Neutral Tow / Transmission Problem

[Bad Sas]

I have a little over 6,000 miles on my 2021 Badlands Sasquatch. In edition to the 6,000 driving miles, I have flat towed it, in neutral tow mode, about 5,000 miles. I have put the Bronco in and out of flat tow mode about 40 times. I always follow the directions in the owners manual, as displayed on the screen, with exactness. And I have always had the "neutral tow enabled" displayed on the dash before towing. Last week, I flat towed the Bronco from Utah to my home in Temecula, about 450 miles. I got home late and pulled my tow vehicle and Bronco into my driveway and parked for the night. The following morning, I backed my tow vehicle and Bronco down the driveway.

My driveway has a slight grade and I wanted to disconnect the Bronco on level ground. My wife held the Bronco steering wheel straight, so the Bronco would track straight. I backed up slowly for about 30 feet when my wife heard a mechanical grinding sound coming from the Bronco. I stopped. The Bronco would not roll forward or backward. The Bronco display stated that the vehicle was, in fact, "neutral tow enabled". I took the vehicle out of neutral tow mode. When I started the vehicle, all I could hear was the transmission making a grinding noise. I put the vehicle back in neutral tow mode. However, the vehicle would not roll forward or backward.

I repeated the process, twice more, and had the same result. It was locked up. I tried it a fourth time. This time, when I rocked the vehicle, it sounded like something gave way and it rolled forward. I tried taking it out of neutral tow mode, but when I started it, the tranny was making the same noise. I put it back in neutral tow mode and had it towed to the dealership. The dealer pulled the pan from the tranny and there were metal shavings in the pan. I believe the shavings were the result of the tranny grinding from putting it in and out of neutral tow mode several times. I'm working with the dealer as far as the repair goes.

I've seen a couple other people who have posted similar issues on other forums. Has anyone had a similar experience to mine?

By the way, even with the issue I'm having, love the Bronco! It was worth the 26 months wait.

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[grtharris]

Bad Sas , So sorry, sounds like something in the transfer case caused it to engage which in turn took out the transmission. Attached is a copy of the transmission damage TSB I'm sure there will be a lot of questions. Please keep us informed on what Ford and the dealer come up with.

 

[Blue Bulldog]

I have a little over 6,000 miles on my 2021 Badlands Sasquatch. In edition to the 6,000 driving miles, I have flat towed it, in neutral tow mode, about 5,000 miles. I have put the Bronco in and out of flat tow mode about 40 times. I always follow the directions in the owners manual, as displayed on the screen, with exactness. And I have always had the "neutral tow enabled" displayed on the dash before towing. Last week, I flat towed the Bronco from Utah to my home in Temecula, about 450 miles. I got home late and pulled my tow vehicle and Bronco into my driveway and parked for the night. The following morning, I backed my tow vehicle and Bronco down the driveway.



My driveway has a slight grade and I wanted to disconnect the Bronco on level ground. My wife held the Bronco steering wheel straight, so the Bronco would track straight. I backed up slowly for about 30 feet when my wife heard a mechanical grinding sound coming from the Bronco. I stopped. The Bronco would not roll forward or backward. The Bronco display stated that the vehicle was, in fact, "neutral tow enabled". I took the vehicle out of neutral tow mode. When I started the vehicle, all I could hear was the transmission making a grinding noise. I put the vehicle back in neutral tow mode. However, the vehicle would not roll forward or backward.



I repeated the process, twice more, and had the same result. It was locked up. I tried it a fourth time. This time, when I rocked the vehicle, it sounded like something gave way and it rolled forward. I tried taking it out of neutral tow mode, but when I started it, the tranny was making the same noise. I put it back in neutral tow mode and had it towed to the dealership. The dealer pulled the pan from the tranny and there were metal shavings in the pan. I believe the shavings were the result of the tranny grinding from putting it in and out of neutral tow mode several times. I'm working with the dealer as far as the repair goes.



I've seen a couple other people who have posted similar issues on other forums. Has anyone had a similar experience to mine?



