I have 116,000 miles on my vehicle. My throttle control/transmission warning light has come on. I took it to the dealer and the internal error code refers to the transmission. The dealer does not a mechanic qualified to work on CVT transmissions.
Take your vehicle to a good independent transmission shop. It’s old enough that you don’t need to go to the dealer for service.
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Independent or a different dealer.
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We have a VW dealer here who does not have qualified transmission specialists in house. The send their work to a local independent AAA certified transmission shop.
Dealers don’t do enough transmission overhauls to warrant having a skilled crew on hand.
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It could be worse. They might have a guy who’s willing to learn on yours…
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The last time I needed to repair a Freestyle CVT transmission the parts needed were on backorder through Ford with no estimated arrival date. That left my customer with a car that either wouldn’t start or would stall at random intervals, essentially leaving the car undriveable. There isn’t much call for repair on those transmissions anymore.
I was able to find an aftermarket online source for the parts needed to fix the car, but it was still more than the customer wanted to spend on a car this age.
For what it’s worth and based on my experience over the years, the so-called domestic (Big 3) dealerswork things differently as compared to the so named import dealers.
The import mechanics work on every facet of the car from front to back. Engine, transmission, suspension, or whtever is required.
The Big 3 dealers (at least from the ones I know) have a separate mechanic for each area…One guy is Heavy Line meaning engine work, a transmission guy or two, another for Brakes/Suspension, Driveability, and so on. Some even have a Squeak and Rattle guy’
If that dealer does not have a designated transmission man then it’s most likely because they’ve been screwing over the mechanics and can’t keep one on staff.