JIMINGA
Member
Grieves me to post this: completed online sale of brand new '24 Lariat ER with 47 "test drive" miles on odometer.
She's a beauty in Avalanche! Took possession May 9, 2025 in Maryland. During orientation with salesman in the cab, the gear shifter never laid down flat. Hmmmm; an $81k product with something that doesn't work on it??!! Should've walked away.
Drove it off the lot in positive adrenaline rush in spite of the shift knob not folding flat. Live in metro ATL, so a long drive awaited me.
At 200 miles or so, Amber Wrench icon stares at me...wtf is this? "Service vehicle soon" Say whaaat??!!! "Powertrain malfunction/Reduced Power" illuminates when the system has detected a powertrain or a four-wheel drive fault." Still drives fine for now.
If memory serves me correctly, the icon appeared AFTER my first charge session at a Tesla site. A friend loaned me his adapter. Charged fine and fast. With Amber Wrench on, I continued driving until next charge session. I called the dealer about the wrench icon; they said it may have something to do with the heat generated by the Tesla charger at such a high voltage rate (I have zero technical aptitude), and to avoid using Tesla chargers, and just rely on Ford Navigation in the vehicle. So I did.
Got to a Duke Energy charger/EV Connect, which was great. Wrench still on. Got to next charging station, pulled up, went to put truck in Park, and it was STUCK IN DRIVE with a tiny amber light blinking continuously next to the D by the gear shifter. Called dealer, who said "Call Ford roadside assistance and have it towed to the nearest Ford dealer, and we'll call you tomorrow morning."
This was around 6pm last Friday night near Mount Airy, NC.
My PTSD sure enough DID KICK IN, and I went off on the Sales Manager at the dealership in Maryland for obvious reasons. Tow truck driver was great, dropped me off at a Hampton Inn ($258 for the room), and dropped the truck off at the Ford dealership across the street.
The next morning I walked to the truck, opened the drivers door, did NOT enter the vehicle, and to my shock, I watched the gear shift knob move by itself from Drive to Park. THEN, I got into the truck, pushed the POWER ON button, put it in Reverse, back out of the parking space, then put it in Drive and drove to the front of the dealership, where I told the staff I was "fine" and resuming my trip to Georgia.
The amber wrench icon disappeared somewhere in the mix. Drove fine all the way home, using Blue Cruise on the interstate with no problems.
I'm too new of an owner to know what to look for on the far left side of the battery charge level.
The dealer that sold me the truck was kind, but what idiot buys a vehicle out of state, never seeing it, nor test driving it, and never done business with this dealer before??!!! That would be me.
I called the BEV Team Friday night from my hotel room. He noted details in writing. The dealer in Maryland contacted my local Ford dealer where I've been doing business for years (they don't like BEVs, or else I would've bought from them)(should've been a clue), and I have an appt tomorrow to address the AMBER WRENCH ICON, the stuck in D gear shift issue, and the gear shifter not folding down flat.
My '17 F150 was the best truck I've ever driven...not a single issue from the time I drove it off the lot brand new 9/30/2017. How am I supposed to interpret this debacle?
Jim in Georgia
She's a beauty in Avalanche! Took possession May 9, 2025 in Maryland. During orientation with salesman in the cab, the gear shifter never laid down flat. Hmmmm; an $81k product with something that doesn't work on it??!! Should've walked away.
Drove it off the lot in positive adrenaline rush in spite of the shift knob not folding flat. Live in metro ATL, so a long drive awaited me.
At 200 miles or so, Amber Wrench icon stares at me...wtf is this? "Service vehicle soon" Say whaaat??!!! "Powertrain malfunction/Reduced Power" illuminates when the system has detected a powertrain or a four-wheel drive fault." Still drives fine for now.
If memory serves me correctly, the icon appeared AFTER my first charge session at a Tesla site. A friend loaned me his adapter. Charged fine and fast. With Amber Wrench on, I continued driving until next charge session. I called the dealer about the wrench icon; they said it may have something to do with the heat generated by the Tesla charger at such a high voltage rate (I have zero technical aptitude), and to avoid using Tesla chargers, and just rely on Ford Navigation in the vehicle. So I did.
Got to a Duke Energy charger/EV Connect, which was great. Wrench still on. Got to next charging station, pulled up, went to put truck in Park, and it was STUCK IN DRIVE with a tiny amber light blinking continuously next to the D by the gear shifter. Called dealer, who said "Call Ford roadside assistance and have it towed to the nearest Ford dealer, and we'll call you tomorrow morning."
This was around 6pm last Friday night near Mount Airy, NC.
My PTSD sure enough DID KICK IN, and I went off on the Sales Manager at the dealership in Maryland for obvious reasons. Tow truck driver was great, dropped me off at a Hampton Inn ($258 for the room), and dropped the truck off at the Ford dealership across the street.
The next morning I walked to the truck, opened the drivers door, did NOT enter the vehicle, and to my shock, I watched the gear shift knob move by itself from Drive to Park. THEN, I got into the truck, pushed the POWER ON button, put it in Reverse, back out of the parking space, then put it in Drive and drove to the front of the dealership, where I told the staff I was "fine" and resuming my trip to Georgia.
The amber wrench icon disappeared somewhere in the mix. Drove fine all the way home, using Blue Cruise on the interstate with no problems.
I'm too new of an owner to know what to look for on the far left side of the battery charge level.
The dealer that sold me the truck was kind, but what idiot buys a vehicle out of state, never seeing it, nor test driving it, and never done business with this dealer before??!!! That would be me.
I called the BEV Team Friday night from my hotel room. He noted details in writing. The dealer in Maryland contacted my local Ford dealer where I've been doing business for years (they don't like BEVs, or else I would've bought from them)(should've been a clue), and I have an appt tomorrow to address the AMBER WRENCH ICON, the stuck in D gear shift issue, and the gear shifter not folding down flat.
My '17 F150 was the best truck I've ever driven...not a single issue from the time I drove it off the lot brand new 9/30/2017. How am I supposed to interpret this debacle?
Jim in Georgia
Sponsored
Last edited by a moderator:
XLT SR
