Brand-new 2025 Explorer ST, only 4,200 miles on the clock, owner’s cruising I-94 near Detroit in bumper-to-bumper hell. Transmission mount grenades, car just dies mid-merge. Prius behind kisses the bumper. Fender-bender, nobody hurt bad, but Explorer subreddits and Facebook groups are losing their minds over what smells like a factory screw-up.
5 PM gridlock. Driver swaps lanes, hears a hard clunk, shifter goes floppy like a wet noodle, then nothing—no gas, no lights, zilch. Prius tags ’em at walking speed before they can limp to the shoulder. Tow to the stealership, tech pulls the skid plate:
· Rubber bushing shredded like cheese
· Steel bracket folded and split
Guy says he’s seen a ton of these on Chicago-built ’25s—bolts only snugged to 50 ft-lbs (should be 70) and that new “tree-hugger” rubber that crumbles when it gets hot.
| What You Feel | Miles In |
| Shifter wiggles in Park | 1k–3k |
| Buzz around 1,500–2k RPM | City, engine warm |
| Shifts that thunk or lag | Stop-and-go |
| Clunk P → D | Cold crank |
Shop foremen and indie techs point at March–April builds:
1. Bolts half-assed at the plant
2. New “quiet” rubber falls apart under heat/torque
Ford quietly dropped TSB 25-1892: re-torque bolts, swap busted mounts on their dime. Word is they’re counting failures for a recall.
Thread’s full of close calls:
· Car rolls backward into a parked ride at Target
· Another stalls at a light, almost T-boned
No dash warnings half the time—fails silent till it’s game over.
Feel the shifter slop, hear clunks, get vibes? Get it checked yesterday. $350 mount beats a $3,500 trans job… or worse.
Grab the VDI Transmission Mount 8K0399151AP – beefier rubber, no eco-crumble. Link below.
