2007 Ford Edge PTU failure and replacement - long

[Sean Greene]

My wife and I purchased a 2007 Ford Edge SEL 2 years ago to replace our Volvo 850 Turbo wagon (which I loved). The Edge has been great for our family and lifestyle despite bad in-town fuel consumption c'est la vie. I knew that there were some issues regarding the leaking PTU and actually had performed a check with a dealer to see if the recall had been performed and it was by the previous owner. Great I thought. I did smell subtle oil smells but no leakage. I work at a VW/ Audi dealership and had the truck up on a lift to inspect the PTU seals and saw no evidence of leakage.

 

Now I know my way around vehicles very well having built my own 450hp Nissan 240SX from the engine all the way through to driveline and suspension by myself with the exception of machining. I've also been a technical editor for several aftermarket performance publications for the last 17 years. 3-days ago I was driving our Edge to work when I noticed vibration upon inital acceleration similar to driving over rumble strips along with a slight clicking during deceleration. I knew it was the PTU right away. I called my local dealer and told them that I think my PTU needs service (knowing it was toast). Initially they tell me that it's a misfire which I knew was BS because the engine revved perfectly under load, I told the service advisor that that wasn't the problem and that the vibration was felt through the chassis. Anyhow they call me back telling me that the PTU is destroyed and that it's going to cost me $2100 to replace. Perfect! The Edge has 135,000 km on it and I'm replacing the center differential (PTU) meanwhile my 2000 Audi A4 has 256,000 km on it and all 3 of my differentials are fine.

 

So the vehicle is just out of warranty and I know Ford will do squat in terms of goodwill on labor since they denied my claim on the premature body corrosion (surface rust) because it's not perforated. Just so you know my 2000 A4 has a 12-year corrosion warranty and I'm having 2 fenders, 3 doors repaired, and 2 quarter panels repaired due to surface rust. VW/Audi actually takes care of their customers and doesn't hide behind nuances in a warranty in order to avoid fulfilling what they have promised customers.

 

I've read so many experiences on this forum and others about dealerships giving people the run around on this drivetrain issue from blaming it on tire noise to rear differentials disengaging and making noise being normal. My A4 has 3 mechanical Torsen differentials and regardless of how I'm driving or what I'm driving in; snow, ice, or wet conditions the wheels just grip and the car does it's job transparently. The is true of all late model AWD systems so for a service advisor to state that it's normal operation is a flat out lie. The fact that service advisors at Ford dealerships are willing to lie to get a customer off their back due to lousy product quality is very concerning. I am glad that my advisor was straight up with me about what was going on with my vehicle but it doesn't make up for the lousy product that I'm driving. For a vehicle with the amount of mileage that mine has to experience a major mechanical breakdown and the manufactuer to acknowledge the issue and still do nothing despite thousands of other owners having issues speaks volume about what Ford thinks of their clients.

 

It's not as if the vehicles being sold are cheap bargain bin vehicles where you can expect issues because of the low price tag. This treatment of clients leads one to think Ford has adapted a "You get what you pay for. Go ahead and buy a GM or Dodge they don't care either because you can't afford an import." I've always been an import buyer because I felt that the domestic product was low in build quality, resale, and overall value. I believed domestic cars except the muscle cars were junk but the trucks were good. I owned a Suburban and Avalanche and both were great. I gave the Ford Edge a try because it appeared to be the best in it's class from the domestics. Ford is making me regret that decision and I should've went with a Nissan Murano. We were considering moving up to a Ford Flex but after this fiasco I think that we'll go a different direction or get a FWD version. We love our Edge but if we have to replace the PTU again it will be the last Ford we buy.

Edited March 1, 2012 by _10663

[akirby]

Sorry to hear that. But let's get some facts straight.

 

I'm not aware of a problem with PTUs failing and having to be replaced outside of the leaking seal problems. So from that respect it sounds like an isolated incident, not a widespread repeated problem.

 

The PTU is not a center differential.

 

You knew the factory warranty coverage and limitations when you purchased the vehicle and you opted not to buy an extended warranty (available up to 7 yrs/150K km).

 

VW/Audi actually takes care of their customers and doesn't hide behind nuances in a warranty in order to avoid fulfilling what they have promised customers.

 

Really? All those Audi and VW owners who had to pay to replace their faulty control arms after 40K miles might disagree with you.

