Where is this grease coming from?

[jdc28va]

2020 Limited 4WD.

Front passenger wheel. Very thick grease.

I'm fairly confident it's from the boot where the half axle goes into the knuckle; however, I can't see or feel any cracks or holes, and both clamps seem intact. I figure, with the centrifugal force, it wouldn't take a very large hole or crack for it to spill out like that though.

Any other possibilities, or is it almost 100% certain an issue with that boot?

Thanks.

 

[themishmosh]

It's a small split of the axle boot right where the small clamp is. Good thing is, if you are still under powertrain warranty, it should be covered. They will replace that entire front axle half shaft.

 

[jdc28va]

Thanks! Is that something that would be covered under the powertrain warranty? I'm outside the 3 year / 36,000 period.

 

[Dale5403]

It should be covered 5Y/60,000Miles

 

[hbalek]

Mine were both replaced under powertrain warranty at 38K miles.

 

[J_C]

Those of you experiencing this, is it typical to have the other side fail simultaneously or soon thereafter?

Just seems odd to me that the boot is only lasting this long, unless defective or the straps were being put on too tight.

 

[hbalek]

Those of you experiencing this, is it typical to have the other side fail simultaneously or soon thereafter?

Just seems odd to me that the boot is only lasting this long, unless defective or the straps were being put on too tight.

There is a defect that the Ford tech on YouTube talked about here:

 

[jdc28va]

Thanks everyone.

 

[cbFL]

Same thing on my 2020 ST! I'm at 52,000 miles, but no telling how long it's been like that. The grease is everywhere on both sides.

The dealer in St. Augustine is trying to tell me this isn't covered under powertrain warranty because the boot isn't a moving part. I guess by his logic, a cracked engine block or transmission housing wouldn't be covered either.

It was kind of a skeleton crew when I called this afternoon, and my normal service advisor wasn't there, so hopefully he'll clear all this up, but is there a TSB or anything from Ford I can reference for this?

 

[themishmosh]

Read the Powertrain coverage. Axles are specifically listed.

 

[hbalek]

Read the Powertrain coverage. Axles are specifically listed.

Yes and it makes a difference which dealer you go to and which service advisor you get from my experience.

 

[J_C]

Same thing on my 2020 ST! I'm at 52,000 miles, but no telling how long it's been like that. The grease is everywhere on both sides.

The dealer in St. Augustine is trying to tell me this isn't covered under powertrain warranty because the boot isn't a moving part. I guess by his logic, a cracked engine block or transmission housing wouldn't be covered either.

It was kind of a skeleton crew when I called this afternoon, and my normal service advisor wasn't there, so hopefully he'll clear all this up, but is there a TSB or anything from Ford I can reference for this?

I would just call back and tell them that you contacted Ford and were told it is covered, because it is. You don't need a TSB or anything like that, to get warranty repair on an obvious fault where the repair is straightforward.

What this most likely is, is just a shop with enough business that they don't want to do warranty work at the lower rate. If this is their philosophy about customer service, I'd try to find a more friendly shop in the future.

 

[2020Explorer]

Was just finishing my oil change and I noticed the same thing on BOTH sides - bottom of strut, back of caliper & top of lower control arm have lots of grease. I wanted to pull the front wheels (needed to rotate tires anyway) but my 30+ year old floor jack died, so I have not had a chance to do any further looking. If indeed both of my boots are cracked, would you recommend to just replace the boots, ot the entire half shafts? If the latter, has anyone ever done this on this vehicle? I did this on my daughter's old Altima and they were just pull out and snap in - not sure how big a project this would be on a 2020 Explorer?!?

 

[cbFL]

Was just finishing my oil change and I noticed the same thing on BOTH sides - bottom of strut, back of caliper & top of lower control arm have lots of grease. I wanted to pull the front wheels (needed to rotate tires anyway) but my 30+ year old floor jack died, so I have not had a chance to do any further looking. If indeed both of my boots are cracked, would you recommend to just replace the boots, ot the entire half shafts? If the latter, has anyone ever done this on this vehicle? I did this on my daughter's old Altima and they were just pull out and snap in - not sure how big a project this would be on a 2020 Explorer?!?

I'd replace the whole CV axle assembly to be safe, but that's just my amateur opinion. You're taking it out regardless, and not saving a ton on parts. The video above walks through the whole swap.

Oh, and I did get mine replaced under the 5/60 powertrain warranty, with a small hassle. As stated above, axles are clearly listed in the powertrain warranty if you're not past 5/60 with your 2020 model.

 

[2020Explorer]

I'd replace the whole CV axle assembly to be safe, but that's just my amateur opinion. You're taking it out regardless, and not saving a ton on parts. The video above walks through the whole swap.

Oh, and I did get mine replaced under the 5/60 powertrain warranty, with a small hassle. As stated above, axles are clearly listed in the powertrain warranty if you're not past 5/60 with your 2020 model.

Thanks - currently @ 77K miles...

 

[Spacey]

Both front axles on my 2020 ST were replaced without issue under the powertrain warranty. I'd give that a shot. If the dealer has issues with it go somewhere else or ask to escalate.

