so last weekend I towed a car about 300 miles but right off the bat my truck came off the highway the trailer was back heavy and I was going down hill and the trailer jack knifed and slid me off the road and down a hill.. after cleaning the poo out of my pants i checked the truck out and it looked ok (2000 f-150 xlt 4.6 auto) it looked ok but the overdrive light was flashing (i didnt have overdrive on) I didnt know what it was and I drove home it was late and the check engine light wasnt on so i thought it was some sensor going off. I called my inshurance because when I took the trailer off my truck was leaning to the left about 1 1/2 inches to the left ( tire pressure was correct) and the tranny was shifting hard. When I took the truck to the local ford dealership they said it had a 3/4 shift error code. when they checked it out there was there was alot of clutch material in the pan. The agent is trying to get out of paying for the rebuild because they say it was normal wear and it just wore out.... I know that this trany ran well shifted smooth and this is the ONLY tow I have ever done with this truck. I didnt claim the trailer damage or the damage on the car I was towing but if they agent messes me around I am going to claim them too.. if that is the case do I have to fix those things with the money from the inshurance or can I use it on the rest of the truck. (not the best questions for this forum but someone might be able to help me)

 

OK, so I'm an insurance adjuster, and a customer is claiming transmission damage due to an accident, but no body damage etc. Quickly, I look at my copy of the standard boilerplate insurance policy. Hhhhm, collision damage defined as damage to body/frame. OK. Then I call 1000 transmission shops, and ask them if it would be normal to find clutch material in the pan of an 8 year old truck auto trans. 998 say "Yes", 1 says "Hell yes", 1 says "could be, I'd have to put it on the lift and collect a $4000 deposit to tell"

And so what was it you wanted the insurance man to pay for?

Usually, the ins is going to pay the shop that fixes the damage.

If you opt for a cash payout, then spend the money on whatever it was you were smoking that allowed you to drive an ***-wagging trailer off the road, then you can luxuriate in the cash as you drive your busted up truck.

Then, if you are crafty, you will change insurance companies and claim the loss again, and again....

Seriously, I don't see how an insurance claim can be made for transmission wear in this circumstance. If the crash busted the case in two, you'd have it made. But it didn't, so claim the crash damage and watch out when you tow.

 

67blueford- you seem more concerned with trying to get money from your insurance company than fixing your truck. Thanks, it's people like you that makes me love paying high premiums.

 

I am very worried about getting money from my insurance company for damage that was done in an accident and not normal wear and tear. I went to the dealership that I purchased the truck from and the transmission was replaced at 100,000 miles (before I purchased the truck) so it shouldnt be normal wear and tear. I am just a little worried about how Im going to pay for this and im looking to the members of this web site that I trust to let me know if this is a normal sensor or what? Im sorry you blame an accident I had with your insurance premium going up but I was only trying to get my vehicle repaired from the damage of the accident. I think thats why I pay for full coverage instead of liability insurance, D!(K you seem more worried with talking a bunch of crap then trying to tell me weather you think it was normal wear and tear or a sensor or if the transmission is toast. I was looking to this forum for a little insight from someone who might have had an issue like this before .... so FAH-Q BILLC if you didnt read it right read it again.

 

So you've posted this in three forums and you are getting no love in any of them. Does that give you a hint?

If the accident did damage the trans, it would not be in the form of clutch material in the pan. The OD light and shift issue would seem to be related to this incident, but in light of the wear present, they are probably due to the stress of towing. Did you spin the motor backwards in the accident or stall it or otherwise put the trans in some tremendous stress? And if you did, did you specify that in the discussions with the adjustor? (who isn't going to pay anyway due to the wear involved)

Now, you say you have damage to the trailer and towed vehicle. File your claim on that.

What's with the truck leaning to the left also?

As for coming to the forum for a little insight, it appears that is what you have gotten.

 

My insight is you're in the wrong here.

This was not due to the "accident". Its simply impossible for clutch material to wear out that fast in the course of going off the road. Now, it is possible you burned what was left of the clutches from this towing. The PCM in these trucks compensates for clutch wear by increasing line pressure to keep a consistent shift firmness. So, as it wears down you don't notice it. What likely happened is the tow caused the transmission to overheat enough that the transmission could no longer compensate, and the heat allowed the transmission to burn up what was left.

I think its going to be an uphill battle for you to expect them to pay for non-accident damage.

Check out the guidelines here. Any further remarks like "FAH-Q" may result in time off the site.