Down in Power - FORD says due to update?!?

[GLOontheGo]

Hi, I would appreciate some advice or guidance on the following issue.

I own a 2023 Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 diesel, which I really love. However, about 8 months ago, just a month after I bought it, I noticed a significant drop in power while accelerating. This happens intermittently, with no warning lights or dashboard alerts. The power loss feels like the vehicle drops to about 50% of its usual power. It typically resolves itself after a corner or junction, but it continues to happen regularly, with no apparent pattern. The vehicle is always up to temperature when this occurs.

I reached out to my local Ford dealer where I purchased the vehicle, and they claimed to have fixed the issue. However, after 3 visits over the course of 8 months, the problem persists. Just today, I was called into a meeting with Ford, and they informed me that the lack of power is due to an over-the-air update related to emissions, specifically a "Cold Torque Derate Update." They said the vehicle would run at reduced power until it reaches temperature, and this would occur every time the car is turned off and on.

I’m skeptical—surely, this can’t be the case? Has anyone else experienced a similar issue? Ford claims all 3.0 V6 diesel Rangers have received this update.

Personally, I think it’s an unsafe update. You expect your car to have a certain level of power, and running at half power for a period of time seems concerning.

A few questions:

If Ford has implemented such an update, should I be able to find information about it online?
Is this situation genuine, and has anyone else faced similar issues?
What should my next steps be?

Thanks for reading.

Jordan - United Kingdom

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[RangerBill]

Hi, I would appreciate some advice or guidance on the following issue.

I own a 2023 Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 diesel, which I really love. However, about 8 months ago, just a month after I bought it, I noticed a significant drop in power while accelerating. This happens intermittently, with no warning lights or dashboard alerts. The power loss feels like the vehicle drops to about 50% of its usual power. It typically resolves itself after a corner or junction, but it continues to happen regularly, with no apparent pattern. The vehicle is always up to temperature when this occurs.

I reached out to my local Ford dealer where I purchased the vehicle, and they claimed to have fixed the issue. However, after 3 visits over the course of 8 months, the problem persists. Just today, I was called into a meeting with Ford, and they informed me that the lack of power is due to an over-the-air update related to emissions, specifically a "Cold Torque Derate Update." They said the vehicle would run at reduced power until it reaches temperature, and this would occur every time the car is turned off and on.

I’m skeptical—surely, this can’t be the case? Has anyone else experienced a similar issue? Ford claims all 3.0 V6 diesel Rangers have received this update.

Personally, I think it’s an unsafe update. You expect your car to have a certain level of power, and running at half power for a period of time seems concerning.

A few questions:

If Ford has implemented such an update, should I be able to find information about it online?
Is this situation genuine, and has anyone else faced similar issues?
What should my next steps be?

Thanks for reading.

Jordan - United Kingdom

We don't have any Ranger diesel engines in the US, so I don't know if you will be able to find any help here on this issue.

 

[k1w1t1m]

Some of our Australian members may be able to suggest something but there are not many here.

 

[Dereku]

It was probably to meet an emission standard that they missed, or was caught. They retroactively fixed it. You can probably tune it to fix that issue. Not sure on laws there regarding a custom tune.

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