Purchased new 2021 explorer xlt in July. In November too to dealership because reverse was not operating correctly. When going from park to reverse car wouldn't move, then it all the sudden jerk back hard and at times take off.
Dealership had it for 3 weeks. Took it back in december again and head mechanic experienced the issues as well, said needs new transmission. February 2022 new transmission in yesterday dealership test drove all good. I was 5 minutes i to my drive stopped and put in reverse and SAME issue again nothing fixed with new transmission.
Is there any other explaination other then I have a Lemon?

 

I would not say you have a lemon. Just because a tech was unable to determine the exact cause and went off on a wild goose chase, due to a difficult to find and repair problem. Where in past transmissions everything was only hydraulically controlled ,now a lot of sophisticated electronics are involved and can be easily overlooked.
Courtesy and persistence will pay off in the long run.

 

I do appreciate the positive outlook! I was able to find one write up for the December items fixed. But my big item is that everytime they say the head mechanic drove it and the vehicle was all fine, within 20 minutes I getting the same issues for what it was brought in with. This dealership also told me the airbag recall work was done but the new airbag is still sitting in my rear seat in original unopened box, with airbag light still on.

 

Not wanting to make excuses , but here we are.

Dealerships are run like individual businesses and when we have a problem with a business we go to the head of the personnel. So in this case I would consider going straight ti the dealership Manager who wants to make money.
If a bad reputation gets out , it cuts into the $$ income. Request a meeting with him/her and state your concerns and results so far obtained. Let us know how that goes, thanks.

 

Just an observation, I would delete the attachment containing the repair order you posted. Maybe the moderators can do that. There's way too much personal information listed. Perhaps white out the personal stuff and repost.

 

We have 2021 Explorer King Ranch and have similar issues. There is a significant delay from the time I change the dial to "Reverse" until it actually engages in reverse. Probably 2-3 seconds. It has 'always' done that from the day we purchased it brand new. I believe the delay time has gotten a little longer over time (we now have 70K miles). We have had no other problems with the transmission, and as long as you wait the 2-3 seconds it doesn't seem to be a problem. It is of course annoying and should not behave this way. My opinion is that it's the computer/electronics that is causing the delay - everything seems to take a couple of seconds to "wake up" the computer. Especially noticeable when starting the vehicle - it starts quickly, but then all the electronics and indications take a few seconds to come on line. Another think I've notices is there are several "relays" or other components that click and clack after the car is turned off - this goes on randomly for up to an hour after shutting off the car. Again I attribute this to the computer/electronics. Very shoddy programming perhaps?

 

A question, Was the trans serviced since you purchased the vehicle?

There could be a few reasons for the delayed application, but you most likely won't want to spend the $$$ and as long as the vehicle moves,don't want to spend it.
That is understandable.
What if you went to a trans shop that has a good reputation, and asked them what they thought , and if they thought they could correct the delayed engagement problem.?
How much would it cost.
All of a sudden it doesn't bother you that much,lol.

 

No service on the transmission that I know of. Just the usual oil changes on schedule.

would I consider an independent transmission service to check it out? Probably someday if it gets worse. Right now it’s tolerable but frustrating. You pay over $60k for a vehicle that doesn’t operate as designed. That’s especially aggravating.