By the way, even with the issue I'm having, love the Bronco! It was worth the 26 months wait.

 

[Blue Bulldog]

Hi there,































I have a similar problem. Towed my bronco from Vancouver island to Moab. No issues, wheeled it for 3 weeks. Then towed it to Hurrine last day own

I have a little over 6,000 miles on my 2021 Badlands Sasquatch. In edition to the 6,000 driving miles, I have flat towed it, in neutral tow mode, about 5,000 miles. I have put the Bronco in and out of flat tow mode about 40 times. I always follow the directions in the owners manual, as displayed on the screen, with exactness. And I have always had the "neutral tow enabled" displayed on the dash before towing. Last week, I flat towed the Bronco from Utah to my home in Temecula, about 450 miles. I got home late and pulled my tow vehicle and Bronco into my driveway and parked for the night. The following morning, I backed my tow vehicle and Bronco down the driveway.



My driveway has a slight grade and I wanted to disconnect the Bronco on level ground. My wife held the Bronco steering wheel straight, so the Bronco would track straight. I backed up slowly for about 30 feet when my wife heard a mechanical grinding sound coming from the Bronco. I stopped. The Bronco would not roll forward or backward. The Bronco display stated that the vehicle was, in fact, "neutral tow enabled". I took the vehicle out of neutral tow mode. When I started the vehicle, all I could hear was the transmission making a grinding noise. I put the vehicle back in neutral tow mode. However, the vehicle would not roll forward or backward.



I repeated the process, twice more, and had the same result. It was locked up. I tried it a fourth time. This time, when I rocked the vehicle, it sounded like something gave way and it rolled forward. I tried taking it out of neutral tow mode, but when I started it, the tranny was making the same noise. I put it back in neutral tow mode and had it towed to the dealership. The dealer pulled the pan from the tranny and there were metal shavings in the pan. I believe the shavings were the result of the tranny grinding from putting it in and out of neutral tow mode several times. I'm working with the dealer as far as the repair goes.



I've seen a couple other people who have posted similar issues on other forums. Has anyone had a similar experience to mine?



By the way, even with the issue I'm having, love the Bronco! It was worth the 26 months wait.

 

[Blue Bulldog]

Hi,

I always secure the Bronco to the motorhome. Then put it in tow mode.
Last thing I do is install brake system.
I check the screen several times while doing this to make sure it says tow mode enabled.
Got to my last destination in Hurricane Utah. Had no reverse and didn't really want to go forward.
Had it towed to Dealer in St George. They said transmission was destroyed. So I picked it up and came home to Vancouver Island. Dealer here said its throwing two particular codes which means it wasn't in tow mode properly? Non warranty and will cost me $7000 to fix.

 

[Bsenecal]

Hi,

I always secure the Bronco to the motorhome. Then put it in tow mode.
Last thing I do is install brake system.
I check the screen several times while doing this to make sure it says tow mode enabled.
Got to my last destination in Hurricane Utah. Had no reverse and didn't really want to go forward.
Had it towed to Dealer in St George. They said transmission was destroyed. So I picked it up and came home to Vancouver Island. Dealer here said its throwing two particular codes which means it wasn't in tow mode properly? Non warranty and will cost me $7000 to fix.

You need to fight for them to cover it.
It’s to bad the dealerships normally try to get out of coverage.
Good luck.
Brian

 

[GddyupGG]

Hi,

I always secure the Bronco to the motorhome. Then put it in tow mode.
Last thing I do is install brake system.
I check the screen several times while doing this to make sure it says tow mode enabled.
Got to my last destination in Hurricane Utah. Had no reverse and didn't really want to go forward.
Had it towed to Dealer in St George. They said transmission was destroyed. So I picked it up and came home to Vancouver Island. Dealer here said its throwing two particular codes which means it wasn't in tow mode properly? Non warranty and will cost me $7000 to fix.

We also are experiencing this. We followed the directions to a tee. I think Ford has a flat tow issue and isn't being honest about it. Our fear is we replace the transmission what's to stop it from doing the same thing again?

