My folks own an 09 Edge AWD in SEL trim with roughly 150k on the clock. They bought it new in Germany, it has been dealer serviced and garage kept it's entire life. Pampered would be an apt description.

New Years Eve they are driving along, 600 miles from home when the fucking transfer case (Ford calls it a PTU) detonates, and brother I mean detonates. I'm not talking stripped gears or busted axle shafts here, I'm talking case separation, metal chunks flying, holes blasted through solid aluminum. What we would call at GE a "blade out event".

I think to myself, "boy, that's odd" and start doing a little research. Ford in their infinite wisdom decided to make a sealed, non-serviceable transfer case, fill it with roughly 12 OUNCES of lubricant, and wedge it betwixt the screaming hot catalytic converter and the engine block. What lubricant was left in the PTU of my parent's Edge more closely resembled asphalt.

So, PSA for all of you guys with AWD Edges, Explorers, Escapes, 500s, Fusions, and just about every other unibody AWD vehicle Ford makes, take it in to the dealer for the PTU service. There is a TSB on it. I do believe that the brandy-new ones have a drain and fill.

Sorry to hear that, sometimes stuff shows up in real world use that never shows up in testing.


We had an 07 and ran up over 100K without a single mechanical issue, sold it for decent money as well since it was basically as new other than the odometer. Then again it was FWD not AWD and no transfer case.

Good to know.
My in-laws have a 2016 Flex SEL AWD, will mention it to them.

Our Flex SEL is a FWD, so no worries for us.

I thought this was going to be about the water pump. Another shit design. Inside the engine so you have to disassemble the timing chain. The 1.5 and 1.6 EgoEcoboost, with timing belts, don't look like fun either.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

They should couple this with the powershift transmission.

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They should couple this with the powershift transmission.

Ahh yes, the powershift. The only trans where dudes on the production line had difficulty driving it off of said line.

This PTU business is really irking me. It's like a freshman year engineering student who hasn't taken material science, thermodynamics, or fluid mechanics designed this thing. Some jerkoff that is still taking his African studies and art history classes.

The horrible design extends to the cabin too, I had a rental Edge once of that year timeframe and the rear view and side views were horrifically bad. No wonder everyone drives these things like 18 wheelers with their wide turns and all, you can't see the freaking road or where the EFF you are going!

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Originally posted by PASig:

The horrible design extends to the cabin too, I had a rental Edge once of that year timeframe and the rear view and side views were horrifically bad. No wonder everyone drives these things like 18 wheelers with their wide turns and all, you can't see the freaking road or where the EFF you are going!

Yup. I bought an Edge because it was one of the very few vehicles that accommodated my extra-long legs and gave me decent leg room in the driver's seat. The view in the vicinity of 45° left or right of straight ahead is horrible. Thick A-pillars, and huge side view mirrors work together to block vision when turning. The car gives me comfortable seating and terrible visibility.

I'm convinced that Ford is going to put extended warranty companies out of business!

My engine (2017 Escape 1.5l eco) is going to cost them $5414.37. I only paid $2500 for the service plan, but the engine damage was clearly not a maintenance issue and they couldn't refute it!

^ Is yours the 3 or 4 cylinder 1.5l?

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Originally posted by P250UA5:
^ Is yours the 3 or 4 cylinder 1.5l?

4 cylinder. I was told that there is a coolant "channel" between the cylinders, and it's prone to cracking and the only fix is a long block replacement.
The replacement block has 2 coolant "tubes" vs the 1 "channel" allowing for more metal between the coolant and the cylinder.

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transfer case (Ford calls it a PTU)

Power Take … ? Unit? I can see this being called a Power Take Off (PTO), but am having a hard time putting this acronym together.

This isn't Ford's only goofy acronym. For example, an oxygen sensor is a HEGO (Heated Exhaust Gas Oxygen) sensor. The brake light switch (also an input for shift interlocks, torque converter lockup, cruise control and ABS) is a BOO (Brake On/Off).

Power Transfer Unit

I learned about this on our last Flex, a 2013. I now have the shop change PTU fluid every other oil change on the new Flex. Thankfully both were pretty much trouble free.

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I learned about this on our last Flex, a 2013. I now have the shop change PTU fluid every other oil change on the new Flex. Thankfully both were pretty much trouble free.

I wish I would have know about it earlier, would have saved my parents a ton of trouble. The older Edges like theirs can have the PTU drilled and a plug put in to facilitate the fluid change. The Vehicle has been great to them for 13 years.

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Originally posted by Rev. A. J. Forsyth:

What we would call at GE a "blade out event".

We used to say “keep are the sharp edges inside and away from the people-tank” on the subs.

Don't let the dealership tell you it's non serviceable. They should have a drain and fill port, if not, the one plug is the fill line and you have to suck oil out.

Holy crap! Glad I bought the Venza instead of that Edge…

I'll be on the lookout for this. We (in the repair shop I work in) had a Flex in, but I was too busy to examine it.

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Originally posted by Skins2881:
Don't let the dealership tell you it's non serviceable. They should have a drain and fill port, if not, the one plug is the fill line and you have to suck oil out.

From what I gather from the OP, this has neither. Drilling and tapping a hole for a pipe plug that you don't know exactly where to locate is liable to get metal shavings inside and would defeat the purpose.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
I'll be on the lookout for this. We (in the repair shop I work in) had a Flex in, but I was too busy to examine it.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Don't let the dealership tell you it's non serviceable. They should have a drain and fill port, if not, the one plug is the fill line and you have to suck oil out.

From what I gather from the OP, this has neither. Drilling and tapping a hole for a pipe plug that you don't know exactly where to locate is liable to get metal shavings inside and would defeat the purpose.

I'm almost certain all of them have at least a fill port, which is used as a drain too, but you need to suck it out, then fill until it dribbles out the port.