Ford denied warranty for HPDE events over on S550 forums

[Upacurb]

Just a warning to everyone here.....eveidently cars used on the track are considered "abused"

(2) Ford Inspector for Warranty Repair-Update:Warranty Denied Claim Due to Off Road Racing | 2015+ S550 Mustang Forum (GT, EcoBoost, GT350, GT500, Bullitt, Mach 1) - Mustang6G.com

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[Zig]

just because it has ‘racecar’ parts doesn’t make it so. A sticker is just that.

Where / when did the failure occur? At the event or on a public roadway?

 

[Skye]

There've been at least two reported instances of challenges in the last year. Best practice is to remove anything "racy" (stickers, badges, lanyards, etc.), anything that might give a whiff of "racing" before taking in. If asked, "I only use the car on the weekends, for carrying groceries and going to church." You get the idea. Unless you know them personally or have a good history with them, don't give the dealer the opportunity. "IDK what happened. It just stopped working correctly and is now acting that way."

 

[Upacurb]

just because it has ‘racecar’ parts doesn’t make it so. A sticker is just that.

Where / when did the failure occur? At the event or on a public roadway?

The problem happened on a public roadway...
Yep I agree with you...

Technically since I took my car to a dragstrip a few times... that's a timed event so if they look up on my social media or forums they could say I abused my car too.. a little frustrating

 

[zstanny]

Ford needs to do better...meanwhile at GM:

"You may have heard or read that the warranty on Chevy’s Camaro and Corvette covers track driving. This is true. Spokesman Chris Bonelli confirmed that Chevy’s warranty will cover the C7 and C8 Corvettes and certain high-performance Camaro models for track use. There are certain conditions to meet, however.

First, “track driving” means just that. Here’s the exact language from the warranty booklet: “High-performance features are intended for use only on closed tracks by experienced and qualified drivers and should not be used on public roads.”

And, when Chevy says track, it does not mean racing. “We do not cover racing, which would be formalized and/or paid contests,” Bonelli says. This stricture likely applies to both time-trial events… and autocross events.

Next, in addition to the Corvette, this policy extends to the Camaro SS, ZL1, and any 1LE-equipped trim, “if all are track prepped according to the owner’s manual and are not heavily modified,” Bonelli explains."

Even down to the V6 1LE...

 

[Bikeman315]

just because it has ‘racecar’ parts doesn’t make it so. A sticker is just that.

Where / when did the failure occur? At the event or on a public roadway?

For answers to these question reach out to the OP on M6G.

 

[Zig]

Ford needs to do better...meanwhile at GM:

"You may have heard or read that the warranty on Chevy’s Camaro and Corvette covers track driving. This is true. Spokesman Chris Bonelli confirmed that Chevy’s warranty will cover the C7 and C8 Corvettes and certain high-performance Camaro models for track use. There are certain conditions to meet, however.

First, “track driving” means just that. Here’s the exact language from the warranty booklet: “High-performance features are intended for use only on closed tracks by experienced and qualified drivers and should not be used on public roads.”

And, when Chevy says track, it does not mean racing. “We do not cover racing, which would be formalized and/or paid contests,” Bonelli says. This stricture likely applies to both time-trial events… and autocross events.

Next, in addition to the Corvette, this policy extends to the Camaro SS, ZL1, and any 1LE-equipped trim, “if all are track prepped according to the owner’s manual and are not heavily modified,” Bonelli explains."

Even down to the V6 1LE...

https://performance.ford.com/enthusiasts/media-room/2019/06/take-it-to-the-track--part-iii-.html

 

[zstanny]

https://performance.ford.com/enthusiasts/media-room/2019/06/take-it-to-the-track--part-iii-.html

OK. While that was a cute read, it didn't state anything specific about the warranty. You know how it goes, they're essentially politicians.

 

[Zig]

OK. While that was a cute read, it didn't state anything specific about the warranty. You know how it goes, they're essentially politicians.

Curious, does ford make you sign a warranty disclaimer when you attend a factory sponsored event?

 

[Phrawst]

With the connected 24's I wonder how much info they can pull from that to determine warranty liability. Can they see trips with excessive speed at racing locations or on the road and make a call? Insurance already goes after the onboard sensors for some claims, this just saves the trip.

 

[Dena]

Close to 30 years ago Detroit started putting black boxes in cars. My 96 mustang doesn't have one but a few cars of that vintage contained them. The intention was so crash data could be pulled from a car to better understand accidents. The condition were that a court order was required to pull this data or it wasn't admissible in court. I don't know how much the black boxes have evolved but surely they are able to retain far more information than the early devices.
I don't know what the current rules are for pulling this data and if the the information might be pulled to provide additional information when the vehicle is serviced or when dealing with a difficult problem. In short the claim could be denied based on information you are not aware they have. This also complicates matter because even your street driving might be used against you if they consider your driving habits could have damaged the car. This might make for some interesting court battles in the future.

 

[Phrawst]

Close to 30 years ago Detroit started putting black boxes in cars. My 96 mustang doesn't have one but a few cars of that vintage contained them. The intention was so crash data could be pulled from a car to better understand accidents. The condition were that a court order was required to pull this data or it wasn't admissible in court. I don't know how much the black boxes have evolved but surely they are able to retain far more information than the early devices.
I don't know what the current rules are for pulling this data and if the the information might be pulled to provide additional information when the vehicle is serviced or when dealing with a difficult problem. In short the claim could be denied based on information you are not aware they have. This also complicates matter because even your street driving might be used against you if they consider your driving habits could have damaged the car. This might make for some interesting court battles in the future.

Yep, very good points. With the black boxes the data they wanted resided on the car owner’s property which has some 4th amendment protections. With data piped over to who knows who’s servers in real time, I’m wondering how that will play into things when someone wants to take a peek. Always fun to watch how these things play out.

 

[Lastoutlaw_21]

These are good points. But if they had that kind of information black box wise, alot of warranties would be denied also. So I don't believe it's that east due to the risk of being sued for trillions of dollars if true and them all facing potential prison time.

The warranty stuff however needs to be clear evidence that the track day caused the failure. With ford's reputation, it's possible that the faulty part was fucked up and was breaking before hitting the track. A good lawyer would win that case because there were laws passed to protect the customer from being denied warranty stuff from a manufacturer. Also the car is a track car.. made for the track. So Ford's own logic and marketing the car can be used against them. It won't be an easy battle to fight and annoying.

Most warranty denied work gets traded in and they fix it for cheap and sell it as used anyway. Just a way to double dip money wise.

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