 

 

If this was an issue affecting all or most Edges then I'd be more inclined to agree that Ford should step up and cover it. But I haven't seen evidence of that yet.

 

Stuff breaks on all vehicles and if you want warranty coverage then buy it. Otherwise, you're choosing to self-insure and you have to live with the consequences whether you own a Ford, an Audi or a Ferrari.

[Sean Greene]

Sorry to hear that. But let's get some facts straight.

 

I'm not aware of a problem with PTUs failing and having to be replaced outside of the leaking seal problems. So from that respect it sounds like an isolated incident, not a widespread repeated problem.

 

The PTU is not a center differential.

 

You knew the factory warranty coverage and limitations when you purchased the vehicle and you opted not to buy an extended warranty (available up to 7 yrs/150K km).

 

 

 

Really? All those Audi and VW owners who had to pay to replace their faulty control arms after 40K miles might disagree with you.

 

 

If this was an issue affecting all or most Edges then I'd be more inclined to agree that Ford should step up and cover it. But I haven't seen evidence of that yet.

 

Stuff breaks on all vehicles and if you want warranty coverage then buy it. Otherwise, you're choosing to self-insure and you have to live with the consequences whether you own a Ford, an Audi or a Ferrari.

 

The PTU does the same function as a center differential, it transfers torque from the transaxle to the rear wheels if slippage is detected. This is done by speed sensors that monitor wheel speed and compares to the other wheels. The PCM then decides whether to transfer engage or disengage the PTU (center diff, or whatever you want to call it). Some vehicles use a viscous coupling, Torsen (torque sensing), or electronically activated or even hydraulically activated. Call it what you want it performs the same function.

 

You've made some good points however you neglected to do basic math. The Edge is a 2007 and I bought it 2 years ago which would make the year of purchase 2009. I obviously bought the vehicle when the extended factory warranty wasn't available or we would've done it. We did purchase an aftermarket powertrain warranty but after doing some more research we found that it was a rip off and we'd be spending more money than what we are spending now at this point. You know what they say when you assume things...

 

Second if all I had to do was replace control arms that cost $345.00 each I wouldn't be on this forum complaining.

 

Furthermore when most responsible automakers identify a design flaw they either perform a "stop sell" or issue a part supercession to replace the defective part to prevent customers from coming back multiple times for the same problem. VW did this with the water pumps in the 1.8t and 2L engines. They also extended the warranty on engines damaged due to sludging well beyond the original factory warranty. My friend had the engine in his 2003 replaced recently. They also had a huge campaign on ignition coils. This reinforces my original statement. I can tell you that there's no way that Nissan, Audi, Honda, or VW would see a problem like the PTU in 2007 it would certainly be corrected by 2012. If you have read posts of other people here they are having the same leakage problems that started in 2007in their NEW vehicles.

 

"I'm not aware of a problem with PTUs failing and having to be replaced outside of the leaking seal problems. So from that respect it sounds like an isolated incident, not a widespread repeated problem."

 

You obviously haven't browsed the issue enough. There are several owners that have had their PTU's replaced under warranty a couple of times due to failure. I'm paying out of my own pocket for this replacement and it sucks but my Edge will be back on the road in a day and my dealer has been good with the exception of me getting the snub on the corrosion warranty.

 

I sell auto parts for a living so I'm very much aware of how this industry and dealerships work. I didn't complain about the price I simply stated how much it cost. I know that dealerships are limited as to what they can do to help customers but I do demand honesty from them when I have an issue. I can and will address Ford formally and from what I've seen they will more than likely do nothing. What people fail to realize is that not everyone is looking for a free ride, a simple acknowledgement would suffice. Send someone a few vouchers for oil changes or a gas card or something. Spending a little money to acknowledge your clients that are unhappy goes a long way especially when there's a class action law suit being filed for the PTU leakage issue. Pay now or pay later Ford will end up being forced to make it right for those people. http://www.seegerweiss.com/law-practices/class-actions/product-liability-actions/ford-edge-ptu-failures/

 

At any rate if the PTU fails within a year of replacement Ford will end up replacing it and after that we'll be buying a new vehicle, we'll see how Ford deals with all these new old issues that are resurfacing in the "re-vamped offerings." I like the rest of us reading this forum have money to spend on a new vehicle it's just a matter of whom we will spend it with.

