Torque Converter Shudder Adventure

[o0260o]

In my opinion, Ford messed up their service intervals when it comes to the gearbox fluid. The shudder has been getting worse and for the first time it popped into neutral while driving. I can't really afford any downtime on my vehicle so I sold it last week and moved on. 79,000 miles in 4.5 years. I really liked the car but it was time to let go.

Sponsored

 

[NavyBOFH]

I have an appointment for our 2021 on Monday for a second water pump replacement under extended warranty (lost half a gallon of coolant plus whatever dealer top-offs in 15k miles), and for the torque converter RPM flutter with additional hard shifts on cold fluid. We are at 73k so the water pumps have only lasted about 35k miles in each instance at this point... the transmission however is the one that is really bothering me as we just bought a new vehicle so I am in no place to replace this Bronco Sport any time soon.

 

[SHAKEmeBUNS]

I've got my '22 BS Outer banks at Star Ford in Glendale CA currently for the shudder problem. They told me it was the Torque Converter almost immediately and ordered a new one. The problem started at 56,000 miles. I should get it back next week and I'll keep u guys posted.

At 56k:
I've had an EVAP code (no start after filling tank) which was a cheap 35 dollar fix with a new purge valve.
Also seems like there is a oil leak coming from the turbo. Dealer said their multi point inspection would look into it. Keep ya posted ...

 

[ethaneich]

Our 2025 Outer Banks hasn't been great since new. At 5 months the starter solenoid went crazy and tried to burn the Bronco to the ground at a gas pump. Had it towed to the local dealership and they told me it was the battery. I had the hood open, and the smoke was coming from the starter, so they replaced the battery. After 2 more tows to the dealership, they finally changed the starter. The rear differential started making noise at about a year old when making tight turns. Dealership says that the noise is typical, so I change the rear fluid, and the noise goes away. Now at 85000 miles the Bronco surges at constant speeds, and the shifting is not as smooth. The dealership tells me that the turbo has gone bad and wants $4600 to replace it. HOLD MY BEER, I bought a new turbo for $420 and replaced it myself. We have other vehicles, and I wouldn't recommend trying this at home. Ford has made it nearly impossible to do this job without breaking other items, such as the oil return line on the bottom of the turbo. Complete frustration and bloody knuckles, and the Bronco still surges! At this point I don't trust the folks at the blue oval and take it to a local shop near Ft. Collins, CO. They run some test and are telling me that the transmission is the issue, along with a quote for $9600 for a new one. HOLD MY BEER, no, I'm crazy, but not willing to pull the tranny in my garage. I'm sure Ford made this process worse than the turbo. I'm changing the tranny fluid and will be adding Lubegard today. This only needs to work on the drive to another dealership, to be traded in. We enjoy the Bronco, but it will be the last newer Ford in our driveway. I'm a designer and would be fired if I ever designed anything this hard to work on.
Wish me luck!

 

[Dude]

Our 2025 Outer Banks hasn't been great since new. …
Wish me luck!

What year is your vehicle? Probably not a 2025 but no vehicle should have as many problems as yours. Looks like you have experienced all of the classic issues except the water pump and cracked fuel injectors.

good luck on the trade!

and check out the beer of the day thread… your vehicle gives you many reasons to have a beer or two

https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/threads/beer-of-the-day-thread.12979/

 

[ethaneich]

You are correct, our Bronco Sport is a 2021. There is an outstanding recall for the injectors that FORD doesn't have a fix for. How about new injectors? Funny how I can buy new injectors online, but FORD can't get them for me. JUNK

 

[Dude]

You are correct, our Bronco Sport is a 2021. There is an outstanding recall for the injectors that FORD doesn't have a fix for. How about new injectors? Funny how I can buy new injectors online, but FORD can't get them for me. JUNK

Don’t forget to check out the beer of the day thread… I updated my post with the link

 

[ethaneich]

Dude, Thanks for the Beer link, I'm always looking for a new brew. I live in Ft. Collins, CO, and there are over 20 breweries in town. New Belgium and O'dell are just miles from home.

