Powerboost intermittently wont start

[msteppe91]

For the last month, my 2021 F-150 XLT Powerboost has intermittently gotten into states where it won’t start. It has 12,000 miles on it with no issues up until now. I absolutely love this truck but not being able to count on the truck to start is a scary thing.

I’ve had three types of errors sent to my Ford Pass app:

1. “Powertrain control system has detected a communication fault”
2. “The powertrain control system has detected one of the transmission shift solenoids is not responding as expected or is stuck in the off position. Some
   transmission gears may not being available
   resulting in delayed or harsh shifts into another
   gear. Additional alerts that may provide additional
   information may accompany this alert.”
3. Another I forgot to save a screenshot of said something like “powertrain control system has detected a fault in the high voltage system”

At first I thought it was a 12 volt issue, but when this error happens, the truck electrical system fully turns on, windows/AC/radio/lights works but the truck won’t transition into “Ready” when I turn the key. I get the battery icon, the service wrench icon, and the check engine light on the dash.

The solution has simply been to just wait some period of time. After that time the truck starts and runs normally. The check engine light remains on for a while but eventually resets itself.

Can anyone provide any suggestions? I have a service appointment scheduled for two weeks from now (that was the earliest I could get) but need to drive the truck between now and then and I would hate for me or my wife to get stuck in certain places we routinely visit for hours waiting for the truck to start again.

Thanks ahead of time!

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[Ford Motor Company]

For the last month, my 2021 F-150 XLT Powerboost has intermittently gotten into states where it won’t start. It has 12,000 miles on it with no issues up until now. I absolutely love this truck but not being able to count on the truck to start is a scary thing.

I’ve had three types of errors sent to my Ford Pass app:

1. “Powertrain control system has detected a communication fault”
2. “The powertrain control system has detected one of the transmission shift solenoids is not responding as expected or is stuck in the off position. Some
   transmission gears may not being available
   resulting in delayed or harsh shifts into another
   gear. Additional alerts that may provide additional
   information may accompany this alert.”
3. Another I forgot to save a screenshot of said something like “powertrain control system has detected a fault in the high voltage system”

At first I thought it was a 12 volt issue, but when this error happens, the truck electrical system fully turns on, windows/AC/radio/lights works but the truck won’t transition into “Ready” when I turn the key. I get the battery icon, the service wrench icon, and the check engine light on the dash.

The solution has simply been to just wait some period of time. After that time the truck starts and runs normally. The check engine light remains on for a while but eventually resets itself.

Can anyone provide any suggestions? I have a service appointment scheduled for two weeks from now (that was the earliest I could get) but need to drive the truck between now and then and I would hate for me or my wife to get stuck in certain places we routinely visit for hours waiting for the truck to start again.

Thanks ahead of time!

Hello, Michael! Send us a private message with your VIN and the name and location of your local Ford dealer. I’d be happy to see what I can do to assist with this concern. Thanks!

 

[Rob67]

I'd be interested to see if there's any resolution for yoour Powerboost. I bought mine on 11 July '22, and it's been at the dealer since 16 July. The service dept have yet to find resolution. I just want my truck back--repaired!

 

[msteppe91]

Have they been able to reproduce the issue? Or did you bring it in with the check engine light still on? Because it’s so intermittent, I’m worried they’ll just ignore it and say it’s “fixed”. I’m kind of hoping it happens to me on the way there or a few days prior so I can make sure the dash lights are on when I bring it in!

 

[Rob67]

Have they been able to reproduce the issue? Or did you bring it in with the check engine light still on? Because it’s so intermittent, I’m worried they’ll just ignore it and say it’s “fixed”. I’m kind of hoping it happens to me on the way there or a few days prior so I can make sure the dash lights are on when I bring it in!

