Buying and Living With a Hybrid Ford Maverick

In reply to ProDarwin :

Nah, back in September in my case. 

That Said, I think you can edit until it's scheduled. Call your dealer 

Whelp, it looks like I might not actually be taking delivery in a few weeks....

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Will this create a delay on cars that arent assembled yet? 

In reply to yupididit :

Not sure, nor am I sure that Ford knows. This could turn into quite the mess.

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Yeah, that "loud noises" part sounds like it is an actual internal engine issue, not some part that can be quickly swapped out.

Edit:  I'm curious how many fires have been reported.  It seems like issues like this get exposed quickly with the power of the internet, at least if it is more than one or two isolated cases.

4th Quarter, wow.

GCrites80s said:

4th Quarter, wow.

Yeah, that is scary.  Wonder if it because they still don't know what is happening, or if they need time to build new engines for replacement jobs.

In reply to eastsideTim :

I suspect the fire is more of a potential side effect, the real concern is the "loud noises and loss of power" along with oil spills and fuel vapor - ie, engines are actually self-ventilating. Maybe the fire risk is a way for Ford to keep these from getting driven. 

Interesting that the problem started so long ago. 

I saw this yesterday on the Maverick forums. My 2023 XLT Hybrid was built March 9th so it falls within the recall window. So far nothing has shown up on either the NHTSA or Ford recall website for my VIN.

My WAG is that Ford identified a possible manufacturing defect for the 2.5L but they haven't nailed down the affected units yet. This recall is the second one pertaining to the hybrid engine and fire. The first one specified to remove a couple of grill shutters and cut holes in the engine undertray to minimize the ignition of oil/fuel fumes in the engine compartment.

I've got about 3k miles on my '23 hybrid and it has been flawless so far except for a rattle/tick in the passenger side door panel. I'll continue to drive it.

Looks like Ford is still struggling to cleanly launch a new product.  I though real hard about getting on the order / wait for delivery list for a Maverick, but had concerns given Ford's recent past product launch record that something significant might come up with a powertrain like the standard hybrid (which would be my choice).  Probably good to sit tight for a while and let them sort things out.

Keith Tanner said:

In reply to eastsideTim :

I suspect the fire is more of a potential side effect, the real concern is the "loud noises and loss of power" along with oil spills and fuel vapor - ie, engines are actually self-ventilating. Maybe the fire risk is a way for Ford to keep these from getting driven. 

Interesting that the problem started so long ago. 

Usually they have to call out the worst case scenario that can occur from a defect condition.  Reading between the lines, it seems that they are saying that engines are ventilating themselves, and fire hazard is a normal inclusion as oil+hot exhaust can lead there. 

It looks like it was a proactive communication that Ford put out YESTERDAY, I think the regulations state that they have 5 days to inform NHTSA once a defect determination has been made. Then NHTSA may take a few days to turn it around. 

The interesting thing will be to find out what the repair is. From replacing "x" component within the engine to the very awful "replace engine assembly". If it is "replace engine" that...  wow...  that would take awhile to stand up manufacturing to get things going and I believe they would be forced to prioritize the recall repairs over new production, generally speaking. It may take them awhile to suss out what the remedy will be. 

In reply to Apexcarver :

I'm really curious to see what the fix ends up being.  A Maverick is still on mine and my wife's list as a possible daily driver, especially the hybrid model.  We're waiting until the supply catches up with demand, and it sounds like this may delay that point somewhat.

Honestly, I'm starting to lose interest if this actually means the truck I ordered will sit on the lot for six months. F150 Lightnings keep getting cheaper.... 

Quick question - is the 2.5 in the hybrid a derivative of the 2.0/2.3/2.5 that Ford and Mazda used in the 2000s/2010s?  If so, that was a really reliable engine, and something would have had to have really been messed up to get it to be self-disassembling.

Tom Suddard said:

Honestly, I'm starting to lose interest if this actually means the truck I ordered will sit on the lot for six months. F150 Lightnings keep getting cheaper.... 

