've got a positive attitude and I appreciate reading your posts. A "glass half full" view in a "glass half empty" world.

My mind goes the direction of "why is the glass twice the size it needs to be"?

I'm hoping it's a short run of PBs with this issue, they have the part redesign figured out, and installation is not an issue (or easily solvable). In the meantime I'll pop my hood nightly, check my coolant each morning, and carry extra coolant if I have to travel far. (Enjoy, but verify.)

Thanks for the kind words, but it would be dishonest of me if I didn't point out that I have little faith in the long-term lifespan of that exhaust heat-exchanger. At least as it is designed currently. It's probably true that only a small percentage of them failed so quickly, and it could just be a bad batch that was manufactured out of tolerance.

But once the components were revealed on the heat-exchanger thread with detailed pictures? I just get a bad feeling concerning that black plastic handling a thousand heat cycles over many years. Lol

I'm no prophet, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a new "version" of that apparatus finding its way into the assembly line and then becoming the replacement part for warranty repairs of the future.

I personally hope the gurus around here figure out a hack for just bypassing the whole thing.

 

[TN Rotty]

An eyes wide open positive attitude then. I also worry about the longevity as well, but I've got an extended warranty to hopefully cover it till it's engineered out.

If a bypass can be made, we've got some bright minds on here to figure it out and possibly make a product out of it.

 

[g33kmode]

Mine is in waiting for the part and repair. It’s been almost a week. I was told initially that they couldn’t find the part anywhere in North America, but last Thursday they found one but didn’t know when it would arrive.

One week not bad, they had mine just over 6 weeks back in January. Noticed the leak 1-2 weeks after I took delivery. They never told me this until I actually picked up, but at some point during that wait they had located a part but it showed up damaged. I will say… initially they told me part was not expected to ship (the non-damaged one coming from factory) until April 14 but one day I got a random text end of march that my truck was ready.

 

[Puddle]

I have heard some other horror stories like yours. I’m not sure what Ford they got, but heard someone waited 4 months for a part. Did Ford offer you any sort of compensation?

 

[g33kmode]

I have heard some other horror stories like yours. I’m not sure what Ford they got, but heard someone waited 4 months for a part. Did Ford offer you any sort of compensation?

I had a rental the entire time that they paid for

Sponsored