Updated 7/29 [Engine Seized, Full Replacement Under Warranty] My Bronco shut down after sand dunes run

[Nodrama43]

not at all. if there is a serious problem, I want to know how Ford is fixing it And how I can resolve it if it happens to me, not 12 pages of goat videos that and bitching. not every thread should be a therapy session for those upset or with hurt feelings. What is the problem, what are the solutions? 12 pages of b******* it's just not helpful.

most intelligent post of the day right there. the daily dumpster fire gets old.

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[lakesinai]

hope they have you in a good loaner my luck I'd end up with a fiesta or something lol

Maybe they'll loan one of the Jeeps that were traded in on a Ford

 

[HBTFD]

Ask for an extended warranty (bumper to bumper) from Ford, they’ll give it to you for free.

 

[mpeugeot]

So what about the shortage of 2.7 motors? This is going to put everyone else waiting on a 2.7 on hold just to fix this.

Just kidding, glad Ford is making it right.

 

[mmcq]

Yeah, I’m not looking for an apology from the dealer. To be fair, the dealer got a fubar’d Bronco towed to their lot in the middle of the night. I imagine there was a bit of chaos the next morning until they spoke to the dealer I purchased from and I’m sure they would probably have rather not drawn that short straw.

Their initial response absolutely caused me some panic and concern. I think at that point they were really still just starting to investigate. The unfortunate part is that they were quick to CYA, which made me feel like Ford may not back up warranty when driving in conditions I thought they expected you to when I purchased, but like you said at the end of the day it’s the outcome that’s most important and I’ll be happy to get my Bronco back.

FWIW, my purchasing dealer was absolutely fantastic throughout the process. My salesman actually drove over an hour each way to pick us up after the tow (when we were stranded and thinking about just grabbing a hotel) and take us home.

He actually has a Bronco on order (no build date yet) so he’s been pretty interested in mine. We’re dropping off some Bronco swag tomorrow when we pick up the loaner as a way to say thanks! He and his dealership have a lifetime customer in me.

Why sour the relationship with the dealer when they seem to be right on top of this issue. Who cares what was said? The outcome is what's key here.

 

[Mikesmallcrawler21]

Am I missing something? I have read a few post, that are making it sound like Ford is doing this guy a favor??? It's brand new vehicle, that had been PDI'd, it's under warranty!! It's Fords to fix!! .. what Ford is doing though....., is holding up to their side of deal.

 

[Zero_chance]

Update 7/29
Ford engineer came to the dealership to investigate, found cylinder 6 had a dropped valve, which caused the engine to seize up. The engine will be completely replaced under warranty. Ford will be taking the old engine back to Dearborn for further investigation into the root cause but at this point, it appears to be a fluke manufacturing defect. Should be pretty quick, engine is being overnighted to dealer so should have it sometime next week. Kudos to the Ford engineering team because it sounded like once the hotline case was opened, Ford made it a priority to investigate and determine resolution.

I didn't get an explanation in regard to the "Trailer Brake System Fault" and "Service Advancetrac" errors but it seems reasonable that the onboard computer would start freaking out after the engine shut down, so right now I'm chalking it up to that.

Dealer mentioned that they will pass on any additional root cause analysis and I'll update if/when I find out more details. I really appreciate the comments and support from 6G, kept me sane in an otherwise pretty awful week.



Update 7/28
Spoke with the dealer, current indication is that the engine actually seized up. I'm not exactly sure how that relates to the ABS/AdvanceTrac/Trailer Brake system warnings, but I guess that does explain why the engine would not turn over. Being a brand new vehicle, dealer opened a hotline with Ford Engineering to investigate further, understand exactly what happened, and propose next steps. Should hopefully know more in the next few days.

Original Post
Took my Bronco (Badlands, 2.7) to Silver Lake ORV Area in MI last week and spent a couple of hours tooling around the dunes. It was our first time on the dunes, I didn't baby it out there but also didn't do anything crazy that would land me on YouTube. Kept it in sand mode the entire time, had plenty of power, handled great, didn't get stuck. Overall, my family had a great time!

Made it about 80 miles down the road when this fault popped up on the dash. Was running fine on the way home up until then. No strange noises, temp levels normal, no noticeable leaks or anything. Next thing I knew, the engine stopped and we coasted to a halt on the side of the highway. Tried starting it a few times after letting it rest, but it would not even attempt to turn over, just kept displaying this error and the "Service Advancetrac" fault. All interior electronics were working fine, but ended up having to get it towed to the dealer.

It's still being diagnosed, but dealer mentioned a lot of sand underneath and that I might need to file a claim with my insurance which took me by surprise. Am I out of line thinking it should have been able to handle a trip to the dunes?

Hoping it's just a bad sensor or something minor. Love my Bronco but can't help feeling disappointed that it didn't make it back from it's first trip off-road.

Some more info / Q&A from thread:


Doors on the entire time.


The yellow check engine light came on about 5 seconds or so before the trailer brake fault and loss of power from engine. Will definitely keep this thread updated as I hear more.



Yes, I have the factory trailer towing package. Haven't towed anything yet. That would be interesting though because as you've mentioned we've seen a few ABS/Service Advancetrac errors pop up over the last few weeks.

I, for one, would like to personally commend you for handling this like a rational adult. Tough situation but you seem to be handling it well, which most folks would have not and we’d be knees deep in lemon law and conspiracy theory talks by now.

 

[Spooled]

I have never heard of a 2.7 dropping a valve. Definitely strange.

 

[North7]

I have never heard of a 2.7 dropping a valve. Definitely strange.

I'd like to know if one valve keeper poped out, the shaft broke or the valve head snapped off? Hard to be out of time/cam sync if only one valve was affected.

 

[Kos]

I have never heard of a 2.7 dropping a valve. Definitely strange.

If this wasn’t on a brand new Bronco you probably wouldn’t have heard about this one either.

Even if this is a 1 in 1,000,000 failure, there are enough 2.7s out there that there is bound to be one or two failures out there.

 

[mpeugeot]

I'd like to know if one valve keeper poped out, the shaft broke or the valve head snapped off? Hard to be out of time/cam sync if only one valve was affected.

It could be as simple as a missing valve keeper, which certainly could happen during engine assembly, unlikely and rare, but it would be a reasonable finding.

 

[GotGOAT]

Sorry that you’re without your Bronco for a while. But, I’m glad Ford engineering and technicians identified the problem quickly and a new engine is on the way. The 2.7 is a good engine, this sounds like an assembly or manufacturing defect, so there shouldn’t be any long term issues.
I’d definitely work with your dealership to get Ford to give you the extended warranty. Also kudos to your salesman for taking care of you and your family.

 

[NotApplicable]

Can someone give me an idea of what a repair like this takes, time wise?

By my count there are 350 million individual tubes and wires visible in the engine bay. How many of these need to be disconnected, replaced, otherwise dealt with in a full replacement? What are the failure rates of dealership-installed engines relative to factory-installed ones?

 

[noliveaxle]

I had a new 91 gsxr750 with a cracked block. They accused me of doing wheelies. Anyways, they used my old parts and put them in a new case. That bike ran great for the 17k miles I had it before I sold. It all depends if they stick their A guy on it. Ask for the A mechanic in the shop.

 

[XirallicBolts]

Is there anything unique about the long block on the Bronco 2.7? I wouldn't attribute this to a 'first year issue' since the 2.7 has been around for a while.

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