svastano Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Group, How do you handle this situation? My 2015 Focus just broke the transmission mount. I have had absolutely no problems with this car and really love it. Car has approx. 43xxx miles on it. When I took it to the dealer they told me it was not under warranty, Understood, since it is not internal to the motor or transmission. The concerning factor is that they told me and I have it in writing See below. The part that failed was a missing bolt Part # CV6Z-7M125-D I have had to do nothing in terms of repairs other than normal maintenance on this car. Lucky for me that when the bracket broke my wife and daughter were in a gravel driveway and not at highway speeds! My concern is that I feel Ford is responsible for the repair since the bracket was missing a bolt. In my limited knowledge of engineering 1 bolt missing on a bracket with only 4 bolts caused excessive stress on the bracket causing the failure. Two scenarios on this, Factory missed putting the bolt in completely or did not tork it to specs and it worked it's way out. Any advice on how to get this handled??? Thanks Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Unfortunately there is no way to prove definitively how/why the bolt was missing or if that caused the failure, even though it’s pretty likely. You might be able to win a small claims case but is that really worth the time and effort? Get the dealer to ask Ford for an AWA - after warranty adjustment. They might cover at least half of the repair costs but the dealer has to initiate it and may have to kick in on the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svastano Posted June 13, 2018 Author Share Posted June 13, 2018 The dealer has washed their hands of it. I have asked, Argued etc but I get nowhere. I have also called the Ford 800 line to no avail. I agree that small claims might get me there but that is a long shot. Little me and Big pockets Ford.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Then you're just going to have to eat this one. Stuff happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordtech1 Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 The customer service number didnt help? Sometimes they will split the cost. Did you buy it new? Im not sure your situation as far as maintenance. The works package is very competitive. (FWIW I know not all dealers are good to deal with) But these are the reasons I always recommend having maintenance done at your dealer. They are much more likely to help a customer in situations like these. Jiffy lube people are less likely to get help if all they do is come in for warranty work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svastano Posted June 13, 2018 Author Share Posted June 13, 2018 Nope the Customer service said they were going to stand behind the Dealership's decision. As for Maintenance I do all my own. Oil changes, brakes etc. If it is a major job I do have somebody but that is not normally the case as I usually keep newer cars and do not need the "major stuff" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordtech1 Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Nope the Customer service said they were going to stand behind the Dealership's decision. As for Maintenance I do all my own. Oil changes, brakes etc. If it is a major job I do have somebody but that is not normally the case as I usually keep newer cars and do not need the "major stuff" I can appreciate doing your own maintenance. However, thats the leverage you can use to get after warranty assistance. Dealers use the allotted money ford gives them for customers in this situation to help. Being a frequent customer gives the dealer reason to use that money. Ford also gives customers a loyalty score and that plays into the decision as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svastano Posted June 13, 2018 Author Share Posted June 13, 2018 (edited) So in other words I have to throw away my money at a dealership so they do the right thing? If a bolt is missing on the bracket don't you think it is the Fault of Ford so they should fix it! Edited June 13, 2018 by svastano Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 So in other words I have to throw away my money at a dealership so they do the right thing? It’s not “doing the right thing” because you’re out warranty and the dealer would have to pony up their money, so why would they spend their money on you if you didn’t spend any money with them on service? Although likely there is no proof this was caused by a factory defect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svastano Posted June 13, 2018 Author Share Posted June 13, 2018 To me leaving a bolt off the bracket is the factory defect! Transferring 25% of the tork off one fastener will make things break and or wear out prematurely..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Theres no proof the bolt was left out of the factory. For all we know there was insufficient thread lock on the bolt and it backed out on its own. Ive seen that happen on my own car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svastano Posted June 13, 2018 Author Share Posted June 13, 2018 Whether the bolt was completely left out , they didn't tighten it enough, not enough thread lock was on the bolt all point back to Ford and their quality! So to me that is a warranty issue/ Liability issue. I already talked to an attorney about it and he said that the liability is on Ford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordtech1 Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Whether the bolt was completely left out , they didn't tighten it enough, not enough thread lock was on the bolt all point back to Ford and their quality! So to me that is a warranty issue/ Liability issue. I already talked to an attorney about it and he said that the liability is on Ford. However, the warranty period is 3/36 and you didnt buy an extended service plan. No different than a TV. If it fails outside of the warranty period you assume all risk. Warranty states it covers defects in material and workmanship. That said if left out or not torqued correct, thats workmanship and you are out of the 3/36. I understand the concern. However, shit happens and you didnt purchase the insurance aka esp. Go buy a Honda/Toyota and have the same issue and they would do the same. Also, so if they took care of this at 43k miles, 7 k miles out of warranty, what about 10k miles or 20k miles out. At what point is the cut off? At what point is it your car and your responsibility? Im asking this as Im trying to understand the mindset. Im not saying this should happen. But if it didnt happen in 3 years or 40k miles its hard to say it was an assembly problem. I put it to people like this. esp is an insurance. No different that not putting collision on your vehicle and a rock bust the windshield or hail storm ruins the paint. These are things no one could predict. No coverage means you assume the risk of bad things happening. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svastano Posted June 13, 2018 Author Share Posted June 13, 2018 I understand your point, and if it was something cosmetically non powertrain related with the car we would not be having the conversation. I would eat the expense and not have a complaint nor would I be upset about it. I completely understand the cutoffs of a warranty. My point this is a critical point of the Powertrain and hence the powertrain warranty 5 yr 60K. Just because it is not internal to the engine and or transmission to me doesn't exempt it from that part of the warranty and the fact that there is a part missing to the safety of the car is a liability issue, When the transmission falls out of the car to the point that it bends a axel shaft is a concern to me! That should never happen ever! Again if this would have happened at speed there could have been casualties and then who is liable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Except the powertrain warranty is very specific about what it covers and what it does not cover. We're sympathetic but you don't have a leg to stand on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordtech1 Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Actually according to the warranty manual the mount is covered. However, they must have coded it to the bolt. From warranty policy, Transmission: all internal parts, clutch cover, seals and gaskets, torque converter, transfer case (including all internal parts), transmission case, transmission mounts; Front-Wheel Drive: axle shafts, front bearings, seals and gaskets, universal and constant velocity joints; Rear-Wheel Drive: axle shafts, rear bearings, center support bearing, drive axle housing (including all internal parts), drive shaft, retainers, supports, seals and gaskets, universal and constant velocity joints. Four-Wheel/All-Wheel Drive: axle shafts, bearings (front and rear), center support bearing, drive shafts, final drive housing (including all internal parts), hubs-automatic front locking (four-wheel drive), locking rings (four-wheel drive), seals and gaskets, universal and constant velocity joints. So I think they could have covered it had they coded it to the mount itself being the failed part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svastano Posted June 14, 2018 Author Share Posted June 14, 2018 Thank you for that info. Appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svastano Posted June 15, 2018 Author Share Posted June 15, 2018 Just some photos of the broken part and the "Re-Designed Beefier part that Ford Replaced it with! Also note the bolt hole where it is quite obvious that there was never a bolt in it! That's all I am saying..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Whether the bolt was completely left out , they didn't tighten it enough, not enough thread lock was on the bolt all point back to Ford and their quality! So to me that is a warranty issue/ Liability issue. I already talked to an attorney about it and he said that the liability is on Ford. . Did he tell you that before or after you paid his retainer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Let’s see - if liability is on Ford attorney has a chance to get paid. If it’s not, he doesn’t. Ask him if he’ll take the case on a contingency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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