 

[GddyupGG]

Ford customer service is horrible. The dealership is following some memo and they are refusing to warranty our transmission even though they cannot provide me with anything stating the vehicle was not in flat tow neutral. Dealer won't return calls and customer service will only send e-mails. HORRIBLE SERVICE

 

[Ranbronc]

Ford customer service is horrible. The dealership is following some memo and they are refusing to warranty our transmission even though they cannot provide me with anything stating the vehicle was not in flat tow neutral. Dealer won't return calls and customer service will only send e-mails. HORRIBLE SERVICE

make a NTSB report

 

[JackFlack]

I hate to say it but maybe this is why we have lawyers.

 

[Kosmik23]

My number one motivation to purchase the Bronco came after reading an article stating towing with all wheels down was an option. I went to a local dealership (San Antonio, TX) and traded my 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Rubicon. First trip came a week later. The trip out was awesome. Enjoyed the R&R and returned home only to find out that I could not move the Bronco.
When I first pressed the start button, foot off brake, lights on the dash went crazy. Got heat it a minute no change. I turned it back off and tried it again. This time the check engine lights were on and the message ‘service vehicle soon’. I tried to disengage the neutral tow and nothing happened. I turned it off and started over. This time message ‘neutral tow disabled’ came up. I put the Bronco in neutral and tried to bckup, the engine just raced up. I tried moving forward, same result. I called the dealership and the service advisor told me to disconnect the battery for a few and reconnect and try again. 5 mins later reconnected the battery and tried again, that too was unsuccessful. Next step was flat bed to the dealer , and that’s where things got interesting.
I received a call from the service writer. Let’s call him “John”. John informed me there was ‘catastrophic failure to the transmission resulting from improperly engaging neutral tow.,‘ an hour later I was sitting in the service managers office. We’ll call him ’Bob’ . Bob put on his most diplomatic face and tried to explain to me how “delicate” and “sensitive“ this vehicle was. Bob wanted to know if we were taught how to properly engage the neutral tow function. The answer to that was a resounding “NO!” Needless to say things did not improve from there. The conversation turned to him trying to quiz me on exactly what I did. The General Manager joined the conversation and assured me they were on my side and would be doing everything they could to “help me out”. At some point I ask, “ So based on our conversation, you guys are alleging that I failed to properly engage neutral tow and towed the Bronco with the transmission in park. So are you saying all the other people on the internet have made this same mistake? “. There was an awkward silence.. I was suddenly provided a loaner and asked to allow them time to “properly” investigate the issue. I left with a 2023 F150 loaner.
I am still waiting on the call. From what I’ve been reading. I am thinking the outcome will not be in my favor that this is a warranty issue.

 

[Bsenecal]

My number one motivation to purchase the Bronco came after reading an article stating towing with all wheels down was an option. I went to a local dealership (San Antonio, TX) and traded my 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Rubicon. First trip came a week later. The trip out was awesome. Enjoyed the R&R and returned home only to find out that I could not move the Bronco.
When I first pressed the start button, foot off brake, lights on the dash went crazy. Got heat it a minute no change. I turned it back off and tried it again. This time the check engine lights were on and the message ‘service vehicle soon’. I tried to disengage the neutral tow and nothing happened. I turned it off and started over. This time message ‘neutral tow disabled’ came up. I put the Bronco in neutral and tried to bckup, the engine just raced up. I tried moving forward, same result. I called the dealership and the service advisor told me to disconnect the battery for a few and reconnect and try again. 5 mins later reconnected the battery and tried again, that too was unsuccessful. Next step was flat bed to the dealer , and that’s where things got interesting.
I received a call from the service writer. Let’s call him “John”. John informed me there was ‘catastrophic failure to the transmission resulting from improperly engaging neutral tow.,‘ an hour later I was sitting in the service managers office. We’ll call him ’Bob’ . Bob put on his most diplomatic face and tried to explain to me how “delicate” and “sensitive“ this vehicle was. Bob wanted to know if we were taught how to properly engage the neutral tow function. The answer to that was a resounding “NO!” Needless to say things did not improve from there. The conversation turned to him trying to quiz me on exactly what I did. The General Manager joined the conversation and assured me they were on my side and would be doing everything they could to “help me out”. At some point I ask, “ So based on our conversation, you guys are alleging that I failed to properly engage neutral tow and towed the Bronco with the transmission in park. So are you saying all the other people on the internet have made this same mistake? “. There was an awkward silence.. I was suddenly provided a loaner and asked to allow them time to “properly” investigate the issue. I left with a 2023 F150 loaner.
I am still waiting on the call. From what I’ve been reading. I am thinking the outcome will not be in my favor that this is a warranty issue.

