Transfer Case Failure

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wasabigrinch

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Hi Everyone, I didn't see any other threads on this, but please let me know if I've missed something.

Here's the gist of it. I picked up my Raptor out of state on Tuesday, drove it 1000 miles, and it lost power to the wheels. I had it towed to a local dealership (still 800 miles from home), and they suspected the transfer case. When they opened it up, they said it looked like a bomb went off. There was metal all over the place, and the shift rod was blown to bits.

I decided to fly home (Idaho), and the truck is still at the dealership in South Dakota. Dealer said it could take weeks to get parts and get things back together properly.

A few questions: Is the Raptor transfer case different from a standard F150 case? Is this likely a standalone issue that a dealer can easily fix, or do you think there are other potential issues that I should be concerned with? Would I have some luck with a buyback and swap with another Raptor?

I've contacted the warranty reps, regional customer service manager, the dealership I bought from, and I even left a message for the executive team. Anyone else I should talk with to expedite the process?

I love the truck, but this isn't living up to the quality I was hoping for thus far. Any additional insight would be appreciated. Thanks!
 

smurfslayer

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Wow. I wish you a speedy repair. I believe the Raptor t/f case is unique in the model line and not that this helps in any way but this is the only t/f case I can remember reading about. I don’t mention that to rub it in, but hopefully to illustrate that this seems like a one off issue.

I think you’ve done about as much as you can and nothing will happen until Monday. You’re not going to be in buy back talks at this point. Most lemon laws look for 28-31 days of downtime. This is not going to be an easy pill to swallow but your best bet is riding this out through repair with a smile on your face to let the dealer advocate for you. Once the lawyers are involved, dealers won’t touch your truck without first getting corp. counsel involved and the regional rep, and they will be searching for a way to void your warranty and moot the lawsuit. I have been down that road before.

Be patient. Treat the service department respectfully. I would definitely be asking Ford for travel costs covered.

Keep us posted.
 
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wasabigrinch

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Thanks for the quick responses, guys. That's what I've heard so far. I've talked to a dozen or so techs, mechanics, and other Ford buffs, and they've never heard of something like this before - seems really rare. Everyone has been very accommodating so far. It's just slow.

I did mention to the regional rep that I'd like to know if Ford can replace the vehicle given the unique circumstances, but I'm glad to hear that this could likely be a one-off issue if not. Like I said, I love the truck, and I wouldn't mind keeping the one I've got as long as it works. The regional rep also told me to keep my travel receipts, so reimbursement sounds like a good possibility :)
 

Mcb66

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That's awful. Did you even get to put it in 4x4? Or was it just highway miles? Those cases are usually pretty tough. Weird stuff.

---------- Post added at 10:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:36 PM ----------

Another question, did they tow it or put it on a rollback?
 
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wasabigrinch

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It was all highway miles. I switched it into 'weather' terrain mode once (so 4A, I believe). Otherwise, I only put it in 4X4 after the issue while trying to get it to re-engage.

---------- Post added at 07:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:39 PM ----------

They put it on a flatbed, so it shouldn't have added any major strain to the drivetrain, right?
 

pjones

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Since you got 1000 miles out of it, it sounds like something inside just let go. Was there sufficient oil in there when they took it apart?
 
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wasabigrinch

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Good question on the oil - they didn't mention anything about that.

It didn't show a warning or anything - should it have tripped a sensor for something like this? As far as I could tell, the truck had no internal indication that anything was wrong.
 

pjones

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There is a temp sensor for transmission temp, but I don't think it shares oil with the transfer case, so if it was low on oil and over heating, it may not throw a code.
 

Mcb66

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Keep us posted on what they find. It sounds like the shift fork started to fail and the truck went into nuetral. I wonder why the fork would see any stress at hi way speeds? 4auto shouldn't effect the fork. That all happens with clutches I believe.
 
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