Hey, all -

I'm a second owner of a 2001 F-150 King Ranch. After some deliberation, I've concluded that I want to approach Ford about repairing/replacing the leather seat covers in my truck. This truck has been in service for less than 2 years, and the leather is already discolored, the grain is broken, imperfections are showing through, etc, etc.

Has anyone ever successfully prevailed on FoMoCo's good faith to get them to fix something like this? Leather is probably such a gray area, but being that the seats are pretty much the only real value to a KR model, I think one has a right to expect a little more life out of them than this truck has gotten.

Any suggestions/input/ideas welcome...thanks...

 

Here's what Ford will be looking at:

1) You're the second owner. I'm not saying Ford WON'T do anything, but you'd stand a better chance if you were the original owner.

2) You don't mention how many miles are on the vehicle. If it's over 40,000, then your job is a tougher one. If it's a LOT over 40k, then your job is an impossible one.

3) What is the overall condition of the vehicle? Is it absolutely showroom-new PERFECT? I hope so, because it makes it tougher for Ford to argue with you ("...gee, mister, if you had taken better care of this truck and its interior, you wouldn't be having this problem with the seats..."). Also, when the truck was new, there was a special tag on them that explained how to care for the seats and the Castano leather, and what you could expect them to look like with age. If you don't have that, find a Ford dealer with a new KR and read the tag (it's usually on the driver's seat). Ford will certainly bring it up. Also, the nicer the overall truck, the worse the seats will look as to premature wear. If your truck isn't perfect (and I do mean PERFECT), then find the best detailer in your area and pay him whatever it takes to make your truck look like brand-new. That will be the best money you ever spent.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I realize that I don't have a legal case against Ford; I was hoping to prevail on their sense of fairness. After all, the KR model was their top-of-the-line, and when you get down to it, the only thing of note the KR gives you is the fancy leather, so for it to go in less than two years seems under the "Mendoza Line."

Anyway, I'm going to get it into the dealer soon...more as it happens.

 

You have a high mileage second-hand truck with dents and scratches and you want them to pay to replace the leather? Condition is more a matter of care and how much use it has, not age. Sounds more like you're looking for freebie then fairness.

 

I'm not asking them to repair the dings and dents (which in truth are quite minor), and I think the mileage is, at most, a secondary factor in the wear on the leather. It doesn't seem unreasonable that the interior would last more than two years. And from what I can see, the prior owner did in fact try to take care of the leather...included in the sale was a nearly-empty bottle of the Ford/King Ranch leather conditioner.

Years ago, I owned a Mercury which got recalled for poor leather. That was a much less expensive car, and the wear on the leather seemed about the same. I don't think I'm reaching for the moon here. I *do* think that this interior is below Ford's stated standards for this vehicle.

 

Good luck on the leather. It can't hurt to complain, but I honestly don't see them fixing or repairing it.

 

You could search Ebay and find the seats, believe it or not there are people out there who don't like them. I am not one though. I love our KR. I doubt that ford will replace the seats, they do require care though.

 

If I was Bill Ford Jr., I'd see to it that you got a prompt PFO letter.

Waxy

 

This is exactly why I don't get leather in a vehicle anymore. You are paying more money for something that wears faster and is more uncomfortable. Cold in the winter, burns your legs in the summer. Makes no sense.

 

Yeah, I tend to agree, WXboy. I prefer cloth, but I got a decent deal on this truck, so I went for it, figuring I'd make the best of the leather...

 

Well then you should be able to find cloth seats anywhere.

 

WXboy, but what happend's when you spill somthing on cloth it soak's it up.that don't happen with leather in the winter i have heated seat's(+ a remote start to warm it up before i get in it) so they are not cold an in the summer they don't get that hot or uncomfutable for me anyway i will never go cloth again

 

I loathe leather seats--they are a total deal-breaker for me in any vehicle, unless it is FREE. My F-350 has vinyl seats--that way, I can stick a hose in it to clean it out.

My Caddy has leather seats...because when I rebuilt it, I still thought they were a good idea.

 

My truck, (the '96) has nice comfy cloth seats that are great. The other truck (the '02) has leather seats, and looks worn at 40,000 miles. They are heated, but in summer they are too hot to sit on.

I notice that I do not mention the other other truck very often. It (the '89) has the seats out of the '96 in it, fitted when I converted the '96 to two seats up front, and zero seats in the back. (I am in the process of designing a storage system for the back, with a padded bunk on top.)

Theo

 

I feel your pain and then some. I am the original owner of a 2004 Kng Ranch. After 6 months and only 5000 miles, the front seats look like they are different from the rear seats. All the leather surfaces in the front of the vehicle are faded. The "tag" from Ford states to condition these seats every 6 months with their conditioner. I did this twice in the first six months and the seats look faded still. I took my truck back at 6 months and showed the dealer. Long story short, they are unwilling to do anything at this stage. They refer to this as "normal" discoloration. My gosh, the front seats look like they have come out of a different vehicle. I do understand that this leather will develope a character with time but am totally unhappy with the discoloration. If this happened only after 6 months, what will it look like in 6 years.


I am still persuing this through an arbutration process that Ford has but am less than optimistic.

I will let you know how I make out.

Keith