[igcitng]

Quote:"You've made some good points however you neglected to do basic math. The Edge is a 2007 and I bought it 2 years ago which would make the year of purchase 2009. I obviously bought the vehicle when the extended factory warranty wasn't available or we would've done it. We did purchase an aftermarket powertrain warranty but after doing some more research we found that it was a rip off and we'd be spending more money than what we are spending now at this point. You know what they say when you assume things..." Quote

 

 

 

What stopped you from purchasing the factory extended warranty when it became available???

 

With this Edge going on 6 years old, is there maintenance that should have been performed to avoid breakdown

 

Was a CarFax run on the vehicle to see if it was ever wrecked?

[akirby]

You can purchase a Ford ESP at any time within the first 3 years/36K miles. It may be available after that at a higher price.

 

The PTU is similar but not exactly the same as a center diff. It always sends power to the rear diff and the engagement of the rear wheels is done through the rear differential via solenoid and controlled by the PCM.

It's not really relevant to the discussion - I just hate misinformation.

 

The other thing to point out here is since it was used you have NO idea how the previous owner treated it. Perhaps they abused it like popular mechanics did with the explorer in a sand dune causing it to overheat.

 

I'm still not seeing a trend that says these PTUs are prone to high rates of failure outside of the well known seal leaks that usually occur within the first 1-3 years. If you have evidence to the contrary then let's see it.

 

Stuff breaks and you can't always hold the mfr accountable after the warranty expires.

[igcitng]

We have talked about the PTU leaks until we were blue in the face here. It was stated that the seal was replaced. Maybe not soon enough. I would guess that if enough fluid came out it would compromise the whole system.

[Sean Greene]

I purchased the vehicle from an independant used car dealer that had the Carproof etc. it wasn't a rental vehicle or anything and the vehicle wasn't used. I'm not sure about purchasing the an extended warranty after that time period or I would've. At any rate it is what is.

 

So here is the latest. My Edge is still at the dealership where I parked it because the Ford is looking for a vendor to produce the new PTUs. Apparently the previous manufacturer went out of business or something which is probably one of the many reasons why there are issues and back orders. I spoke to another dealer and asked the parts department if they had ordered PTU replacements and the gentleman said he's done 3 last fall. Another dealer about 40km away has done a couple and has one in stock (the old part number).

 

The good news is that I spoke with the service manager at my local dealership that was disappointed that my advisor hadn't kept me up to date. He has met with a Ford rep today to see about taking a PTU from a new Edge and swapping it in to get me going but he was unsure if they were compatible. He also stated that normally if the vehicle was under warranty Ford would cover a rental but since my vehicle was just out of a warranty he was going to see about getting me a dealership loaner of some sort which was a nice gesture.

 

This is what I wanted, some sort of acknowledement and attempt at a resolution. Customer service is everything in this industry and you can't make everyone happy but you can make sure that people are taken care of. The service advisor made little to no attempt at this previously. The day before I called Ford Canada customer service which was a futile effort as they didn't tell me anything I didn't know.

 

I work in a parts department and I know that vehicles breakdown, parts fail, and need replacing - it's how I earn my living! I'm that guy on the other side of the counter and when something goes wrong for a client I do my best help be a part of the solution by being honest and exhausting all possible avenues. I felt that my service advisor didn't by misleading me to believe that my Edge would be fixed in a few days and then be told "there's no parts, sorry" Anyhow if I didn't love my Edge this wouldn't be such an issue and maybe the service advisor is to blame for how I was handled. The end result is that I want my vehicle fixed, I want an accurate ETA and cost of the repair so that I can plan my life accordingly, and I want it fixed right.

[akirby]

Seems reasonable to me.

[Waldo]

Glad you're feeling better about it. As akirby pointed out, the PTU is just a mechanical connection. It does not serve as a differential or have any form of coupling in it. It's just a set of gears that connects the output shaft of the transmission to the driveshaft. All the work is done in the RDU at the back. However the PTUs can get very hot if the AWD system gets a lot of load, such as towing through a twisty mountain road. Just one pass through such an event can heat the lube to the point where it degrades, which could lead to a failure in the long term. So without knowing for sure how your vehicle was used before you bought it, it's not quite fair to blame the failure on poor quality.

