11 replies to this topic

[BITOFNEDGE]

This problem has occurred twice now. Mileage was 12,454 when I took it into the Dealer to have it checked out yesterday. First, on the freeway when I went to pass a slower vehicle, and second, when I went to change lanes in crowded fast traffic. When I mashed the gas pedal to the floor, my Edge downshifted, took off like the proverbial jackrabbit, and then the engine lost power. The engine resumed running normally when I raised up on the gas pedal, but when I repeated the steps described above, it did the same thing again. Frustrating and dangerous to say the least.

 

The Dealer asked if any warning lights showed on the dash? None that I noticed! They weren't able to duplicate the problem on the test drive. I asked if they had "stomped" the gas pedal to the floor? The Service guy asked me, Is that what you did? Yes, I replied, that's what I told you when I brought it in!

 

The Service guy at that point said there's a safety feature built into the Edge. It involves a "Rev Limiter, the computer, and the transmission". Given what I was doing, the "system" was preventing the transmission from downshifting from 6th gear down to, say 2nd gear, which would have damaged it severely. So don't do that anymore!

 

Is this BS, or did I just have a serious discussion? Has anyone had a similar incident, or experience? Please tell me one way or the other. Thanks for your help.

 

P.S. I would think the Engineers would have designed the tranny to not downshift more than one or two gears, given what the actual vehicle speed might be at the time. Sounds reasonable to me.

[akirby]

BS. The computer won’t try to downshift if it would hurt the transmission, especially after it had already downshifted and you were accelerating. 2 things I can think of are the throttle body or a fuel problem. If you can reproduce it, have the technician ride with you then try the same thing on another Edge and show him that it doesn’t happen on that one, just yours.

[vega]

Agreed, malarky talk from the dealer.

[macbwt]

Ha I bet your MYKEY is activated and you are limited in speed from the MYKEY setting!!!!!

[BITOFNEDGE]

BS. The computer won’t try to downshift if it would hurt the transmission, especially after it had already downshifted and you were accelerating. 2 things I can think of are the throttle body or a fuel problem. If you can reproduce it, have the technician ride with you then try the same thing on another Edge and show him that it doesn’t happen on that one, just yours.

Thanks for your response. Greatly appreciated! When you mention a fuel problem, are you saying I might be using the wrong fuel, or there might be a problem in the fuel system? My guess is you're referring to the fuel system. I'm taking the car back tomorrow for a minor part they had to order for a different issue. I'll talk to the Service Manager while I'm there.

[akirby]

There might be a problem with fuel flow at higher RPM. Clogged fuel filter, flaky fuel pump, etc.

But first check the MyKey settings as described above. Try it with a different key. MyKey is something you can setup for teenagers or others where it limits certain things like radio volume and vehicle speed but I don’t remember if it actually governs the speed or just gives a warning. Either way it’s easy to test - try both keys and check the menu system for MyKey settings. If you have a MyKey you won’t be able to change the MyKey settings.

[Chipster]

Throttle body problem? Some 2016's 3.5's have a "Replace TB" TSB.  Mine does. 

[BITOFNEDGE]

BS. The computer won’t try to downshift if it would hurt the transmission, especially after it had already downshifted and you were accelerating. 2 things I can think of are the throttle body or a fuel problem. If you can reproduce it, have the technician ride with you then try the same thing on another Edge and show him that it doesn’t happen on that one, just yours.

Just to finish this topic, let me reveal the solution. I went back for two test drives at the Dealership. The first with a Tech. I drove. Then he drove. I made it happen 4 times. He couldn't make it happen once. I won't bore you with the rest of that exchange. Although it was interesting, nothing was accomplished. The second test drive was with the Service Director. I drove, and made it happen 3 times. The 4th time it worked normally. On the way back to the shop he said it was probably the throttle body, and he wanted to "make some recordings". He arranged a rental for me and I left mine there. It was ready to come home the next afternoon. They did replace the throttle body. Here are the comments on the service ticket:

 

12565 Verified customers concern. While driving vehicle on the freeway when accelerator pedal was pushed to floor vehicle would go into Reduced Power Mode. Connected IDS to watch throttle body position PID information. Noticed while pressing and depressing pedal that voltage value was different every time. Throttle plate was not opening all the way. Removed and replaced throttle body. Test drove vehicle while watching PIDs. No further problem at this time.

 

So it's fixed. Thanks guys for your comments, suggestions and help. I love it when a plan comes together!!!  BTW, what do IDS and PID stand for?

[BITOFNEDGE]

Well, the same problem is occurring again! Scheduled to take the Edge back to the dealership next Tuesday.

[enigma-2]

The IDS is a PC based OBD2 Scan Tool that utilizes a USB equipped PC.

PID is an acronym for (P)arameter (ID)s These are codes used to request data from a vehicle, used as a diagnostic tool. Many codes are common between all car manufacturers, and some are specific to Ford alone.

Basically the work order is saying the technician connected the USB cable to the car, connected a laptop with a diagnostic program and read the fault codes stored or recorded while the engine is running. To be reimbursed by Ford, the dealer is required to describe the mode of failure in a specific way (so they can track failures).

[BITOFNEDGE]

I took it back, they checked it out, couldn't duplicate the problem. (When I say the same problem was occurring again, to be more specific, I had two occurrences on the same 35 mile road trip. First when I went to pass a car. Second to see if it would happen again which it did.)

 

What they did then was install a "recorder", and called me to pick up the car. They explained how to operate the recorder to capture 60 seconds of data. If it happened again, I was to tap the button on the wired remote. It would record the 20 seconds prior to me tapping the button, and 40 seconds after the tap. I could do this 3 times to record 3 occurrences.

 

I asked who wants to take a ride with me?! The Service Mgr volunteered, so off we went. The Edge ran great! I've been driving it for 3 days, using the passing gear as often as the situation presents itself, and no problems. Accelerates like a mean, lean, 3.5 L machine. I called yesterday to see if they wanted their recorder back. They said keep it in there over the weekend. We'll take it out on Monday.

 

I'll get back with the rest of the story.

[enigma-2]

The car knows ..........