I'm not sure. It's been there since I dropped it off. The Service tech seems to have no clue about any troubleshooting, but keeps saying that they're 'talking to folks up at Ford'... :/

 

[devern]

My experience with my Dearborn PB is more or less the same. Had the dealer look at it twice without being able to reproduce the issue. Took it in 5 weeks ago (after it stranded us twice) and their tech experienced the problem first-hand, luckily. They've replaced the GWM as the first step, but that was in the first week they had it... I don't know the details of their back and forth with Ford Engineering, but this is getting annoying. Presumably, there is a field tech that sometimes gets flown in for this kind of thing. Hopefully that happens soon. Going to be moving in a month and having a truck would sure be convenient...

 

[Rob67]

My experience with my Dearborn PB is more or less the same. Had the dealer look at it twice without being able to reproduce the issue. Took it in 5 weeks ago (after it stranded us twice) and their tech experienced the problem first-hand, luckily. They've replaced the GWM as the first step, but that was in the first week they had it... I don't know the details of their back and forth with Ford Engineering, but this is getting annoying. Presumably, there is a field tech that sometimes gets flown in for this kind of thing. Hopefully that happens soon. Going to be moving in a month and having a truck would sure be convenient...

GWM?

 

[devern]

GWM?

GateWay Module

 

[Snakebitten]

My experience with my Dearborn PB is more or less the same. Had the dealer look at it twice without being able to reproduce the issue. Took it in 5 weeks ago (after it stranded us twice) and their tech experienced the problem first-hand, luckily. They've replaced the GWM as the first step, but that was in the first week they had it... I don't know the details of their back and forth with Ford Engineering, but this is getting annoying. Presumably, there is a field tech that sometimes gets flown in for this kind of thing. Hopefully that happens soon. Going to be moving in a month and having a truck would sure be convenient...

The most difficult part of a story like this is the multiple days that have gone by that you just know that the truck sat without a single second of attention given to it. Probably most days.

 

[Rob67]

Have they been able to reproduce the issue? Or did you bring it in with the check engine light still on? Because it’s so intermittent, I’m worried they’ll just ignore it and say it’s “fixed”. I’m kind of hoping it happens to me on the way there or a few days prior so I can make sure the dash lights are on when I bring it in!

Welp! Here's what ended up happening: They got the truck back to me on day 30 of repair. The next day, I tried to drive it and it broke again...this time it got towed back to the dealership. I got on the phone with my Ford rep and asked them to buy the truck back.

They ended up buying it back with minimal hassle, and I replaced my XLT Powerboost with a 3.5 Ecoboost Platinum!

 

[msteppe91]

Welp! Here's what ended up happening: They got the truck back to me on day 30 of repair. The next day, I tried to drive it and it broke again...this time it got towed back to the dealership. I got on the phone with my Ford rep and asked them to buy the truck back.

They ended up buying it back with minimal hassle, and I replaced my XLT Powerboost with a 3.5 Ecoboost Platinum!

Well hot dang! Glad you got a new truck in the end out of all this. I got mine back from the dealer in 14 days after they replaced the PCM and some wiring harness. Fingers crossed the problem does not come back but if it does, I’m glad to hear the Ford reps seem reasonable with the buy back.

 

[TTucker30]

Well hot dang! Glad you got a new truck in the end out of all this. I got mine back from the dealer in 14 days after they replaced the PCM and some wiring harness. Fingers crossed the problem does not come back but if it does, I’m glad to hear the Ford reps seem reasonable with the buy back.

Going through this with my truck. I see it's been a couple years since you posted this. Any issues since replacing this?

 

[msteppe91]

Going through this with my truck. I see it's been a couple years since you posted this. Any issues since replacing this?

No problems since those parts listed above were replaced. 45k miles on the truck now and no issues since mile 12k I believe.

 

[TTucker30]

No problems since those parts listed above were replaced. 45k miles on the truck now and no issues since mile 12k I believe.

Thank you so much for taking the time reply to me. I was planning to replace the 12v batteries but have seen other people do that and the issues reoccur. You're the first person I've seen get what seems to be a permanent fix on this. This problem is so frustrating. Sharing your experience with the Ford service tech I've been working with.

 

[Snakebitten]

Odds are pretty slim that your issue is the same, regardless of similar symptoms. It COULD be, of course. But bad PCM is statistically incredibly small.

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