Shifter Knob caused a "Powertrain Malfunction"

[thedairycoach]

I bought a brand new Bronco Sport 2022 last week Thursday afternoon. After 3 days of ownership and 250 miles driven (Friday through Sunday), the Service Vehicle Soon light came on Monday morning.

I called the dealer and they swapped out my Bronco with a loaner that same afternoon and I've been waiting all week for good news.

The service department ran diagnostics on Tuesday and told me that the shift control knob caused this powertrain issue. A few days later and they're telling me they can't locate a replacement shift control knob.

I'm admittedly pretty skeptical at this point, and my gut tells me it's more than that. I'm afraid that my brand new Bronco Sport is off to a 'lemon start'.

Does this diagnosis sound legit? And if so, is a replacement shift control knob extremely hard to find? As of tonight (nearly 3 full days since the diagnosis), the dealership's service department has had my vehicle longer than I have.... and they have no estimate as to when I'll be getting it back.

I'm planning to request a new / replacement vehicle to swap for the one that I purchased last week. Does that sound reasonable?

Thoughts please!?! Thanks in advance!

Sponsored

 

[M3H7363]

I'm afraid that my brand new Bronco Sport is off to a 'lemon start'.

You can't be serious? One faulty part and you start throwing around the "lemon" label?

I'm planning to request a new / replacement vehicle to swap for the one that I purchased last week. Does that sound reasonable?

No.

 

[Osco]

I think the lemon law applies after three failed attempts at repairing the problem or related problems.
And you still only get the depreciated value, say if it’s a year old you get that value. But days old not so.
It may take weeks to get a part. New model and all that.
I hope you picked a really nice rental.

 

[thedairycoach]

You can't be serious? One faulty part and you start throwing around the "lemon" label?


No.

Yeah, I'm serious. I drive a lot for work... I leave for KS, NE, TX, NM, and AZ in a few weeks for almost all of April with a dog. I only drove it 200+ miles and it's already been in the shop all week.

My 3-week work / road trip is looking pretty uncertain now... and I need the money, I have a brand new car I have to pay for! haha

My bigger concern is that it's not just a 'faulty part' / hard-to-get part / inventory issue, but rather an actual powertrain issue that's more serious than a gear shifter knob.

 

[thedairycoach]

I think the lemon law applies after three failed attempts at repairing the problem or related problems.
And you still only get the depreciated value, say if it’s a year old you get that value. But days old not so.
It may take weeks to get a part. New model and all that.
I hope you picked a really nice rental.

Thanks for the input, Osco.

It's a Ford Escape... not as comfortable as the Edge I traded in last week, or the brand new Sport I had for one weekend!

 

[Bronclahoma]

In case you haven't noticed there is a supply shortage of almost all auto parts. Yes. You are being unrealistic wanting your vehicle replaced for a faulty part. My son---i-law just picked up an Explorer Timberline and had a similar situation. Took about a week to get some kind of control valve. Be glad they gave you a loaner.

 

[thedairycoach]

In case you haven't noticed there is a supply shortage of almost all auto parts. Yes. You are being unrealistic wanting your vehicle replaced for a faulty part. My son---i-law just picked up an Explorer Timberline and had a similar situation. Took about a week to get some kind of control valve. Be glad they gave you a loaner.

Alright, thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I get the supply shortage / delays. I'm just concerned it's a bigger issue than they're telling me. But if that's all it is.....

 

[Ford Motor Company]

I bought a brand new Bronco Sport 2022 last week Thursday afternoon. After 3 days of ownership and 250 miles driven (Friday through Sunday), the Service Vehicle Soon light came on Monday morning.

I called the dealer and they swapped out my Bronco with a loaner that same afternoon and I've been waiting all week for good news.

The service department ran diagnostics on Tuesday and told me that the shift control knob caused this powertrain issue. A few days later and they're telling me they can't locate a replacement shift control knob.

I'm admittedly pretty skeptical at this point, and my gut tells me it's more than that. I'm afraid that my brand new Bronco Sport is off to a 'lemon start'.

Does this diagnosis sound legit? And if so, is a replacement shift control knob extremely hard to find? As of tonight (nearly 3 full days since the diagnosis), the dealership's service department has had my vehicle longer than I have.... and they have no estimate as to when I'll be getting it back.

I'm planning to request a new / replacement vehicle to swap for the one that I purchased last week. Does that sound reasonable?

Thoughts please!?! Thanks in advance!

Hello there. I would like to look further into your Bronco's powertrain issue on my end. Could you please send over a private message with your VIN and the name/location of your local Ford dealer?

 

[Ford Motor Company]

I bought a brand new Bronco Sport 2022 last week Thursday afternoon. After 3 days of ownership and 250 miles driven (Friday through Sunday), the Service Vehicle Soon light came on Monday morning.

I called the dealer and they swapped out my Bronco with a loaner that same afternoon and I've been waiting all week for good news.

