I’m new here and this is my first Ford, and so far I love it. But I’ve had some issues with it, and the dealership is taking forever to figure it out. They’ve had the car for a week now and are still trying to find the problem.
For about a month, when I go into reverse, about half the time, the car jerks like it’s going over a bump or a rock. After that, when I shift to drive, it jerks again. Everything seems fine when driving normally, but this only happens when I reverse, especially when turning the wheel.
The steering wheel also gets harder to turn sometimes when I’m reversing, and I can’t keep going unless I adjust the steering wheel a bit. It’s almost like the car runs out of power to keep reversing unless I change the angle of the wheel.
I’ve got an extended warranty, so everything should be covered, but it’s still frustrating. The dealership first said they couldn’t figure it out, but then they tried reprogramming some module, which didn’t fix it. Now they’ve ordered a new transfer case. Does this sound like a transfer case issue to you? I’ve read a lot online, and most people talk about hearing noises or having problems when accelerating, not when reversing.
wellington said:
The jerking when reversing sounds more like a transmission issue than a transfer case problem. How many miles does your Explorer have?
I thought it might be that too, especially after reading through some forum posts. It’s at 55k miles. We bought it certified used at 40k miles about two years ago. They checked the transmission fluids, and everything looked good, but I’m not sure if that means anything.
wellington said: @Fritz
My truck is actually in the shop right now for a TSB related to this… maybe it could apply to yours too? Ask them about TSB 22-2428.
Thanks for the tip! It looks like the TSB is mostly about shifting into higher gears, but my issue only happens when going into reverse. I’m wondering, if you’re reversing and the wheel is turned all the way, could it be that the car needs to shift to a higher gear but can’t? Maybe that’s why it stops moving. Could the transfer case actually be involved with that?
@Fritz
Actually, my transmission issue is more noticeable when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear, not so much with the higher gears. If you’re not driving in 4WD all the time, the transfer case shouldn’t be affecting your reverse gear. Are you using 4WD often?
@wellington
They swapped out the transfer case and I drove it today. I even tried doing some donuts in reverse and it seemed smooth! I’m picking it up tomorrow, and I’m hopeful. The jerking only happens when reversing, but interestingly, they said they felt something similar in forward, with the wheel turned all the way. It’s definitely not related to acceleration.
I wonder, when reversing, does the car start in 1st gear and then switch to 2nd if it needs more power, even without pressing the gas? If that’s the case, could the transfer case be involved?
But then, I don’t see how it could just stop like that unless the transmission isn’t shifting properly, right? The car didn’t seem to make any sounds that would indicate it’s struggling to shift.
@Fritz
The reverse gear is separate from the 10 forward gears, so it doesn’t ‘shift’ like the others. I think you’re misunderstanding how the transfer case works. It doesn’t control gear shifts; it just sends power to the front and rear wheels at a fixed ratio (like 40% to the front and 60% to the back). There’s no gear switching in reverse, so it probably isn’t related to the transfer case.
Also, your Explorer is AWD, not 4WD, so the power is always sent to both the front and rear wheels by default.
@wellington
Oh, that makes sense now. I thought the transfer case was involved in shifting gears. If it’s only diverting power, then I guess that’s not the problem after all. I’m still not sure why the steering wheel gets stiff when it’s turned all the way. Maybe that’s related to the jerking? Could the transmission be causing that, or maybe something with the power steering? It’s really strange.
@Fritz
The jerking does sound like it could be a transmission issue. When you shift to reverse, does it happen more often when the car’s cold? It might get worse over time, but it shouldn’t leave you stuck. As for the steering problem… it honestly sounds like the wheel might be hitting something physically when you turn it all the way. Have you hit a curb or pothole recently?