According to the TSB, if the truck is under warranty Ford takes care of it. If the truck is out of warranty, the owner takes care of it. That's how it should be. It's called personal responsibility. Why should the dealership be responsible for the repair of your vehicle once your out of warranty? The issue is with Ford, not the dealer. The dealer is merely a businessman trying to make money just like the rest of us, he's not a welfare office, besides, he didn't design the motor, Ford did. That's why they take care of it while it's under warranty.

 

BS if I take my truck to a ford dealer to have the plugs changed and they are charging me $300 and they are supposed to know how to do it and they screw it up they fix it or we are going to court!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I agree the dealer is an extension of Ford Motor Company and if they have a problem with the plugs then they need to step it up and fix it for the customers that spend big money on their trucks! Simple

 

x2. This is maintanance, not fixing something that's broke. It's changing out sparkplugs, something that should only require a "lefty loosy, righty tighty" ability. Problem is, if the dang plug were one piece or stronger, the plug wouldn't seperate and end of story. Even if it's proven the heads are adequate, the plugs aren't and fixing the plugs should solve the problem. Most dealers are trying to put the fine print in front of us when we sign the forms giving them permission to work on our trucks saying they aren't responsible should anything break, whether or not it's b/c of Ford stupidity. Just like the injector problems for the 05's, Ford will hide their head as long as they can(I hate to say it, unlike some of the foreigns who have shown that they would rather jump on a problem early instead of deny it all together). I feel like I'm sitting on a time bomb with a short fuse b/c I have an engine that might cost more than it's worth should I try and have it "maintained". This is stupidity to me, Ford giving me a extended warranty letter on injectors that they admit are possibly defective, covering the injectors and any possible engine damage(should the dealer actually prove this). They would rather risk us f------up our engines than exchange out the injectors. Kind of lame to me. OK I"ll stop venting, I haven't had my coffee yet.

 

Dealers may have the Ford name, and they may represent Ford to some extent, but they are a private business separate from Ford. They guarantee their work, not the design and engineering of Ford Motor Company.

While you may spend 35K on a truck, the dealer only sees a relatively small percentage of that. While 35K may be a lot to you, it's peanuts to a dealer when you compare it to his investment. He probably floor plans 30K of his money for a gross 10% return, then has to pay the light bill,....and wages, benefits, insurance, advertising, etc.....

Now, if the mechanic/dealer is negligent, then yes, they should have to eat the repair, but we all know that you can do everything right and the plug still break. How is that the dealers fault? Just because you don't want to or cannot afford to pay for it doesn't mean you can pick-pocket it from the dealer or the mechanic. They are not responsible for the design flaw, Ford is. Go to Ford to get your money.

 

Go to court for what? What is the dealer liable for? How do you prove he was negligent when everyone knows it's a design flaw, that even when the technician does everything right the plug can still break?

Let me take a WAG, you are not a businessman or an attorney, are you?

 

Let me take a WAG u are not much of a tech. are u, I will tell u I am a retired from the electrical trade and I can tell u that if I ****ed it up whether or not it was designed properly I fixed it at no cost to the customer, it is thinking like u have and ford that has them where they are today and one other thing hang on a class action law suit is coming fords way on this as they have changed the head design and plug design as we speak so they are admitting they know they had a design flaw but won't own up to it!!!!

 

I guess 'u' finally get it. It is a Ford problem, not a dealer problem.

I never said when the dealer messed things up that they shouldn't be responsible, in fact, I said they should be responsible, but we all know that this is a Ford design flaw. I'm sure that when 'u' screwed something up 'u' were responsible, but what if the gizmo they gave 'u' to install or work on was defective? Did 'u' eat the additional extra cost? Did 'u' boss eat it? Somehow I have a feeling that 'u' didn't let someone rob 'u' like that.

I do agree with 'u' about someone taking Ford to task over the design, but who is going to file the class action law suit? Most people trade in their vehicles before the plugs need changing and normally the new owners get it after the warranty, and thus the responsibility that Ford has, is over with. Sorry, but no amount of !!!!!!!!'s at the end of 'u' sentences lends any credibility to 'u' righteous indignation about this.

 

I can see u are a new user on these forums or u would already know how many good ford folks have been fighting this problem and vow to never own another ford, u keep thinking like u think and u will be twisting wrencehs for toyota or honda one day, WE ARE DONE

 

Hell, I don't even change my own oil normally, why would I make a complete career change and work for a rice repair facility?

 

I see now. I thought it was the dissimilar metals that were fusing. I would think I should change them before or at 50K anyway. Thanks.............

 

Well I'm not new! And I have to say I've worked at a Ford dealership for over 20 years at a chevy dealership before that and also a dodge dealership. Not one not even the japanese vehicles never came out with a vehicle that never gave any problems! So go ahead do what you must just remember that when the other brand has a problem and it costs you! I'm here to make money for my family like you. I'm not going to eat a Ford design stupidity. I can't afford to plain and simple. I warn the customer up front that this is a Ford design problem and if a plug breaks it will be at thier cost. Don't get me wrong if I break something and it's my fault I take care of it! You can't honestly tell me you fixed a electrical motor that was bad you installed and ate the bill. If it was under warranty the company fixed it right? If not YOU PAID FOR IT? I find that hard to believe.

 

If I intalled a part that was either bad or didn't last of course the company that built it would replace it and I ate the labor to replace it the second time and if I hadn't I wouldn't be called again that is the cost of doing business!! So tell me straight up how have u done on replacing plugs in 04 and up 5.4's following the tsb have u had to pull the heads???? BTW I am going to trade my 04 on an 09 before I replace the plugs not going to take the chance but I still don' t think ford is even trying to be fair to their cutomers on this issue.

 

I completly agree. I've been a Ford man my whole life, so has my dad, his dad, etc..... After getting F**ed on a spark plug change, I don't know if I'll buy another new ford again....

 

So far I've had fairly good luck. And I will agree Ford isn't standing up to this issue. I just don't believe blaming the techs and making them pay for an engineering stupidity is right either! After all try working on a flat rate system!