Originally Posted by
skohler
Purchased a 2011 CPO Navigator L in December with 12k miles and the front pump seal went out on a trip this weekend.
I noticed smoke behind the car and pulled over only to find the smoke was coming out by the driver door not the tailpipe. I peeked under and transmission fluid was very rapidly dumping out of the tranny/engine seal. It was hitting the exhaust and burning. Had it towed and the five of us and all our luggage were set up in an F150 as a rental. Great truck, poor family beach mobile. When the tech was able to look at it he said the front pump seal, pump, and torque converter needed to be replaced. He also said that the front pump seal was replaced in December by the dealership I purchased the car from, guess right before I took posession. Funny enough I called the original dealership and they have no record of replacing anything with the transmission. Something is sketchy but right now I just want things fixed.
Am I looking at a huge headache if this seal has gone out twice in 20k miles? Perhaps just a fluke?
This is our third Navigator (had an '01 and an '03 prior) and apart from the usual issues (air suspension, sliding running boards, side mirrors)- they have been good to us.
Good news it's still under warranty. Bad news it's a hassle.
These transmissions are really hardy and can handle a lot of pressure. It's just a fluke that yours did what it did-but, it may be a sign something else is causing the failure. Replacing failed parts on a low mile truck many times doesn't address the root cause. I would push them to figure out what this is. It's on Fords dime.
I would ask the service manager to talk to Ford and have them explain why and how this can happen so frequently. Ask for an engineer to look at the case, as your safety might be compromised if this happens again. Keep us posted.