 

[J_C]

Was just finishing my oil change and I noticed the same thing on BOTH sides - bottom of strut, back of caliper & top of lower control arm have lots of grease. I wanted to pull the front wheels (needed to rotate tires anyway) but my 30+ year old floor jack died, so I have not had a chance to do any further looking. If indeed both of my boots are cracked, would you recommend to just replace the boots, ot the entire half shafts? If the latter, has anyone ever done this on this vehicle? I did this on my daughter's old Altima and they were just pull out and snap in - not sure how big a project this would be on a 2020 Explorer?!?

How much downtime can the vehicle suffer?

Ideally I'll pull the CV axles and inspect for wear and grime ingress, since you have not reported any funny (clicking, etc) noises - which would be an automatic replacement factor due to the wear causing the noise. If they don't look bad then I'd just clean them out, pack with fresh grease and reboot. Otherwise, new cv axles. The downtime factor is not knowing what parts are needed till you pull and inspect the old axles. You can try to do that on the vehicle and make your best guess, or order/buy both the boot kits and the replacement axles, then return whichever isn't needed.

I wouldn't expect warranty coverage or even a goodwill discount at 77K mi, but it never hurts to ask. You might also ask the local dealer if they have them in stock and cost. I saw on a Ford parts site that they have some with and w/o "corrosion protection" and don't know exactly what coating or how important that is, and these are showing for the 2.3L while I don't think that is the engine I randomly picked for a Limited. Also there is something questionable on the following page as they seem to be calling N1MZ3A427F the same "CV Axle Assembly while it does not appear to be one of the CV shafts but rather the transfer case input shaft. See link #2 below.

FRONT SUSPENSION. DRIVE AXLES.. 2020 Ford Explorer 2.3L EcoBoost A/T AWD Limited Sport Utility | Lakeland Ford, Lakeland FL

2020 Ford Explorer 2.3L EcoBoost A/T AWD Limited Sport Utility FRONT SUSPENSION. DRIVE AXLES. Awd. W/CORROSION protection. W/O corrosion protection.

parts.lakelandford.com

Drive axles. Differential. Front axle. Propeller shaft.. 2020 Ford Explorer 2.3L EcoBoost A/T AWD Limited Sport Utility | Lakeland Ford Online Parts, Lakeland FL

2020 Ford Explorer 2.3L EcoBoost A/T AWD Limited Sport Utility Drive axles. Differential. Front axle. Propeller shaft. Explorer; 2.3L. Explorer; 3.0L; Platinum. Explorer; 3.0L; ST. Explorer; 3.3L Gas. Explorer; 3.3L Hybrid. Explorer; Left; w/Corrosion Protection. Explorer; Left; w/o Corrosion...

parts.lakelandford.com

Don't get generic cv axles, they tend to have poor lifespan.

 

[themishmosh]

Just order them from Levittown ford. They were about $150 each when i did them Driver's side is easy. Passenger side will spill front diff oil so you'll have to buy a quart to top it off and have the new axpe ready to go. I've done the front diff oil before so both axles took me an hour. you may need more time to figure out the diff oil. Front diff oil is also not cheap...$45/qt? Front diff capacity is 0.6 qts if i recall.

 

[2020Explorer]

Wondering if NEW OEM axle shafts will have the same issue down the road with the small clamp being too tight and causing the boot to fail? I've been looking at Rock Auto and Auto Zone for axles with lifetime warranties. One specific brand on Rock Auto's site with "limited lifetime" specially calls out that the warranty is void if there is any damage to the boot! Hard pass - lol
Overall, after looking at the service manual on this site, [thank you!] it does not appear to be a terrible job. Just need to pick up a 32mm socket and I'll probably do a complete front diff oil change, as I don't know if this was ever done. And I guess I would need to schedule a front end alignment due to this statement from shop manual:
"If lower strut-to-wheel knuckle bolts without splines were installed, adjust front camber.
Refer to: Front Camber and Caster Adjustment (204-00 Suspension System - General Information, General Procedures)."

 

[J_C]

Wondering if NEW OEM axle shafts will have the same issue down the road with the small clamp being too tight and causing the boot to fail? I've been looking at Rock Auto and Auto Zone for axles with lifetime warranties. One specific brand on Rock Auto's site with "limited lifetime" specially calls out that the warranty is void if there is any damage to the boot!

I wouldn't assume that too tight a clamp, will affect every single CV axle that Ford has made, and I'm weary of 3rd party brands so would go with the Motorcraft. You might research the other brands, used in other Ford applications where the vehicles are older so a larger data pool to draw conclusions from as far as quality.

And I guess I would need to schedule a front end alignment due to this statement from shop manual:
"If lower strut-to-wheel knuckle bolts without splines were installed, adjust front camber.
Refer to: Front Camber and Caster Adjustment (204-00 Suspension System - General Information, General Procedures)."

Anyone know what the splined knuckle bolts are, how they retain alignment if removed? I would have assumed that any time the bolts holding the strut to the knuckle were removed, that an alignment is needed and that's one of the alignment adjustment points?