The service department ran diagnostics on Tuesday and told me that the shift control knob caused this powertrain issue. A few days later and they're telling me they can't locate a replacement shift control knob.

I'm admittedly pretty skeptical at this point, and my gut tells me it's more than that. I'm afraid that my brand new Bronco Sport is off to a 'lemon start'.

Does this diagnosis sound legit? And if so, is a replacement shift control knob extremely hard to find? As of tonight (nearly 3 full days since the diagnosis), the dealership's service department has had my vehicle longer than I have.... and they have no estimate as to when I'll be getting it back.

I'm planning to request a new / replacement vehicle to swap for the one that I purchased last week. Does that sound reasonable?

Thoughts please!?! Thanks in advance!

Hi there! Can you send us a DM with more information? I’ll see how I can assist on my end. Thanks!

 

[MJE]

In case you haven't noticed there is a supply shortage of almost all auto parts. Yes. You are being unrealistic wanting your vehicle replaced for a faulty part. My son---i-law just picked up an Explorer Timberline and had a similar situation. Took about a week to get some kind of control valve. Be glad they gave you a loaner.

This. The heater of all things went on the explorer. 8hr drive one way in -20 was not fun. Thankful for heated seats & steering wheel at that point. But no worries, that’s what the warranty is for, to catch anything that may be faulty prematurely. However to get the parts in to fix it was a couple month wait, some kind of thermostat, though I can’t see that containing a chip. Maybe. But still, yes supply chains all over are broken thanks to the way the world is & has been for a couple years. It’ll take some time to get it all back to normal.

In the meantime, replacing the prematurely faulty part under warranty, & I’m sure the OP’s Bronco will be just fine. The wrench icon is somewhat worrisome, and I’ve had that a couple times, but you take it to the dealer & if it doesn’t recur Or throw a code, there’s not much to worry about.

 

[MJE]

Alright, thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I get the supply shortage / delays. I'm just concerned it's a bigger issue than they're telling me. But if that's all it is.....

Honestly I’d be sure it’s all it is & let them try it. When I had the wrench icon show on the explorer, as worrisome as it might seem (the car really should be able to display more about what’s actually wrong & how serious it is, otherwise the wrench is just another check engine light to be ignored), the code was merely for a sensor. Finding nothing wrong and without it recurring they cleaned the connection, put some sealant on it & reconnected it. Hasn’t happened again. Honestly, though there’s always a chance that bigger problems follow, my best advice is trust they’ve diagnosed it correctly and a replacement of the faulty dial under warranty will fix it. And you’ll have no further problems down the road. I think vehicles today are so much more complex that the likelihood of something going wrong, even if minor, is largely increased.

 

[Osco]

Thanks for the input, Osco.

It's a Ford Escape... not as comfortable as the Edge I traded in last week, or the brand new Sport I had for one weekend!

Take back the escap’e and tell them you need a more comfortable vehicle. Pick a Cowboy Cadillac! A maxed out 250 !
Then keep it until you get your Bs back and do a test drive.
They keep your B S three months waiting for parts you keep the cowboy caddi,, Win Win !

 

[Mark S.]

Does this diagnosis sound legit? And if so, is a replacement shift control knob extremely hard to find? As of tonight (nearly 3 full days since the diagnosis), the dealership's service department has had my vehicle longer than I have.... and they have no estimate as to when I'll be getting it back.

The shift control knob is a pretty complicated piece of kit. It's an electro-mechanical device that connects to a lot of different parts of the car, including the powertrain, and a lot of designed-in safety features of the car depend on its proper operation. For example, if the shift knob is set to DRIVE and you open the driver's door, the shift knob will automatically move to PARK.

I find it entirely conceivable that a malfunctioning shift knob assembly would generate the kind of error codes and notifications you are seeing. Further, given the world-wide chip shortage and the fact this assembly almost certainly includes integrated circuits to control the logic, I'm not at all surprised to hear it will take time to get a replacement part.

A note on Lemon Laws: They're different for each State. Most have clauses that activate consumer protections in the event your vehicle requires a three or more shop visits within a specific time frame for the same issue, or if a given issue requires more than 30 consecutive days in the shop. Check the laws in your State to be certain.

 

[ottoprice13]

This exact thing happened to me this morning. New 2022 Bronco Sport, less than 300 miles, little over a week of ownership. I put gas in, and then the light came on once I started it back up.
Good news is, after putting about 100 miles on it today, the warning eventually went away. I’m still concerned though.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

This exact thing happened to me this morning. New 2022 Bronco Sport, less than 300 miles, little over a week of ownership. I put gas in, and then the light came on once I started it back up.
Good news is, after putting about 100 miles on it today, the warning eventually went away. I’m still concerned though.

Hi there! Can you send us a message with your VIN and Ford dealership name? I’ll look into this Powertrain concern on my end. Thanks!

Sponsored