mbct

My experience would support the bad wheel bearing. I replaced a front wheel bearing at about 30K and thought there is no way that another one could be go out on the same vehicle. Yet the right rear did go out. The only real way to test for that is with the car on a lift and running. I have diagnosed bad wheel bearings in the past, but could not pin it down on the Edge even with the rear on jackstands and the brake pads pushed back. Just could not feel enough "roughness" when spinning the wheel to confirm. Yet that is what it was. If you have done a forum search, you have seen the relevant TSB. If that is actually what your problem is, make sure they also replace the trailing arm along with the wheel bearing. Otherwise, you'll be doing this again and it likely won't be under warranty.

Does this rattle change depending on airflow? Try some different fan speeds as well as shutting down ALL heating and AC to see if that makes a difference. I'm not sure if its a balance door or one of the flaps that diverts air to different vents that decides to squeak periodically. Annoying as all hell for awhile, then goes away for many weeks.

Well this is depressing, to say the least. I just returned from a 1,700-mile trip in my 2007 AWD and encountered the infamous burning oil smell at about 1,200 miles. Nothing obvious until I got home and put the beast up on jackstands to get all the way under it. RH halfshaft is leaking oil coming out of the PTU. I have a heatshield there, but the oil collects on the heat shield then dribbles onto the hot exhaust from time to time. Unfortunately, this Edge has 69,000 miles and just had the 2nd wheel bearing replaced (paid out of pocket, as the PT warranty has now expired). Has anyone had success at getting a dealership or Ford to stand up to the problem after the formal warranty expired? The downside to driving fairly gently and doing regular maintenance seems to be that the major problems get deferred until just after all the warranties expire.

You can't count on quality anymore, no matter what the advertising says. About 30 minutes ago I shelled out over $600 for a new wheel bearing/hub assembly and trailing link. I've been driving for over 40 years, hundreds of thousands of miles and dozens of vehicles of every make and model. I have replaced exactly 3 wheel bearings and two of them have been on my 2007 Edge, which has 66K miles therefore no warranty on the wheel bearings. My assumption that any major defects will show up within the first 50K or 60K has cost me this time.

Duh, and there it is: 10-2-09. Replace the trailing link along with the hub and bearing assembly. Apparently I cannot read and the memory is gone as well. Still annoyed at the dealer, but I should have remembered this one.

And the answer is: Right rear wheel bearing, plus a trailing arm, for $575. They claim Ford recommends the trailing arm replacement as "that is part of what causes the wheel bearings to fail", and that both of them don't need to be replaced. The service writer is clueless, doesn't know what a TSB is much less how to find one. So I am on the search. I've watched a lot of threads since my original wheel bearing issue and this is the first time I am hearing about trailing arms.

They did, but that was the left front. This is one or both of the rear bearings, or possibly even the differential or carrier. I can't feel any roughness when spinning either rear wheel, nor in the driveshaft. And there is no real noise that you can hear outside the vehicle at speed. This noise and vibration comes up through the chassis. Since an alignment and balancing all 4 tires didn't help, I'm not sure what else I can do at home to pin this down.

Is this being done under warranty? My first wheel bearing was done under warranty, but it sounds like one or both of the rear wheel bearings are going, and I have 66K miles. Just wondering if you knew what kind of damage this would do to my wallet.

I'd be interested to hear what kind of response you got. I had mine into the dealer at about 10K and again at 35K to make sure the problem was documented before the powertrain warranty ran out. The did the flash upgrade at NC, but ultimately did not cure the problem. My theory is that a passage somewhere is machined just a bit too tight for a checkball to move when the engine is cold and the rpm's are low. I find that if you put it in Drive and move the vehicle, then into Neutral and goose the throttle (just like an old-fashioned double-clutch), then move off in Drive, this virtually eliminates the problem. I have 67K miles on it now and no breakdown.

Yeah, I read different posts about the flash upgrade to the PCM and TCM. Supposedly the upgrade changes the shift point so the upshift occurs at a lower RPM, thus lowering the built up pressure that causes the hard shift. My dealer claims he did all the software upgrades there were and the issue is still there. I thought by now someone would have come up with the definitive answer as to why it happens. My 16-year-old thinks she's getting this car for her own, but I would never give a young driver a car with this kind of issue. The hesitation between shifts could get somebody hit while trying to pull into traffic. It served its purpose, but this particular car is not a keeper.

If you're still watching the thread, I have a 2007 Edge with 43K miles and only a burned wheel bearing as far as significant mechanical failures. I took it in twice (before the warranty expired) with the hard 1-2 upshift, no help from Ford. I have found that this just about always happens when the trans is cold. If you start moving slowly, then shift to neutral and goose the throttle, then shift back to Drive (before pulling out onto a major street), this will just about eliminate the harsh upshift. It won't work unless you are moving first, doing this while you are parked will not have an affect. My theory is that one or more of the check balls in the auto trans is not properly sized and binds up when the fluid is cold. Goosing the throttle seems to cause something to move into position and either allow fluid to flow or cause fluid to stop. Not a transmission guy so I don't know what actually happens, just that it works.

Same vehicle, almost the same mileage and I am having the left front wheel bearing replaced. I was told this is no longer something the home mechanic can do, as the bearings are pressed on and Ford just replaces the entire bearing and hub assembly. Unfortunately my dealer has a new service manager who delayed the process by a day waiting for a mechanic to verify that the problem was a wheel bearing, kept the car over the weekend, now have ordered the wheel bearing and hub assy and might have my car back to me by Wednesday. Which would be great if I were not 1200 miles away on business. Moral of the story: Parts will fail on any vehicle (although this is really early for wheel bearings to go in my personal experience), but a good service department will make the experience relatively painless. OTOH.....