Schini
New Member
Hey everyone, I spent a lot of time scouring the forums during my Misfire/VCT/PCM saga and I wanted to share my experience to help others who may go down this same path.
History - I bought my 2018 Expedition Max Platinum, used on 2/10/21 with approximately 47,000 miles. This vehicle was Ford Gold Certified and I ended up buying an extended warranty through Zeigler Ford. I traded in my 2016 F-150 Lariat (Ecoboost).
After the purchase, everything was fine with some minor repairs (rear hatch button, media door closer, etc). Soon, I started experiencing the engine rumbling/hesitating which got progressively worse. Multiple trips to Ford and technician ride-alongs, I kept being told this is "normal". Coming from essentially the same engine and vehicle I had a very hard time believing that. I was even told not to run in 4A, which was a complete copout.
Fast forward - rumble/hesitation getting worse, now at times I take a right turn out of somewhere and try to go - it would get lost and provide no power to the drivetrain, eventually catching up and making the vehicle go. Now, we are finally throwing a code for a misfire. Ford takes it in, diagnoses the VCT problem, makes the repair for free, Reprogramed PCM, Etc.
Two weeks later - problem back again, Ford determined they had put bad VCT parts in, replaced them for free. Reprogramed PCM, Etc.
Weeks later - more hesitation, misfire. It turns out that a spark plug and ignition coil has failed. At this point I am under 50k miles still. For coils/plugs to fail is odd to me (more on that later). Ford makes the repair with my $100 deductible, however they refuse to replace the other plugs and coils because they arent "bad".
Weeks later - misfire again, you guessed it, two more coils and plugs. Ford still holding strong that they will not replace all (6). So now I have a new set of 3 and old set of 3. Each time I go to have this done, I have to pay my $100 deductible. So at this point I am fed up, buy my own plugs and coils (Motorcraft), ensure correct gap, etc. Everything runs great.
From this point things are better but I still constantly get engine rumble. Gears 5 and 8, Gear 5 being at approximately 20MPH and Gear 8 around 45-50MPH you could feel the engine rumbling as if it couldn't figure out which gear to go in, 4 or 6 or stay in 5. It was like it was holding it too long. This shook the entire vehicle. Take it to Ford, go through the standard "that's normal" BS and they reprogram the PCM. This is the 4th time they have reprogrammed the PCM and dumped it back on me without it resolving the problem (Once was the original owner before my time).
Finally, being fed up with this issue I take it back to Ford, get a loaner and inform them I will not be taking the vehicle back until they fix this problem, it's a life safety issue for me and my family. Somehow this sparked some fire in them. They apparently contacted Ford through a Customer Assurance Program? and had the PCM reprogrammed to remove this rumble. As you can imagine I was completely skeptical but they ensured me that the problem is gone now.
So far - so good, running 3 weeks no issues. So in a nutshell here is what I have learned through my research here and actual experience:
-As we all know Ford has a serious issue with the VCT replacement and subsequent bad VCT part installation, it appears the new product they are using has solved the issue
-Remote start/stop is killing the plugs/coils way too early. Unless you turn the feature off when you get in the vehicle, before the first stop/activation, you essentially firing your plugs/coils double/triple/quadruple.. times and wearing them out prematurely
-If you still have engine studder/rumble you need to press your dealership to contact Ford through this Customer Assurance issue. The procedure is "FSA 21N08 Procedure B" and it solved my issue.
I hope this information helps some of you dealing with the same issues as this drove me absolutely mad for almost a year. I hope I can answer any other questions if you have any. Thanks!
History - I bought my 2018 Expedition Max Platinum, used on 2/10/21 with approximately 47,000 miles. This vehicle was Ford Gold Certified and I ended up buying an extended warranty through Zeigler Ford. I traded in my 2016 F-150 Lariat (Ecoboost).
After the purchase, everything was fine with some minor repairs (rear hatch button, media door closer, etc). Soon, I started experiencing the engine rumbling/hesitating which got progressively worse. Multiple trips to Ford and technician ride-alongs, I kept being told this is "normal". Coming from essentially the same engine and vehicle I had a very hard time believing that. I was even told not to run in 4A, which was a complete copout.
Fast forward - rumble/hesitation getting worse, now at times I take a right turn out of somewhere and try to go - it would get lost and provide no power to the drivetrain, eventually catching up and making the vehicle go. Now, we are finally throwing a code for a misfire. Ford takes it in, diagnoses the VCT problem, makes the repair for free, Reprogramed PCM, Etc.
Two weeks later - problem back again, Ford determined they had put bad VCT parts in, replaced them for free. Reprogramed PCM, Etc.
Weeks later - more hesitation, misfire. It turns out that a spark plug and ignition coil has failed. At this point I am under 50k miles still. For coils/plugs to fail is odd to me (more on that later). Ford makes the repair with my $100 deductible, however they refuse to replace the other plugs and coils because they arent "bad".
Weeks later - misfire again, you guessed it, two more coils and plugs. Ford still holding strong that they will not replace all (6). So now I have a new set of 3 and old set of 3. Each time I go to have this done, I have to pay my $100 deductible. So at this point I am fed up, buy my own plugs and coils (Motorcraft), ensure correct gap, etc. Everything runs great.
From this point things are better but I still constantly get engine rumble. Gears 5 and 8, Gear 5 being at approximately 20MPH and Gear 8 around 45-50MPH you could feel the engine rumbling as if it couldn't figure out which gear to go in, 4 or 6 or stay in 5. It was like it was holding it too long. This shook the entire vehicle. Take it to Ford, go through the standard "that's normal" BS and they reprogram the PCM. This is the 4th time they have reprogrammed the PCM and dumped it back on me without it resolving the problem (Once was the original owner before my time).
Finally, being fed up with this issue I take it back to Ford, get a loaner and inform them I will not be taking the vehicle back until they fix this problem, it's a life safety issue for me and my family. Somehow this sparked some fire in them. They apparently contacted Ford through a Customer Assurance Program? and had the PCM reprogrammed to remove this rumble. As you can imagine I was completely skeptical but they ensured me that the problem is gone now.
So far - so good, running 3 weeks no issues. So in a nutshell here is what I have learned through my research here and actual experience:
-As we all know Ford has a serious issue with the VCT replacement and subsequent bad VCT part installation, it appears the new product they are using has solved the issue
-Remote start/stop is killing the plugs/coils way too early. Unless you turn the feature off when you get in the vehicle, before the first stop/activation, you essentially firing your plugs/coils double/triple/quadruple.. times and wearing them out prematurely
-If you still have engine studder/rumble you need to press your dealership to contact Ford through this Customer Assurance issue. The procedure is "FSA 21N08 Procedure B" and it solved my issue.
I hope this information helps some of you dealing with the same issues as this drove me absolutely mad for almost a year. I hope I can answer any other questions if you have any. Thanks!