 

And since akirby is such a stickler for correctness, I will point out that it's not the PCM that controls the torque to the rear, it's the AWD control module. The PCM just produces the torque, it doesn't know where it's going. The AWD module uses a lot more input than just wheel slip. It uses throttle position, yaw, steering wheel angle and vehicle speed among other things to determine the torque distribution.

 

Availability of the RDU doesn't surprise me. Ford is absolutely maxing out it's suppliers (Linamar) on the production of those PTUs since the Explorer has been such a success. They can't even get enough parts to the plant to build cars - the Oakville plant was recently shut down for 2 days because they couldn't get any PTUs. So having a large inventory for service isn't going to happen!

Edited March 7, 2012 by Waldo

[akirby]

And since akirby is such a stickler for correctness, I will point out that it's not the PCM that controls the torque to the rear, it's the AWD control module. The PCM just produces the torque, it doesn't know where it's going. The AWD module uses a lot more input than just wheel slip. It uses throttle position, yaw, steering wheel angle and vehicle speed among other things to determine the torque distribution.

 

Duly noted. I do hate misinformation - especially when it comes from me!

[Sean Greene]

Another update with a wierd twist. This whole ordeal has been such very see-saw in nature. The service advisor calls me back and tells me the part is 2-months away minimum and there is nothing he can do. He offered me no loaner car or anything basically sorry about your luck. He told me that they could get a used unit with a 90-day warranty which I passed on. My co-worker had performed some legwork and located a new PTU at a Ford dealership near one of our sister dealerships. I'll have it this afternoon and according to my local dealership I should have the Edge back tomorrow afternoon.

 

Basically I did their job for them. I better get a couple oil changes or something on their dime. So I have a new PTU with 1 year , 12,000 warranty. I'm just glad this is coming to an end.

[delha12]

I can tell you that I had this exact same problem. I was a bit blind-sided by the issue as I have not had many other problems with the vehicle and do not drive it hard; no hauling or towing and mainly highway driving.

 

Needless to say, I've got at least a $1500 bill staring me in the face and possibly a loooong wait to find a replacement. So long, that I may have to purchased a refurbished part which is more expensive than the brand new one. This is my 3rd Ford vehicle in a row (all purchased new) and this may be my last. I purchased an extended warranty initially, but of course that has run out by about 9,000 miles. Oh, and for some sweet irony, the problem literally showed up on the date of my final payment for the vehicle.

[juanhawi]

Same expensive PTU problem with my 2007 Edge. I bought the car new, have maintained it well. Nothing else wrong with the car except I've have to replace the radio 2 times.

[CinnamonEdge]

Just saying your cars are 8 model years old.

[TomK]

Mine is not old. I have a 2013 Ford Edge 3.7L AWD with 30,900 miles. I drive conservatively. Purchased new. As I type, my Ford dealer is working to repair a gear oil leak from the PTU (Power Transfer Unit). From the blogs it appears this has been a problem since 2007. Wonder why Ford can't seem to come up with a fix that at least gets them 100,000 miles? All I have read says it occurs and reoccurs every 30,000 to 35,000 miles. Before I noticed, we tracked the gear lube from the driveway to the living room carpet, stained for good. The bigger worry is the damage that may have been done to the PTU for lack of lubrication. So watch for the problem every 30K miles. Not Happy!

[ahanna]

My 2011 Ford Edge started smelling like natural gas so I took it to the dealership last Friday. The service manager and I took it for a test drive and he said that it was certainly the PTU. When they put it on the racks, he said the PTU wasn't leaking but the power steering pressure line was and would need to be replaced as well. I left my vehicle there for the morning and someone from their service dept called me around 1:00pm to say that they pulled the plug on the PTU and it had shavings in it so it would certainly need to be replaced. I went back to the dealership to pickup my car and told them that I'd discuss it with my wife since they quoted me over $1700 for the repairs. Driving out of the parking lot I noticed what sounded like a chain dragging or some other metal banging noise under the hood of the car. I took it straight back to the dealership and they told me that i was the PTU and that the car is not drivable now. SO I took a car in, had a 2 mile test drive with the service manager, and then proceed to pickup a car that is not suitable to be on the highway. I called the service manager back at 5:00pm that day because he had not been there when I went back the first time to get my Edge and he said all that he could do is provide a loaner until they get mine fixed.

