2019 Lincoln MKT (similar to Taurus/Explorer) struts, endlinks, shocks and PTU

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My MKT now has 46000 miles on it and the no deductible factory warranty expires at 50000. Thus I put it into the dealer because recently its been riding rough. During this time of slow business they are more willing to replace things and did they ever. They replaced front struts, rear shocks, swaybar endlinks, swaybar bushings and the power transfer unit known as the PTU. I never complained about the PTU by the way and it wasnt making noise when I brought it in, but no complaint that they replaced it. I have read those do go bad so it was good they replaced it.

Thus 40-50k is probably about the life of the shocks/struts, bushings and endlinks. When I went over speedbumps the front sway bar bushings squealed. There was clang or bang of metal on metal which was the right front swaybar endlink. The ride became rough and that was the struts/shocks coming to end of life.
 
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You did pretty good. My last Ford product started having suspension issues at 22K miles. Front sway bar end-links went at 22K, front strut mount bearings at 30K, rear shocks, control arms, and sway-bar end-links at 40K, and tie-rod ends started going at 50K. My Subaru still has all its original suspension and steering components at 137K.
 
Originally Posted by IveBeenRued
You did pretty good. My last Ford product started having suspension issues at 22K miles. Front sway bar end-links went at 22K, front strut mount bearings at 30K, rear shocks, control arms, and sway-bar end-links at 40K, and tie-rod ends started going at 50K. My Subaru still has all its original suspension and steering components at 137K.


Sounds like quality is dropping and they are using "Economy" parts for new cars.
 
Originally Posted by Navi
My MKT now has 46000 miles on it and the no deductible factory warranty expires at 50000. Thus I put it into the dealer because recently its been riding rough. During this time of slow business they are more willing to replace things and did they ever. They replaced front struts, rear shocks, swaybar endlinks, swaybar bushings and the power transfer unit known as the PTU. I never complained about the PTU by the way and it wasnt making noise when I brought it in, but no complaint that they replaced it. I have read those do go bad so it was good they replaced it.

Thus 40-50k is probably about the life of the shocks/struts, bushings and endlinks. When I went over speedbumps the front sway bar bushings squealed. There was clang or bang of metal on metal which was the right front swaybar endlink. The ride became rough and that was the struts/shocks coming to end of life.

Those PTUs are almost disposable. That is one part that needs a 25K OCI.
 
In defense of Ford, my 2015 Taurus with 44k has not been making any suspension noises whatsoever, even though the immediate local roads to go anywhere are extremely rough (really an understatement). It's about as smooth a ride as possible on these roads. It does not have a PTU though (for which I'm glad).
 
The 14 Focus in the household rides great at 88K on original everything. It can cover far more miles than my BMW without needing something failing. The dampening is soft, but so is the spring rate. It's just an American ride.

Now the corrosion control is ridiculous. Going to have to find a used trunk lid because the rust is beyond repair. It's like it was built in the 70s. Of course there's the DCT issue, but Ford paid for that and I think the problem is overstated.
 
I would say the clunking from the right swaybar endlink started occurring at 43000 miles or so. The overall ride, struts/shocks, getting bad occurred over time but was really noticeable past 40000 miles. The car seemed to dive a bit more and going over bumps seemed a bit more dramatic than it usually was. The bushings occurred at about the same time as the ride getting rough where over a speed bump you would hear a squeal up front.

So I would say the mark is 40000 miles for myself when the suspension went south.

As for the PTU, I had the oil changed at 30000 miles or at least they told me they changed it...there are a lot of dishonest mechanics around here. Around here its best to get that stuff done at the dealership. I remember it was a hard time finding a mechanic who knew about it over the phone. One place, an Aamco, sounded like they had no idea how to do it. I took it to a Meineke place and they did it, but it was expensive and I think they ripped me off.

The PTU wasnt making any noise at all or at least noise that I noticed. I can believe from what Ive read about it that it goes bad periodically, but there was nothing obvious to myself that anything was wrong with it. In any event, I am happy they replaced it because now its one less thing to go wrong.
 
Most probably if you are looking for a heavy duty four wheeler go with one of the Toyota trucks. As for the Ford Explorer I would get that 150k extended warranty. I think a lot of people buy Ford Explorers because they get a great deal on them, but there are some issues and drama along the way. The Ford Explorer is a good urban off-roader, but its not the type of vehicle I would depend upon if marooned on an island. I wouldnt use it if reliability and durability was a top concern.
 
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That's tragic to need all of those parts replaced on a car so new, with that amount of miles. My 2014 Edge with 43,000 miles still rides quite well. And I would never get a car with AWD, especially a Ford, due to the amount of problems that they've had with their PTU's They finally came out and started to recommend that the fluid be changed in recent years, but before that … They cooked the fluid, as the unit was so close to hot exhaust parts. Believe that for awhile they even had coolant running to them. And it adds at least $1000 to the price of the vehicle, plus the additional service required I suppose that if you live in an area that gets a lot of snow, or you need to go off road, there could be some value to it. But having a touch of OCD makes me have strong opinions about certain things

I have had FWD cars since 1983, and have never been kept from getting where I needed to go with just FWD. Lived in PA and now MD.
 
Shocks and struts degrade gradually and usually standard ones will last about 50000 miles. A lot of the time you wont notice they are worn out, but when they are replaced the ride is much much better and steering, handling, braking much improved. You can keep the car steadier on the highway.
 
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