New Vehicle Demonstration/Delivery Hold Customer Satisfaction Program 20B27 - Supplement #1 - The 2.3L Engine And 6F35 Transmission - Powertrain Control Module Reprogram (20B27)

SUBJECT

NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION/DELIVERY HOLD CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 20B27 - Supplement #1 

Certain 2015-2019 MKC and 2016-2019 Explorer Vehicles Equipped With the 2.3L Engine and 6F35 Transmission

Powertrain Control Module Reprogram

REF

NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION/DELIVERY HOLD Customer Satisfaction Program 20B27 

Dated October 9, 2020

REF

Customer Satisfaction Program 20N07 

Certain 2015-2019 MKC and 2016-2019 Explorer Vehicles Equipped With the 2.3L

Engine and 6F35 Transmission

Transmission Extended Warranty Coverage

REASON FOR THIS SUPPLEMENT

• Program Terms/Expiration Date: The program has been extended to August 31, 2023. 
• Service Action: This program is now eligible for mobile repairs. 
• Owner Notification Mailing Schedule: An updated owner letter will be mailed to owners who have not completed 20B27 during the week of September 19, 2022. 
• Attachments: Attachment IV has been added to support mobile repairs. 
• Refunds: Refunds have been approved for this program that covers PCM reprogramming to prevent torque convertor overheating between the prior expiration date and the program relaunch. 
• Special Allowances: Special allowances have been added to assist in claiming mobile repairs. 
• Labor Operation: A new labor operation has been added to support mobile repairs. 

PROGRAM TERMS

This program will be in effect through August 31, 2023.  There is no mileage limit for this program.

EXPIRATION DATE

This Customer Satisfaction Program has an expiration date of August 31, 2023  to encourage dealers and customers to have this service performed as soon as possible.

We recommend dealers utilize their FSA VIN List name and address that were available on November 10, 2020 to contact customers with affected vehicles. This will help minimize the number of vehicles that may overheat the torque converter, which could require an additional repair.

AFFECTED VEHICLES

Affected vehicles are identified in OASIS and FSA VIN Lists.

REASON FOR THIS PROGRAM

In affected vehicles, the transmission torque converter may overheat in certain driving conditions. If the torque converter overheats it can lead to adverse NVH, rough idle, and low performance concerns. Ultimately this will require internal transmission repairs to resolve the concern. Ford Motor Company has developed an update to the Powertrain Control Module software that helps protect the transmission torque converter from overheating when exposed to certain driving styles.

SERVICE ACTION

Before demonstrating or delivering any new in-stock vehicles involved in this program, dealers are to check for available powertrain control module (PCM) software update and reprogram the PCM using IDS Release 117.01 or higher, while connected to the internet. Some vehicles may already have the latest software. This service must be performed on all affected vehicles at no charge to the vehicle owner.

To assist vehicle owners to have this software update completed, dealers should: 

• Arrange for a mobile repair at the owner's location, 
• Mobile service should be made available for all customers. Refer to the Claiming sections for further details. 

OWNER NOTIFICATION MAILING SCHEDULE

Owner letters were mailed the week of October 26, 2020. Dealers should repair any affected vehicles that arrive at their dealerships, whether or not the customer has received a letter.

An updated owner letter will be mailed the week of September 19, 2022. Owners will be notified that the program terms for 20B27 have been extended. 

ATTACHMENTS

1. Attachment I: Administrative Information 
2. Attachment II: Labor Allowances and Parts Ordering Information 
3. Attachment III: Technical Instructions
4. Attachment IV: Mobile Service Repair Record 
5. Owner Notification

QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE

For questions and assistance, contact the Special Service Support Center (SSSC) via the SSSC Web Contact Site. The SSSC Web Contact Site can be accessed through the Professional Technician Society (PTS) website using the SSSC link listed at the bottom of the OASIS VIN report screen or listed under the SSSC tab.

Sincerely,

David J. Johnson

MOBILE REPAIR RECOMMENDATIONS

• Confirm with customer a mobile repair is feasible. 
• Check OASIS prior to going to the customer's home or business to confirm if any other outstanding FSA needs to be completed. 
• Transportation - due to the simplicity of this repair, a specialty vehicle is not required. 

MOBILE REPAIR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Please ensure the technician brings the following to the mobile repair destination: 

• Printed Technical Instructions. 
• Printed Repair/Work Order or any other necessary documentation as customer copy(s) 
  • Documents could also be emailed to the customer. 
• Shirt/uniform and vehicle graphic with dealership or Ford logos are recommended. 
• Recommended tools and cleaning supplies: Battery Charger, IDS Computer that has been updated to the latest level with all of the required cables and either a VCM2, VCM3, or VCMM. 