Huh?  The MSRP on the Pro model has gone up by 50% since they came out. 

In reply to psteav (Forum Supporter) :

Right, MSRP has gone up but I'm talking about actual dealer prices. The bottom of the Lightning market seems to have dropped from $80k to $55k in a year. I'm real curious what happens over the next six months.

More info on the hybrid engine recall dropped.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RCLRPT-23V380-2876.PDF

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RMISC-23V380-7289.pdf

So it looks like 35K and change mavericks are affected, but there is a sunset date, nothing rolling off the assembly line after May 18 should be affected.  (althugh, larger picture is 125k of the engines are affected across different models)

Reading the chronology file,  here is what stands out. 

Ford’s CCRG conducted analysis of engine warranty data including all engine failures resulting from a worn crankshaft bearing on these vehicles. The CCRG reviewed the rates of engine replacement attributed to a worn crankshaft bearing and compared it to engines produced with the robustness actions and concluded that engines produced before the robustness actions were fully implemented in August 2022 have elevated rates of engine replacement. There have been no reports of engine block breaches on engines built after September 1, 2022. Based on occurrences of 2.5L HEV/PHEV under hood fires on vehicles that had 22S47 completed or were built with the containment actions, Ford’s CCRG and Technical Review Committee recommended a safety recall for vehicles that were built with engines manufactured on or before September 1, 2022, when the engine robustness actions were fully implemented.

The 22S47 they are talking about had to do with the machine operations on the crankshaft on the assembly line. 

It's going to be interesting to see what they do as a remedy as it reads like bad crankshafts. They also say in there that people are continuing to drive enough after the block gets holed because of the hybrid system that is making the risk of fires greater.   

I'd seen rumors earlier this week, and it is still not official, but it looks like Stellantis is throwing its hat in the ring.  If true, I'm curious to see what the base engine will be in the US.

Edit:  Between this, and the the Toyota and GM rumors, I hope this doesn't turn into a situation where the market is over saturated a few years down the road, like it was with compact vans.  I suspect not, since Americans love pickup trucks, and so many other low budget options are gone.

Hmm, I still like the Maverick better. No hybrid from the Ram and it looks more like it's a Ranger or Colorado competitor until I see specs.

I have also heard word of a possible Subaru competitor? I'm not that into paying Chicken Tax though.

In reply to GCrites80s :

I'd guess if Subaru makes one, it'll be built in Indiana.

In reply to GCrites80s :

Capacity wise (meaning passengers, bed, and towing), the gladiator 4xe is a competitor. That said price, power, and off road capacity are in a way different league. Plus external size I believe.

I'm not personally interested in a jeep though. Plus details on price for the hybrid aren't out, but the stripper model regular gladiator is $39k, so it's not a great apples to apples 

I've now got 3,600 miles on my 2023 XLT hybrid. Its been flawless so far. Lifetime fuel economy is right at 37.1mpg. I know I could get better if I slowed down on the expressway but I'm still averaging over 35mpg everyday on my 80 mile daily commute. And that is at 80+mph for probably 2/3rds of the way. I've gotten nearly 50mpg on trips using 45-55mph secondary roads. 

So far, I've added a hard folding tonneau cover, a drop in bedliner and a Steeda strut tower brace.

Next will be installing the Eibach lowering springs, the 20" Mustang Mach-e GT wheels and tires and tinting the windows.

So there have been some updates on my Maverick.

6/9 I checked the tracker and saw that it had been delivered to the dealership. I figured it would sit there for a few months/years due to the recall, so I've been working on something else in the background.... more on that in a different thread if the deal goes through.

This morning I got an email from my sales rep "Hey, when can you come and pick up your Maverick? It's here!"

So, if all goes according to plan I'll go pick it up tomorrow evening. Wish me luck!

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Cool, hopefully it has a new enough build date not to be affected, which I'd assume so, if they are going to let you have it, and you enjoy it!  Even if not, it sounds like you can make a profit selling it if you decide not to keep it.

Yeah it sounds like the recall is for ones from before the MY2023 changeover.