2014 Limited died on vacation yesterday

So I was headed west on I-80 going up Pequot Pass in eastern Nevada pulling a 3,200 lb trailer and the transmission gave out. It wasnt hot, maybe 80 degrees, and I wasn’t pushing it hard, but the engine began to rev while putting down less and less power. Engine temperature didnt rise at all. I was in the center lane and tried to get over but the very slow semi trucks I had just passed were now passing me. By the time they were passed my power to ground was nill and we coasted to a stop in the center lane. I used gravity to back down as best I could but the motor died and I lost brake and steering effectiveness. I did manage to get out of the center lane and partially off the road but was jackknifed, sticking out into the right hand lane. Better than the center!

Flashers on, my wife and I started calling for a tow. I waited about a half-hour and started the car and the transmission had cooled enough to operate and get us out of the road. We got a tow headed our way and set up in the travel trailer for a bit to cool off. After about an hour I started the engine and pulled us to the top of the pass, about a 1/4 mile only!

Long story short, after a very long day and some expensive tows (we were only 150 miles from home, and there is NOWHERE in Eastern Nevada to get this fixed) we’re back home cleaning up the mess. Truck is at Ed Kenly Ford in Layton, UT.

Any ideas from you pros what might be the exact cause? Clearly a transmission failure. I’ve heard the lockup torque converter can go out on these and I could smell burned clutch material, so any advice on how to approach repair would be helpful. Vehicle is in great shape with 120K miles and a factory tow package. I plan on keeping it so want to get it fixed right!

For a bad day there were some bright spots. The tow drivers were awesome. Jose from Roadway took us from the top of the pass to Wells, NV. Ben took us from Wells to Layton, UT. The Folks at Ed Kenly Ford were a real blessing getting the long range tow arranged. The people we rented the Lance from through Outdoorsy have been amazing and, though we didn't get the vacation we had hoped for, making new friends is priceless.

If anyone has any advice on how I might be able to tow this baby home (about 90 miles) with a friend's truck, I'm all ears. I'd have to put the transfer case in neutral but there isn't any switch to do that. And the owners manual is in the car in Layton.

At least you didn't get in an accident. It does make me question whether the temperature gauge on the transmission is accurate. The weight of the Expy exceeds the limit of a UHaul Auto Transport by a couple thousand pounds and Penske one has a lower max weight. I take it the Lance trailer was already picked up?

Seems like your only option will be to get the transmission fixed or hire an auto-transport company.

As far as the "tow package" that may be less than accurate. My tow ready 2016 Expy came with a 4 pin connection and no tranny cooler. Theoretically the Expy's can tow up to 6,000 lbs without the tow package but I wouldn't do so in hot weather going up a grade. I added the 7 pin myself and I had the Ford tranny cooler added. Without the cooler, I saw the tranny hit 238 in 100 degree weather, going up slow twisties.

Best of luck!

AAA Plus does 100 miles.

adamsdaddy said:

At least you didn't get in an accident. It does make me question whether the temperature gauge on the transmission is accurate. The weight of the Expy exceeds the limit of a UHaul Auto Transport by a couple thousand pounds and Penske one has a lower max weight. I take it the Lance trailer was already picked up?

Seems like your only option will be to get the transmission fixed or hire an auto-transport company.

As far as the "tow package" that may be less than accurate. My tow ready 2016 Expy came with a 4 pin connection and no tranny cooler. Theoretically the Expy's can tow up to 6,000 lbs without the tow package but I wouldn't do so in hot weather going up a grade. I added the 7 pin myself and I had the Ford tranny cooler added. Without the cooler, I saw the tranny hit 238 in 100 degree weather, going up slow twisties.

Best of luck!

Click to expand...

I do have the factory 7-pin and transmissoon cooler, as well as the paperwork indicating factory tow package. I had the whole mess towed back to where we had rented the trailer and the owner retrieved it.

I hadnt ever towed anything that heavy and in retrospect, I’m not sure it was towing properly from the outset. I don't know what all can cause a transmission to fail but it seems like it wasn't pulling like it should have been from the start.

I probably wont lay out the additional cash but it leaves me wondering if there is a heavier duty transmission that could be swapped in. I do like the vehicle as it carries a good mix of old and new technology without an over abundance of nanny-state tech.

How many miles are on your Expy ? I single axle trailer shouldn't be a problem for the Expy to tow. In the future if you need to, you can download a copy of your owners manual right from Ford's website. Yes, I would highly recommend a AAA membership for the whole family. It's cheap peace of mind and when you need it, a real blessing.

2014 Ford Expedition Owners Manual from Ford







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Hamfisted said:

How many miles are on your Expy ? I single axle trailer shouldn't be a problem for the Expy to tow. In the future if you need to, you can download a copy of your owners manual right from Ford's website. Yes, I would highly recommend a AAA membership for the whole family. It's cheap peace of mind and when you need it, a real blessing.

Click to expand...

I used to have AAA coverage , but I am not a big fan. For one I had the basic membership and (I think) the limit for towing is 5 miles. You have to upgrade to Premium to get something more like 100 miles. For what .... $95 a year?

I instead got Emergency road service with my insurance State Farm for $4.80 a year.
YMMV, just an idea.

I also invested in a Jump'n'Carry so I can so I can do that myself if needed.

I had AAA and used it one time when I ran out of gas but I had to wait an hour for them to give me exactly one gallon and I couldn't pay for any extra. That was the end of AAA.

Plati said:

I used to have AAA coverage , but I am not a big fan. For one I had the basic membership and (I think) the limit for towing is 5 miles. You have to upgrade to Premium to get something more like 100 miles. For what .... $95 a year?

I instead got Emergency road service with my insurance State Farm for $4.80 a year.
YMMV, just an idea.

I also invested in a Jump'n'Carry so I can so I can do that myself if needed.

Click to expand...

Same here. I used to be with AAA as well, but found out that Erie offers road assistance for $5 per vehicle and it covers up to $200 worth of towing. Much better deal!