I've been hearing a faint growling from under the truck in both 2H and 4A pretty much since delivery. I had it checked in August but nothing was found. Since the weather turned cold, I noticed that it didn't start growling right away. Once the driveline warmed up, I heard it again ... now a little louder. This time, my dealership was able to isolate the problem ... my front differential. They are replacing the carrier, ring gear, side gears, bearings ... basically all the front differential's internal parts.

I was in the dealership today to grab some things from the truck since they'll have it a few days (the carrier is back ordered). I spoke with the Service Advisor and the mechanic and they showed me the pulled parts, walked me through how the differential works, what happened, and what's getting replaced. The mechanic told me he hardly ever sees carrier damage ... bearing failure is more common. I have to say, even though I'm bummed to have a differential self-destruct at 13k miles, I was very impressed with the knowledge of both the SA and mechanic. I also had a good experience with the Ford customer service presence on this forum. They opened a case within hours, contacted my dealerships' service manager the next day, and are assisting with expediting the parts. They've promised an update by COB today. Not bad.

The truck is awesome and I've experienced no other problems. Hopefully this one will be behind me soon (or in front of me, actually ) and I'll continue to enjoy my ride for many years to come.

 

I have heard such tales of Ford dealerships where the service department is actually knowledgeable and helpful.........but alas, have never encountered one during my worldly travels. The rarest of rare breeds.

Sounds like you're all squared away though. Good luck!

 

Nice they walked you through it.

 

My 2010 Dodge had the front diff replaced at 3000km..... and then everything else that could go wrong did. I hope you are luckier then I was with that POS.

The dealership though was the worst, and that is the reason I now drive a Ford. Couldn't stand dealing with the service department. The guys at my Ford dealership are a decent crew as well, that goes a long way to how you perceive issues that will inevitably pop up.

 

We're happy to be able to help, rogerswt! Sounds like you're in good hands with the dealership. We definitely want you to love your ride for many years!

Rachel

 

That's what I thought. I'm not a wrench, but I'm interested in what failed and what's getting fixed. First time I've even thought about what's in a differential. Its an impressive piece of engineering.

 

Update: truck is repaired, all covered under warranty, growling noise gone!

Interesting tech notes from my repair order: "Front diff pinion loose, has movement up and down, also spider gears gaulded in carrier due to right side IWE vacuum line missing." They completely rebuilt my front differential including a new carrier. A successful repair, and the cause identified.

Kudos to Bo Bueckman Ford service in St. Louis and to our forum's Ford Customer Service rep for working with my dealership on my behalf!

 

IWE vacuum line missing? If that means you've been driving around with one IWE engaged, yes, that will burn up a diff pretty quick. Especially at freeway speeds.

 

That was "quick" just a little over three months!. Good thing Ford Customer Service stepped in to help expedite the parts...

 

Actually, it was three weeks, which was bad enough. Ford didn't have the carrier available. We ended up leaving town before it was repaired and I just got it fired back up today.

Yeah, a missing vacuum hose ... I wonder if it was ever there in the first place!