New Recall - Differential Assembly

[campfamily]

Saw this on the news this morning.



Ford Motor (NYSE: F) is issuing one safety recall and two safety compliance recalls in North America. Details are as follows:

Ford issues safety recall for certain 2015-2016 Ford Focus Electric vehicles to install new transmission differential assembly
Ford is issuing a safety recall for approximately 900 2015-2016 Ford Focus Electric vehicles to install a new transmission differential assembly equipped with a friction-reducing coating on both the pinion shaft and pinion gear bores. In certain vehicles, it is possible the differential pinion shaft could wear out, resulting in a shaft fracture that would cause the vehicle to lose motive power without warning while driving and transmission park function without warning increasing the risk of injury or a crash.

Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this issue.

Affected vehicles include certain 2015-2016 Ford Focus Electric vehicles built at Michigan Assembly Plant, Aug. 20, 2015 through April 13, 2016, and Saarlouis Assembly Plant, Feb. 28, 2016 through March 30, 2016. There are 949 vehicles affected including 865 in the United States and 66 in Canada.

Dealers will install a new transmission differential assembly equipped with a friction-reducing coating on both the pinion shaft and pinion gear bores at no cost to the customer.

 

[shniestEV]

I guess I'll probably be one of those 66 in Canada...

 

[fbitz777]

Darn it sounds like a lot of work?

last time my car was at the dealer it was there for 8 months and then they gave me a new one.
I am mostly concerned that the dealer has no incentive to get this done quickly

I have not received any correspondence yet; maybe I should register somewhere to make sure?

 

[shniestEV]

We found the following field service action listed on your vehicle
• VIN: 1FADP3R42GL******
• FSA Title: TRANSMISSION DIFFERENTIAL GEAR COATING
• Field Service Action Number: 16S28

 

[jmueller065]

I bet the dealers look at this recall and think: "YES! Something we can do: remove/replace bolts, disassemble a differential assembly"--you know mechanical stuff; none of that goofy electrical stuff!

 

[shniestEV]

Talked to dealer today. They told me its only been updated in their system today. Apparently Ford will be sending out notifications in the near future and the dealership says the system lists Q4 as when the parts will be available.

 

[EMP40]

checked my owner login today and the recall shows up for me as well

 

[EMP40]

Got the notification via postal mail today... When parts are available FMC will send you a letter to inform you to contact your dealer to schedule repair.

 

[fbitz777]

same for me

 

[fbitz777]

Got the second notice today; i.e. requiring me to call dealer immediately i.e. it's time!

Anyone has gone through it yet?

I am REALLY worried that my car will sit at dealer for a long time (not loaner) and I'd like to get a sense how "involved" this is
Is it a job that is not solely FFE related but just mechanical?

2016 FFE

 

[TomEV]

Has anyone had this recall work done yet? Just wondering how long it will take. I got a notice last week but I am not in a hurry. Probably schedule it at 10K checkup in a few months.

 

[fbitz777]

My car is close to 15k and what worries me is the language of the notice that I could be liable if I don't bring it in immediately

I'd like too to schedule it with my annual inspection in a few months

 

[TomEV]

I think that is common language in all safety recalls. They warn you that doom is right around the corner. I think it is partly because so many people ignore the recalls. I'm willing to do it...I just want to be assured that when I bring it in they will get it fixed promptly. Parts..check...mechanic who can do it and is scheduled...check..

 

[ev4db]

Has anyone actually had this done yet, or even tried to make an appointment for it?

I received the second letter and called my dealer to set up appointment. The first thing I was surprised about it that I was told that there were actually no parts required because this was just an inspection (and presumably parts would be ordered if required). That certainly does not match what the first recall letter stated.

Then I was told that the first available appointment was December 20! I made the appointment, but I'm a little curious if this is normal. The dealer I bought from is one of the largest FFE dealers in the bay area.

 

[electrons]

Question: See picture below of a typical pinion shaft and notice its rolling on bearings, much like wheel bearings you may have seen, with an inner ring and outer race, so the pinion shaft does NOT rub the bores/shaft.. So why the "...friction-reducing coating on both the pinion shaft and pinion gear bores." as they say?

It just can't be they are using Plain Bearings (non-roller). Doesn't seem right, yet does anybody know what this is?

Answering some of the posts above: No, its not just an inspection only. They must replace the differential.

I made an appointment yesterday, and its scheduled for November 2, a couple of weeks from now. The service adviser is going to order the parts ahead of time so the car doesn't sit around at the dealership waiting for the parts. (I've had parts ordered in advance before from another Ford dealership before the car goes in for service, and usually you can talk them into this.) They should be able to do this in a day.

 

[electrons]

I think I see where I misunderstood. They meant spider planet pinion gear bores/shaft, not the pinion gear. They do ride on plain bearings. See them in blue below, but remember a shaft actually connects them (not shown in cartoon below).

Wonder what coating they are adding? Proper surface hardening would seem to be enough, not a new coating. Anyway, could it be DLC? Anybody know?

Weird they are failing. Those bearings aren't usually under very continuous motion at all. Hard to see how they overheat from friction unless you're running a slalom all day long on a hot day.

 

[triangles]

Could be that a batch a parts wasn't properly hardened and they are simply using the friction reducing coating as a layman's term?

 

[electrons]

triangles, Surface hardening problems would be my guess, since I've heard of that happening with steel timing chains (recall on recent GM V6's) and some cam lobes too, causing early failures. Yet, a coating is a coating. Ford is secretive. We may never know. Wikileaks, where are you?

 

[brogult]

@Electrons--there is no "pinion" as such--it is a transverse drive. The spider gears must be what they mean. Keep in mind that even though they might not be turning much, the entire driving force of the motor is transmitted through these gears and the shaft that runs inside them. So even if they are moving very slowly, they have a lot of force exerted between the gear and the shaft. This may actually cause more wear than if they were turning more rapidly, because turning draws the gear oil into the area between the gear and shaft while the motive force squeezes it out. I suspect that they need the anti-friction coating because they use thinner gear oil than some past designs--although I would be surprised if it were thinner than ATF. I wonder how big the parts actually are--is anyone willing to try to get a look at them when the recall is done?

 

[electrons]

--there is no "pinion" as such--it is a transverse drive. The spider gears must be what they mean. Keep in mind that even though they might not be turning much, the entire driving force of the motor

The recall specifically named pinion shaft/bores, and I learned the word pinion sometimes gets applied to those spider gears, certainly what Ford really meant to say. Other techies have called those spider gears "pinions", so Ford followed. The ring gear can turn from a spur gear, so no pinion is required.

They are going to replace the entire differential, and they probably want the core back. Maybe a Magna part? Dana perhaps?