This isn't a "**** Ford I'm buying a Ram" thread, but it does need to be typed up, as a warning to fellow ESP warranty holders that should ever need to call upon the warranty to fix something with the drivetrain/suspension:

The truck better be Pebble Beach Concours clean before arrival at the dealer.

Despite these trucks being (mostly) FOUR WHEEL DRIVE, and so-called "SUPER DUTY", and carrying a THREE QUARTER TON rating, the warranty is only as good as the safe pavement you operate it on. In other words, Ford essentially only stands behind warranties they sell on their passenger cars, and maybe some crossovers, but not their TRUCKS, especially not their flagship WORK TRUCK, as I discovered after almost two days of trying to talk some sense into upper management at the Ford ESP department Tuesday and Wednesday.

See- I dared to get some mud on and under my truck last Tuesday before Christmas, using it in a manner much less than it's advertised as capable of, and while I was off the safety of the road by no more than about 50 feet, an upper or lower or both ball joints in my RF suspension failed, leading to catastrophic suspension, drivetrain (front axle), and body damage.

I had to have it towed to my dealer, who gave me a warning in hindsight I should've given more gravity to: "warranty's not gonna cover this" "Why the hell wouldn't they?" It's not some Focus Hybrid, it's a Super Friggin Duty for cryin out loud....

Well- flash forward a week (truck sat through Christmas and the weekend while waiting for "the prior approval inspector" to come by), and I get the call from service writer: "call your insurance, ESP isn't covering it" I almost laughed at first, thinking he was joking, but after getting Crystal and "Managers" at ESP involved both via phone and email, I was saddened to discover that the joke was on me.

The excuse given was that because there was mud on the truck, I "had to have been operating it in an abusive or neglectful manner". My God, man, are you serious right now? If the ball joints hadn't failed, I could've cleaned it off! Eventually, despite the evidence I submitted and the correct arguments I made, I was essentially given the middle finger and told to "report us to the BBB"

So here I am 3 days later, truck's still sitting, awaiting for now the insurance adjuster to come by so repairs can be authorized and commence. The extra money I'm out of pocket ($50 ESP ded. vs $250 insurance ded.) and lack of rental convenience (I've got it on my ESP warranty, not on insurance) isn't the majority of my disappointment, it's primarily in that Ford/ESP and I entered into a contract that they sold under false pretenses, and are wholly not interested in honoring.

Caveat Emptor

 

I love those threads along with all the high drama and crazy emotion they carry. If you change your mind, please update this thread.

On a more serious note, sucks about the truck, good luck getting the big beast back on the road.

 

I guess I can't take my truck in to muddy job sites anymore and make a living and feed my family. Thanks Ford.

 

Hmmm, valids that I have bumper to bumper on my insurance vs ford ESP.


I do have 250 deductible...but do have rental and towing and all.


Good thing is I know what my out of pocket will be.

 

That really is terrible. I guess this is just another vote for the Gieco coverage instead of Ford ESP...

 

I know this wont help now, but I had heard about how Mopar wouldnt honor JEEP warranty if vehicle showed evidence of offroading. Well, I needed some work done, and was asked what I use my JEEP for, and I answered "checking cows and fences" ! The dealer asked no more questions, and work was approved!
So on this note, I personally beleive that it is the dealer that screwed you over, and now your issue is in Fords system as "abused and neglected"....... It sucks. I had a bout with GM over similar deal 30 years ago! And have not darkend the door of a GM dealer since!

 

Guess you can try and sue them.

 

All manufactures warranty covers " Only Manufacturing Defects". Not wear items or abuse caused by the owner even if it was an accident. This is when your insurance coverage comes in the picture.


Sorry... And best of luck with your insurance agent.

 

Here in Texas , I would look into using the "deceptive trades practice act" as the manufacture that builds a 4 X 4 vehicle would reasonably expect that the vehicle would be subject to being used off road. (an implied warranty) don't ask how my lawyer used this a few years ago against the dealer and Ford to reconsider this same stance.

 

Troy- both the ball joints and spindle are specifically identified under the "covered components" page of my PremiumCare warranty. It baffles me how they can essentially stare at the sun and say it isn't shining.....

I don't have any problem at all believing my ball joint or joint boots on that corner had been compromised for who knows how long, and been wearing out prematurely for thousands of miles, ultimately leading to their early demise, which according to their paperwork, is 100% covered by Ford.

In all sincerity, I should be thankful they failed at a measly 10/20 mph off-road on soft mud, as opposed to at highway speeds and concrete. The resulting wreck would've been horrific.

Just really shocked and disappointed in their treatment of me and this situation

 

This sucks and I'm sorry to hear another one of these Ford warranty issue threads. Fords warranty sucks, plains ms simple. They sure the hell do not stand behind their products, that's for damn sure.

One of the reasonsy why I gave Ford another shot was because of my outstanding dealer and 'their' lifetime warranty. I have all maintenance done by them (which is fine) and they will take care of everything else. I would have never came back if it wasn't for my dealer and diesel mech in place. Both have my total confidence.

 

I understand... Your engine and all the internal components are covered too, but to what degree of operation are they covered? If I drive my truck at full throttle until the engine pops will ESP cover it? The short answer is no because of neglect even if the throttle allowed me to blow it sky high.


I was discussing warranty topics with my cousin this Christmas and he reported that the Ford shop does not have problems with Ford approving warrenty repairs accept for covering the electric folding mirrors of all things. The procedure is the tech has to inspect the mirror for any ding's in the plastic shell and if one is found he has to send pictures and the warrenty is usually voided as this is viewed as neglect. Another warranty denial was on a MyFordTouch system that the user got pissed at it and punched the screen in, and then he couldn't understand why Ford wouldn't warranty repair it.


It's a tuff call, but if there is any sign of neglect and it doesn't matter how it happened, the warranty will not cover the repair. And now my cousin has been working with the RAM trucks for a couple of years and he has to go thru a bunch of red tape to get Chrysler to approve a warranty repair so everyone is being very critical now.


Just to be clear a Warranty policy (Including the ESP) and a Insurance Policy are two different types of coverage and are not the same.

 

I understand what you're saying, Troy, but I'd counter your engine scenario by saying that IF the d-b-w AND the rev limiter both failed at the same time, allowing the engine to blastoff before one were to have a chance to shut off the ignition, they'd have every right to expect that seeing as how all those components being covered by warranty, all affected items would be replaced/repaired by Ford.

The weasly way out that they took, "the mud on the truck" is what's got me so mad. Essentially, if I had been a little more dishonest about what had happened, and been able to clean the truck to "pavement only" appearance, I was led to believe they would have honored the warranty. I didn't realize they were so ignorant or obtuse as to how ball joints fail, or how these trucks are advertised to sell and expected to be used.

 

That truly sux Chuck. I feel for you. I hope this guy below remembers to wash his truck before taking it in for any warranty suspension work. Perhaps some of you have seen this picture before.



From the Ford brochure.

 

I've seen trucks including utility trucks with mud caked up under the truck like you wouldn't believe and never heard of warranty denial because of this when performing drivetrain work.... Plus I never heard of a catastrophic front end failure by just going off road or of any type of driving as this front suspension has been very reliable... I do know that you could get charged extra $$$ to remove certain aftermarket equipment or clean up the truck in order for it to be fit to work on, but this story doesn't make much sense.