Posting for a friend who’s having trouble with his 2017 Explorer XLT Ecoboost AWD. The car occasionally has issues taking off in first gear. I drove it myself to see if I could get a better idea of what’s going on. It shifts smoothly through all gears, and he recently had the oil changed to rule out that as a cause, but the issue remains.
Here’s what happens: when you try to take off, sometimes the car jerks a bit, almost like it’s going in and out of first gear before finally taking off normally. No issues in higher gears, but reverse can sometimes be rough too (though it didn’t do that for me).
The transmission was rebuilt about a year ago with less than 15,000 miles since, and we’ve checked for any loose connections under the column, but nothing stands out.
If anyone has suggestions or ideas on what to look for, it would be super helpful. Don’t want him spending a ton without knowing more about what might be causing this.
Paxton said:
Try changing the fluid and check for any metal shavings in it. Could be a sign of internal wear.
He told me the fluid was black when he had it changed, so it’s hard to say if there were shavings. I’m guessing whoever rebuilt the trans didn’t do a great job. But other than this first gear issue, the rest of the shifting is smooth. If it was a serious problem, wouldn’t it be clunking or slipping in other gears too?