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2012 Explorer Transmission Issue

Rob Brennan

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Joined
October 2, 2017
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City, State
Saline, MI
Year, Model & Trim Level
2012 Explorer XLT
I'm new to the boards here but have viewed them in the past. I have a 2012 3.5L FWD with 102K miles on it. Up until now, I've had barely any issues. Last week, while merging onto the highway, I needed to accelerate hard due to traffic. When I went to WOT, the trans tried to downshift and then couldn't find a gear and the engine reved up like it was between gears. Immediately after this it went into limp mode and was runnning rough and shaking. After about a mile or so it cleared limp mode and all seemed fine.

Today I had almost the exact same issue. Seems to happen under hard acceleration or when the trans downshifts more than 2 gears. Seems if you moderately accelerate the issue doesn't happen.

Any idea? I don't have an codes but that is my next step. Wondering if anyone knew of this or what this might be?

Thanks in advance!

Rob
 






Have you done any routine maintenance or checked the fluid level on this transmission? I know the Owners Manual (p421) says 150,000 miles between transmission fluid changes but maybe it needs the fluid & filter changed.
 






Welcome to the Forum Rob.:wave:
The engine usually goes onto "Fail-safe Cooling" (limp mode) when it begins to overheat. This means that you should have had all kinds of warnings come up on the dash.

If the engine reaches a preset over-temperature condition, the engine will automatically switch to alternating cylinder operation. Each disabled cylinder acts as an air pump and cools the engine. When this occurs the vehicle will still operate. However:
• The engine power will be limited.
• The air conditioning system will be disabled.
Continued operation will increase the engine temperature and the engine will completely shut down, causing steering and braking effort to increase. Once the engine temperature cools, the engine can be re-started. Take your vehicle to an authorized dealer as soon as possible to minimize engine damage.

I'd definitely have this checked out since it seems to be a constant and reproducible issue.

Peter
 






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