 

[thomasm23]

Our 2025 Outer Banks hasn't been great since new. At 5 months the starter solenoid went crazy and tried to burn the Bronco to the ground at a gas pump. Had it towed to the local dealership and they told me it was the battery. I had the hood open, and the smoke was coming from the starter, so they replaced the battery. After 2 more tows to the dealership, they finally changed the starter. The rear differential started making noise at about a year old when making tight turns. Dealership says that the noise is typical, so I change the rear fluid, and the noise goes away. Now at 85000 miles the Bronco surges at constant speeds, and the shifting is not as smooth. The dealership tells me that the turbo has gone bad and wants $4600 to replace it. HOLD MY BEER, I bought a new turbo for $420 and replaced it myself. We have other vehicles, and I wouldn't recommend trying this at home. Ford has made it nearly impossible to do this job without breaking other items, such as the oil return line on the bottom of the turbo. Complete frustration and bloody knuckles, and the Bronco still surges! At this point I don't trust the folks at the blue oval and take it to a local shop near Ft. Collins, CO. They run some test and are telling me that the transmission is the issue, along with a quote for $9600 for a new one. HOLD MY BEER, no, I'm crazy, but not willing to pull the tranny in my garage. I'm sure Ford made this process worse than the turbo. I'm changing the tranny fluid and will be adding Lubegard today. This only needs to work on the drive to another dealership, to be traded in. We enjoy the Bronco, but it will be the last newer Ford in our driveway. I'm a designer and would be fired if I ever designed anything this hard to work on.
Wish me luck!

Ok….
Did the Lubegard address your torque converter shudder?

 

[ethaneich]

Lubegard to the rescue! I drained the old tranny fluid, and was shocked to see it was brown not red, WTF? At least it didn't sparkle or have any chunks. I was sure to measure how much fluid came out, so I knew approximately how much needed to go back in. I mixed the Lubegard into 4 quarts of new ULV tranny fluid and began adding it as instructed. After only 2 quarts the process of filling came to a halt, the fluid just stopped moving. Removing the vent cap on the tranny didn't help at all. Throwing caution to the wind I started the Bronco and put it in Drive, to see if I could prime the pump. I only did this max 10 seconds, put it back in Park and turned off the vehicle. After a few seconds, air was burping out of the fill tube and funnel full of fluid. The burping continued for a few minutes, and more fluid was going in, although very slowly. This process of starting and stopping the Bronco and then letting air escape went on for about an hour. After most of the new fluid was in, I left the Bronco running so I could see when the new fluid started leaking out of the drain. We took the Bronco out for a 15 mile test drive and noticed a much smoother feeling immediately. By the time we got home, the shudder was nearly gone. I was a skeptic for sure, but didn't have any other plan in the budget for fixing this issue. The Bronco is getting traded in ASAP, I'm done fighting FORD junk.

Did I mention the last time it was at FORD for service, they wrote the wrong mileage down and now the CARFAX doesn't match the odometer? The CARFAX shows more mileage than the Bronco actually has on it. Great job guys!

Thank you all for the Lubegard secret, I owe you one.

 

[SHAKEmeBUNS]

Update:
Got the BS back a week ago from Star Ford of Glendale. They replaced the torque converter and the shuttering is gone. Glad it was resolved before the power train warranty was up. Towed a trailer from LA to Palm springs immediately after, and been driving it for a week and no more issues.

 

[ethaneich]

After taking the Bronco to the dealership and confronting them with the fact they screwed up the mileage, they agreed to buy the Bronco from us. The dealership has it online for $7K more than they gave us and they haven't fixed anything. I hope the new owner get the extended warranty, that tranny is on its way out.
I bet I won't have these issues with the 2024 TRD 4 Runner that replaced it.

 

[jkernitzki]

Other than a potential engine replacement, yeah, no worries.

 

[BLUEOVALRACER]

Other than a potential engine replacement, yeah, no worries.

X2 the grass isn't always greener on the other side. One guy on here bought a brand new Hyundai Sante Fe and I told Him Car and Driver didn't like the Transmission in those. The guy came back on here later and said the transmission took a crap at 5,000 miles and IIRC Hyundai didn't have transmissions to replace it at that time. Also IIRC he had a BS Badlands that He didn't have many if any problems with when He got the Hyundai.

 

[BLUEOVALRACER]

After taking the Bronco to the dealership and confronting them with the fact they screwed up the mileage, they agreed to buy the Bronco from us. The dealership has it online for $7K more than they gave us and they haven't fixed anything. I hope the new owner get the extended warranty, that tranny is on its way out.
I bet I won't have these issues with the 2024 TRD 4 Runner that replaced it.

With these newer vehicles I wouldn't bet on anything If I were You!!

Sponsored