 

This PTU issue is a manufacturing problem and Ford should step up to the plate and take care of it's customers on this one. They know it as well as well as everyone else. I have always been proud of the Edge and bragged about it to everyone but not after this incident! Such a shame!

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Sad to hear the issues continue. Until recently, it was thought the 2011+ models were free of this issue, but seems like it continues to plague the Edge. Not sure about the MKX, but the userbase is smaller.

 

Everyone should have their PTU fluid levels checked ASAP. If it's low but good, top it off. If it's gunky at all, replace it. There are BG services for it (some dealers might even offer it) if you want to go the extra mile.

[macbwt]

This problem will ultimately end up reducing the resale value of AWD Edge's I know I do not want one. Ford needs to take this problem and treat it as a serious defect and hire a new engineer team since the current engineers do not know how to correct it.

[akirby]

I'm sure Ford knows exactly what's wrong and it may be fixed in newer models, but my guess is it requires a redesign of the entire system so they're waiting for that. Yes, it sucks if you're a victim but that's the way big businesses operate today. It's always a cost benefit decision. Therefore you have to do your own cost benefit calculation on whether you keep yours or get rid of it and whether you buy another Ford.

 

This is another case where Ford should, at the very least, extend the warranty.

 

I don't blame anyone who ditches Ford after having this problem especially when it's repeated.

[No more fords]

My 2012 Ford Edge sel awd had a ptu seal leak at 5000 miles and I took it in to dealer twice before dealer found leak(can't find any leaks) well the edge now has 2200 miles and has been back to dealer 7 times! With seals replaced each time. Ford dealers service manager never heard of problem, told him to google the problem and he did,then he said oh look there's a forum . Said he did'nt have time to read it and read it later. I doubt he will and I don't trust him, dealer or ford!!

[akirby]

Your service manager is an idiot. Or lying. Or maybe he's just new.

 

But there is no denying the PTU problems suck, especially the fact that it's still happening.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Try another Ford dealer or Lincoln dealer. Also advisable to escalate matters via FordService (Tricia) on this site. The PTU problem/solution is well known, and I am sure there is a nearby competent dealer who can end this vicious cycle for you.

[FordService]

My 2011 Ford Edge started smelling like natural gas so I took it to the dealership last Friday. The service manager and I took it for a test drive and he said that it was certainly the PTU. When they put it on the racks, he said the PTU wasn't leaking but the power steering pressure line was and would need to be replaced as well. I left my vehicle there for the morning and someone from their service dept called me around 1:00pm to say that they pulled the plug on the PTU and it had shavings in it so it would certainly need to be replaced. I went back to the dealership to pickup my car and told them that I'd discuss it with my wife since they quoted me over $1700 for the repairs...

Welcome to the community, ahanna!

 

Thanks for reaching out to me, and please continue to work with your customer service manager to reach a resolution.

 

I’ll be here if you need anything!

 

My 2012 Ford Edge sel awd had a ptu seal leak at 5000 miles and I took it in to dealer twice before dealer found leak(can't find any leaks) well the edge now has 2200 miles and has been back to dealer 7 times! With seals replaced each time. Ford dealers service manager never heard of problem, told him to google the problem and he did,then he said oh look there's a forum . Said he did'nt have time to read it and read it later. I doubt he will and I don't trust him, dealer or ford!!

Try another Ford dealer or Lincoln dealer. Also advisable to escalate matters via FordService (Tricia) on this site. The PTU problem/solution is well known, and I am sure there is a nearby competent dealer who can end this vicious cycle for you.

I’m extending a warm welcome to you as well, No more fords!

 

My name is Tricia; I’m the Ford Customer Service Representative on this forum. Let me lend a hand. Please PM your full name, VIN, preferred dealer, and best daytime phone number. I’ll get this escalated.

 

I agree with WWWPerfA_ZN0W. Have you considered taking your Edge to another Ford Dealer?

 

Tricia

[jlkansascity]

Just saying your cars are 8 model years old.

That's not a good excuse/reason. My other vehicle is 14 years old and has had no major work. For this PDU unit to crap out after 30k - 100k miles is sad.

[sensitron]

check out the Mazda CX-9 forum, they use the same PTU when Ford and Mazda were partners, they figured out a way to changed the PTU oil,

 

hopes this helps :

 

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123847373-Changing-CX-9-transfer-case-gear-oil-%28photos%29