I've shared a few of my repairs in other threads as I've had a lot, but I'll throw in my 2 cents here because I've experienced both of these issues. Of note, my vehicle is currently in the shop for this right now so I can't comment yet on how effective these most recent fixes are.
Rattling:
- I have had rattling for a long time in my Expedition. I've taken it in 2 times for the rattling over the past couple of years and they have found each time that it is beyond what should be expected for the engine. They have replaced different parts including and related to the cam phasers each time, though never done anything with the turbo relating to rattle. That said, this time they really wanted to ensure they had it nailed down before doing cam phaser work and so after a significant amount of diagnostics, discovered the starter was rattling and are replacing it. I'm hopeful this was why the other fixes didn't work.
- The big thing to note here is that there could be a lot of things rattling and unfortunately, sometimes, it means fixing what you think it is and driving it for a few weeks to see if that truly was all of the issue, some of the issue, or not the issue at all.
Transmission:
- I've had hard shifting and poor transmission performance for a while, but the dealership has been great about moving me through the process. My advice though, is be willing to engage with the process. The TSB has like 3 or 4 steps and each one really needs significant testing afterwards by the owner to confirm whether or not it worked. Part of this is due to the re-learning process, and from what I read of the TSB, the technicians are specifically instructed to tell the owner after service that it will shift oddly for a little while post service. It stinks but it's because not all transmission issues are the CDF drum, which is the last step of the TSB. I believe it starts with a reprogram, moves to replacing a few other items, valves and a pump maybe? Then ends with the rebuild for the CDF drum depending on the age of the vehicle, (transmissions before some time in 2022 I think).
- One additional thing to note here is that it could be multiple issues at once. When they did the step that involved the valves on my Expedition, it seemed like it fixed the issue at first but then the issue came back, which allowed them to move to the next step of the process. All of that said, my service person laid all of this out for me from the TSB the very first time I brought it in for the transmission so I knew exactly what to expect as we moved through each step of the process.
I know this last part isn't super helpful in a situation where the warranty is running out in 1,000 miles, but my best advice for others here is don't wait if you notice an issue. Some of these TSB's take time and the earlier you engage with the service process for it, the more options and flexibility there is for the vehicle to hopefully end up on the right side of a full odometer.