Good luck, there have been others on the forum that have had similar experiences unfortunately and Ford has not stood behind their vehicle. Hopefully it works out better for you.
Brian

 

[GddyupGG]

I am sorry to hear that this has happened to you. We had the exact same thing occur and after 6 weeks of the dealership blowing us off, and FORD refusing to acknowledge us, our insurance ended up covering it. This is a KNOWN issue with Ford. We followed the directions in the owners manual , and had done so many times with no issue. Received the Neutral Tow engaged notice on the dashboard. Ford couldn't give us anything to show that we didn't put it in neutral tow properly, only "sorry you didn't do it correct and we will not warranty it". You would think if its so "delicate" like your dealer said there would be a warning that would go off if it wasn't done correctly, or at least not receive the "Neutral Tow engaged" message. At least you were provided with a loaner. We went for 6 weeks with no car in the middle of a 3 month road trip. Please keep us updated as its interesting how Ford handles each of these cases. One owner who had the same thing happen around the time we did, FORD had an engineer look at vehicle and they acknowledged the flat tow transmission problem is a known issue. Another owner was told sorry but not our problem just like us. The biggest disappointment was how Ford just washed their hands of us, and wouldn't give us the time of day.

 

[Kosmik23]

I am sorry to hear that this has happened to you. We had the exact same thing occur and after 6 weeks of the dealership blowing us off, and FORD refusing to acknowledge us, our insurance ended up covering it. This is a KNOWN issue with Ford. We followed the directions in the owners manual , and had done so many times with no issue. Received the Neutral Tow engaged notice on the dashboard. Ford couldn't give us anything to show that we didn't put it in neutral tow properly, only "sorry you didn't do it correct and we will not warranty it". You would think if its so "delicate" like your dealer said there would be a warning that would go off if it wasn't done correctly, or at least not receive the "Neutral Tow engaged" message. At least you were provided with a loaner. We went for 6 weeks with no car in the middle of a 3 month road trip. Please keep us updated as its interesting how Ford handles each of these cases. One owner who had the same thing happen around the time we did, FORD had an engineer look at vehicle and they acknowledged the flat tow transmission problem is a known issue. Another owner was told sorry but not our problem just like us. The biggest disappointment was how Ford just washed their hands of us, and wouldn't give us the time of day.

I think regardless of out come, it’s time to seek legal advise. It makes me uncomfortable to think that “IF” I do this again I stand the chance of repeating this nightmare. I traded out of a Jeep Wrangler 4xe because of constant problems. EXPLICITLY! Started the sale process stating “I am only interested in the Bronco because I read it can be flat towed, show me before we proceed. I realize now that the sales guy was not properly educated. When he tried to show me it failed with the message “preconditions no met”

Do you mind sharing how your insurance ended up paying for the repair. Have you tracked how many others are going through this mess?

 

[GddyupGG]

I would prefer to talk about this on e-mail versus this forum. My e-mail address is [email protected]. Ford has eyes on this forum. I don't trust Ford after this fiasco.
We feel the same way, we only purchased because it could be flat towed, flat towed it about 10 times, and then had this happen. Now we don't want to chance towing it because even if we do it 100% correct like we did the first time and it happens again we are screwed. I drove it 800 miles home after it was fixed because we didn't want to tow it.

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