Bought 2011 Ex Ltd AWD... have a few concerns

[SilveradoCA]

Hello,

I recently bought a 2011 Explorer Ltd AWD (w/tow package and MFT, w/o Navigation). It has ~150,000Km on the clock, and is generally in very good condition. The mechanic's inspection report was clean (save for needing new tires, which were mounted, balanced and an alignment done.)

It drives, handles and rides nice and smooth, quiet, and with ample power.

After 6 weeks of ownership, I'm pretty happy with it, but have a few concerns; some minor, and some less so.

1. Faint wobble on acceleration, up to ~20Km/h. I've read the long thread here about this issue, and if it doesn't indicate an imminent failure of some sort, it really doesn't bother me much. I can live with "characteristic of the vehicle" in this case.

2. Intermittent pulsing in brake pedal on braking. I intend to check the rotors with a dial indicator when I get a chance, as I suspect a warped rotor. It feels like the rear end - not really noticeable in the steering wheel. (I've read the threads on the sticky rear brakes, and will look at that issue also.) Anything else I should look at here?

3. AGGRESSIVE shaking in steering wheel under hard braking from highway speed - also intermittent. This one bothers me a little more, obviously. When braking hard from highway speeds (>110Km/h), I have occasionally experienced a hard shake in the steering wheel... but not every time. A bad rotor should exhibit this every time, right? What should I look at here, other than brakes? Is it possible this is somehow related to the traction/stability control system? It does not feel like simple ABS actuation, at all.

4. No matter what setting I select in the vehicle settings menus, I cannot get the coloured alignment grid to show up with the backup camera. I did perform a 'reset or reboot' of MFT from the menu. I grew very fond of this feature on my '12 SuperDuty. Is it possible for the camera to fail? (The picture from the backup camera is also much blurrier than that of my '12SD... and yes, the lens is clean.)

5. Every time I start the vehicle, MFT/Sync displays a message received from BlackBerry Assistant. If I read or listen to said message, it's telling me the date, time, weather, and what appointments I have in my calendar that day. Is there a way to turn this off? I can't find anything in my BB about this, so assume it's something on the Sync side? Of course, I can't find anything there either...

TIA for your help on these items. I'd be happy to give clarification if needed.

 

[FordIVTteam]

Hi SilveradoCA,

Congrats on your new-to-you Explorer!

Since I'm only trained on the SYNC systems, I cannot answer questions 1-3; however, I can help with 4 and 5.

4. If the Enhanced Park Aids aren't showing up after turning them on, you'll have to have your dealer check your camera. This doesn't usually indicate an issue with MFT.

5. The message from BlackBerry Assistant comes from your phone. To disable this, you'll have to turn off the "Today View Message" in the settings of the BlackBerry. I did a quick Google search and found the steps for you:

SETTINGS > NETWORK AND COMMUNICATIONS > BLUETOOTH > CONFIGURE > Today View Message - DISABLE

For help with your other concerns, I suggest giving our FordServiceCA team a shout. Here's a link to their profile if you want to send them a private message:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/member.php?u=233337

I hope this helps!

Rebecca

 

[SilveradoCA]

Thanks for your help with the BB Rebecca; for the life of me I couldn't figure out what to ask Google for on that item!

 

[FordIVTteam]

No problem! I only knew what to search for because I researched it a few months ago for someone else. LOL!

Rebecca

 

[CajunFordEx]

Hello,

I recently bought a 2011 Explorer Ltd AWD (w/tow package and MFT, w/o Navigation). It has ~150,000Km on the clock, and is generally in very good condition. The mechanic's inspection report was clean (save for needing new tires, which were mounted, balanced and an alignment done.)

It drives, handles and rides nice and smooth, quiet, and with ample power.

After 6 weeks of ownership, I'm pretty happy with it, but have a few concerns; some minor, and some less so.

1. Faint wobble on acceleration, up to ~20Km/h. I've read the long thread here about this issue, and if it doesn't indicate an imminent failure of some sort, it really doesn't bother me much. I can live with "characteristic of the vehicle" in this case. More than likely Torque Steer which is normal in front wheel drive vehicles.

2. Intermittent pulsing in brake pedal on braking. I intend to check the rotors with a dial indicator when I get a chance, as I suspect a warped rotor. It feels like the rear end - not really noticeable in the steering wheel. (I've read the threads on the sticky rear brakes, and will look at that issue also.) Anything else I should look at here? Check for a cracked "pick up ring" that one of the speed sensors relies on. DONT ask me how I know this.

3. AGGRESSIVE shaking in steering wheel under hard braking from highway speed - also intermittent. This one bothers me a little more, obviously. When braking hard from highway speeds (>110Km/h), I have occasionally experienced a hard shake in the steering wheel... but not every time. A bad rotor should exhibit this every time, right? What should I look at here, other than brakes? Is it possible this is somehow related to the traction/stability control system? It does not feel like simple ABS actuation, at all. This is part of the "ABS" problem concerning your #2 problem. Not necessarily a bad rotor, but possible.

4. No matter what setting I select in the vehicle settings menus, I cannot get the coloured alignment grid to show up with the backup camera. I did perform a 'reset or reboot' of MFT from the menu. I grew very fond of this feature on my '12 SuperDuty. Is it possible for the camera to fail? (The picture from the backup camera is also much blurrier than that of my '12SD... and yes, the lens is clean.)

5. Every time I start the vehicle, MFT/Sync displays a message received from BlackBerry Assistant. If I read or listen to said message, it's telling me the date, time, weather, and what appointments I have in my calendar that day. Is there a way to turn this off? I can't find anything in my BB about this, so assume it's something on the Sync side? Of course, I can't find anything there either...

TIA for your help on these items. I'd be happy to give clarification if needed.

My replies to you are in blue. I see that Rebecca has already addressed your other concerns.
Did you buy this as a CPO?

 

[SilveradoCA]

Thanks Cajun.

I hadn't thought to look at the transducer rings. Will do so.

My point in #1 isn't torque steer in the usual sense, and in fact it feels like it comes from the rear end (or centre diff/PTU). The thread on wobble suggests that it could be a number of things, or nothing in particular. Ford doesn't seem to think it's a major problem...

This unit isn't CPO... in fact I found it on a Toyota dealer's lot.

 

[182RG]

My point in #1 isn't torque steer in the usual sense, and in fact it feels like it comes from the rear end (or centre diff/PTU). The thread on wobble suggests that it could be a number of things, or nothing in particular. Ford doesn't seem to think it's a major problem...

The AWD acceleration "waddle" is normal under certain load / throttle conditions. It does feel like it's from the rear, because it is. It was there the first day I drove it off the lot, and it's still there. Nothing to worry about. A few on here will have you chasing wild gooses and replacing axles, etc. Don't do it. It would be on your dime, and frankly it's harmless. It is a characteristic of the vehicle.

 

[SilveradoCA]

That's what I've come to understand from the thread as well. As I mentioned in my OP, as long as it doesn't suggest an imminent driveline failure, it's not a big deal to me.

Thanks.

 

[182RG]

That's what I've come to understand from the thread as well. As I mentioned in my OP, as long as it doesn't suggest an imminent driveline failure, it's not a big deal to me.

Thanks.

65K, and no ill effects. On original brakes and factory tires (18" Michelin).