*UPDATE* IF YOU HAVE HAD THE FAILURE SEE THE STICKY AT THE TOP OF THIS SECTION PLEASE
Let me preface this by saying this is only what I personally have found out and is not official word from Ford, nor any specific individual at Ford. The only way to get official answers is to refer to the GT Hotline or Ford directly. The hotline is aware of the issue as of today, but I have no garauntee of what they may tell you. As has been previously stated, some have had good experiences with the hotline, some don't even want to bring it up. I'd simply be more inclined to go with what works now.
A few answers:
Who does this affect?
- No concrete answer because the issue lies with the transaxle supplied by Ricardo in the UK. Because they do not come in sequenced order as the cars do, it's hard to isolate. The issue is resultant from over-torqueing of the bolts/improperly hardened washers. My personal assessment would be to reliably conclude that if a car near your VIN has had it, you are more likely to have the problem, simply because they didn't ship 4038 transaxles over at once. That said less than 1% of all cars have had the issue at this point. Less than 1% of all cars have had the issue so this indeed is a very small cross-section.
Is it a safety issue?
- The answer to that is no. The issue has only occured, for whatever reason, at move-off. However, in the event it somehow occurred while moving, the failure mode is a loss of drive as if you were in neutral. The conceivable loss of fluid which occurs at rest will not hit your wheels because the belly pans impede the travel of fluid, and in any event, your wheels are to the side of where the fluid would fall. This is basically just like any other event that causes a loss of drive, be it a clutch, motor, whatever. The obvious issue is turning purple as you have to wait for a tow truck.
What should I do if I have the failure?
- If you have the failure, just like any other issue with your car, it should be under warranty and should be replaced by the dealer free of charge. The field fix is good and if done correctly as per the latest update of the shop manual (some dealers exhibited confusion as to the proper fix, re:abolfaz) will fix the problem 100%.
What if I don't have the failure but I am concerned?
- This is probably the most pertinent question. If you want to go ahead and have this done and nothing is broken, it is up to dealer discretion. However, the large majority of people who have chosen to do so have had it done for free by taking it to their selling dealer or a dealer familiar with the GT. The fix costs under $200 and is not labor intensive, so dealers have been amenable to pre-emptively working on the car. This does not represent a garauntee.
What is the service kit number?
- Here is the part number for the service kit for the redesigned axle shaft flange kit: Current service part number is 4G7Z-7B368-BA.
Where can I get official word?
- As I've mentioned, the only avenue to get any kind of official word is the GT Hotline or contacting FoMoCo directly. My first inclination would be to contact your selling dealer and have them order the part and simply do the fix if you are concerned rather than spend time worrying about it.
That's all I really have and I hope it lends a modicum of clarity to the situation. In my own assessment, I will not be getting the service kit because of the small number of failures. I say this tracking my car and having gone faster (routinely) in the car than 99.9% of people ever will. I completely understand the inclination of those who wish to get it done. I'm going to ALCS Game 3 right now, so please don't burn the place down while I'm gone.
Let me preface this by saying this is only what I personally have found out and is not official word from Ford, nor any specific individual at Ford. The only way to get official answers is to refer to the GT Hotline or Ford directly. The hotline is aware of the issue as of today, but I have no garauntee of what they may tell you. As has been previously stated, some have had good experiences with the hotline, some don't even want to bring it up. I'd simply be more inclined to go with what works now.
A few answers:
Who does this affect?
- No concrete answer because the issue lies with the transaxle supplied by Ricardo in the UK. Because they do not come in sequenced order as the cars do, it's hard to isolate. The issue is resultant from over-torqueing of the bolts/improperly hardened washers. My personal assessment would be to reliably conclude that if a car near your VIN has had it, you are more likely to have the problem, simply because they didn't ship 4038 transaxles over at once. That said less than 1% of all cars have had the issue at this point. Less than 1% of all cars have had the issue so this indeed is a very small cross-section.
Is it a safety issue?
- The answer to that is no. The issue has only occured, for whatever reason, at move-off. However, in the event it somehow occurred while moving, the failure mode is a loss of drive as if you were in neutral. The conceivable loss of fluid which occurs at rest will not hit your wheels because the belly pans impede the travel of fluid, and in any event, your wheels are to the side of where the fluid would fall. This is basically just like any other event that causes a loss of drive, be it a clutch, motor, whatever. The obvious issue is turning purple as you have to wait for a tow truck.
What should I do if I have the failure?
- If you have the failure, just like any other issue with your car, it should be under warranty and should be replaced by the dealer free of charge. The field fix is good and if done correctly as per the latest update of the shop manual (some dealers exhibited confusion as to the proper fix, re:abolfaz) will fix the problem 100%.
What if I don't have the failure but I am concerned?
- This is probably the most pertinent question. If you want to go ahead and have this done and nothing is broken, it is up to dealer discretion. However, the large majority of people who have chosen to do so have had it done for free by taking it to their selling dealer or a dealer familiar with the GT. The fix costs under $200 and is not labor intensive, so dealers have been amenable to pre-emptively working on the car. This does not represent a garauntee.
What is the service kit number?
- Here is the part number for the service kit for the redesigned axle shaft flange kit: Current service part number is 4G7Z-7B368-BA.
Where can I get official word?
- As I've mentioned, the only avenue to get any kind of official word is the GT Hotline or contacting FoMoCo directly. My first inclination would be to contact your selling dealer and have them order the part and simply do the fix if you are concerned rather than spend time worrying about it.
That's all I really have and I hope it lends a modicum of clarity to the situation. In my own assessment, I will not be getting the service kit because of the small number of failures. I say this tracking my car and having gone faster (routinely) in the car than 99.9% of people ever will. I completely understand the inclination of those who wish to get it done. I'm going to ALCS Game 3 right now, so please don't burn the place down while I'm gone.