MOBILE REPAIR QUESTIONS AND ASSISTANCE

• For questions and assistance, contact the Special Service Support Center (SSSC) via the SSSC Web Contact Site. Work with Dealership warranty administrator to create a SSSC contact ID#. 
• Once an SSSC agent responds to the new contact ID#, you may opt to call the SSSC hotline: (800) 325-5621. 

OASIS ACTIVATION

OASIS was activated on October 9, 2020.

FSA VIN LISTS ACTIVATION

FSA VIN Lists were available through https://web.fsavinlists.dealerconnection.com  on October 9, 2020. Owner names and addresses have been available since November 10, 2020.

SOLD VEHICLES

• Owners of affected vehicles will be directed to dealers for repairs.
• Immediately contact any of your affected customers whose vehicles are not on your VIN list but are identified in OASIS. Give the customer a copy of the Owner Notification Letter (when available) and schedule a service date.
• Correct other affected vehicles identified in OASIS which are brought to your dealership.
• Dealers are to prioritize repairs of customer vehicles over repairs of new and used vehicle inventory.

STOCK VEHICLES

• Correct all affected units in your new vehicle inventory before delivery.
• Use OASIS to identify any affected vehicles in your used vehicle inventory.

TITLE BRANDED/SALVAGED VEHICLES

Affected title branded and salvaged vehicles are eligible for this service action.

OWNER REFUNDS

• Ford Motor Company is offering a refund for owner-paid repairs covered by this program if the repair was performed before the date of the Owner Notification Letter. This refund offer expires January 31, 2023. 
• Dealers are also pre-approved to refund owner-paid emergency repairs that were performed away from an authorized servicing dealer after the date of the Owner Notification Letter. Non-covered repairs, or those judged by Ford to be excessive, will not be reimbursed. 
• Refunds will only be provided for the cost associated with reprogramming the PCM to prevent torque convertor overheating. 
• The reprogramming repair needs to have occurred between November 30, 2021 and October 4, 2022. 

RENTAL VEHICLES

Rental vehicles are not approved for this program.

LINCOLN PICKUP AND DELIVERY

Owners of 2017 MY and newer Lincoln vehicles have the option of requesting pickup and delivery service with a Lincoln loaner (up to 2 days), from their dealership. For details, reference EFC07715, 2020 Lincoln Pickup & Delivery Updates.

ADDITIONAL REPAIR (LABOR TIME AND/OR PARTS)

Additional repairs identified as necessary to complete the FSA should be managed as follows:

• For related damage and access time requirements, refer to the Warranty and Policy Manual/Section 6 - Ford & Lincoln Program Policies/General Information & Special Circumstances for FSA's/Related Damage.
• For vehicles within new vehicle powertrain warranty coverage, no SSSC approval is required, although related damage must be on a separate repair line with the 'Related Damage' radio button checked.
  • Ford vehicles - 3 years or 36,000 miles
  • Lincoln vehicles - 4 years or 50,000 miles
• For vehicles outside new vehicle bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage, submit an Approval Request to the SSSC Web Contact Site prior to completing the repair.

CLAIMS PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

• Claim Entry:  Enter claims using Dealer Management System (DMS) or One Warranty Solution (OWS) online.
  • When entering claims, select claim type 31: Field Service Action. The FSA number 20B27 is the sub code.
  • For additional claims preparation and submission information, refer to the Recall and Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP) Repairs in the OWS User Guide.
• Related Damage/Additional labor and/or parts:  Must be claimed as Related Damage on a separate repair line from the FSA with same claim type and sub code as described in Claim Entry above.
  IMPORTANT: Click the Related Damage Indicator radio button.
• Lincoln Pickup & Delivery:  Claims for Lincoln Pickup & Delivery with a Lincoln loaner (up to 2 days) should be submitted on a separate line from the FSA. Refer to EFC07715, 2020 Lincoln Pickup & Delivery Updates for details.
• Special Allowances 
  • Mobile repair allowances can be claimed for dealer-performed mobile repairs. 
  • For dealer-performed mobile repairs, retain a copy of the Service Management signed record (see Attachment IV), with the repair order documentation. 
  • Claim the mobile repair allowance Labor Operation Code 20B27MM along with 20B27B. 

LABOR ALLOWANCES

PARTS REQUIREMENTS/ORDERING INFORMATION

Parts are not required to complete this repair.

SERVICE PROCEDURE