My 2007 Ford Edge is equiped with a control that saves the mirror settings for two different drivers. When we would switch between drivers, the passenger mirror would not return to the correct position for the second driver, but would be looking up in the sky.
I took my 2007 Ford Edge to the local dealership for warranty repair work on the passenger side mirror with around 34,000 miles on it. They determined that it needed a new mirror and that it was covered under the warranty. They were to order the mirror and call me when it was in. By the time I received a call from the dealership, my mileage was over 36,000 miles and I was told that they could no longer replace the mirror because it was out of warranty.
What is the policy on warranty repairs. A mirror that is malfunctioning has nothing to do with how many miles my vehicle has on it. Are they allowed to deny a repair that was discovered while under warranty?
The part was determined to have failed during the warrantee period, so they are therefore responsible for replacing it.
Stand your ground, and don’t back down.
BC.
They have to replace the mirror under warranty. The vehicle was brought in while under warranty for the problem, and just because the warranty part wasn’t in stock and had to be ordered doesn’t let them off the hook. This falls under the catagory of an ongoing warranty issue.
Tester
I have talked to the dealership as well as called Ford Customer Service and was denied by both. Any suggestions as to who to contact next?
If the problem was diagnosed and the part was actually ordered before the warranty expired then it should be covered.
However, your time line is a bit sketchy on this and you make references to “were to order” and “by the time” with a 2000 mile gap in there.
Is it known for a fact they ordered this mirror at the time?
How much time elapsed between the diagnosis and the phone call?
So exactly what do they say about the fact the mirror was ordered, or allegedly ordered, during the warranty period?
And since you’re quite likely dealing with a service writer (most of whom know very little about mechanical things and often very little about warranty policy) you might sit down with the service manager for a discussion of this.
If this situation is as you say and if the service manager angle does not solve the problem, then contact Ford Customer Service on-line. They have a simple form to fill out and they should get to the bottom of this if all else fails.
There has to be more to this story.
When I worked at a GM dealership and I ordered a part under warranty the part was covered when they came back even if the car was over on miles or time.
Now if it was 5 years or 50,000 miles later that’s a different story.
Dealership service departments have forms for everything. When a car comes in, the first thing they do is record all the pertinent information on it including the mileage on the odometer and the date you came in to have it evaluated. I have never seen or heard of an instance where the customer was not given a printed copy of the repair form. This would be your best evidence to present to them. Do you have this information?
This took place from late April to August of this past summer. I should have been on top of calling and nagging them for the part, but I never imagined they would refuse to replace the part once they determined it was covered under the warranty. They said they called several times, but couldn’t give me the dates. Said they returned the part, but they had to custom paint it to match my car. The second time they ordered it, they had to call me for the paint code, which they told me they wouldn’t have had to do because they can get by the VIN number and that delayed an appointment again. (I have the voice mail asking for the paint color saved) I think they knew I drove my car alot and it was only a matter of time before I would be out of warranty.
No, they never gave me anything in writing. They said they had it all in the computer, but when I asked the dates they say they contactedme, Ford Customer Service said they could not give me that information.
About all I can suggest is that you sit down with the service manager and try to resolve this. Provide that voice mail also.
The service manager has the authority to pull up the entire history of the car as you sit there and he can also authorize a repair.
Ford Customer Service will not tell you anything directly (normal) but they should work behind the scenes to solve this.
Word of warning. In the future and with any car complaint (little, big, multiple, oil change to engine swap and everything in between) you must ALWAYS get a copy of the repair order spelling out the complaint the disposition of that complaint.
Without a paper trail you may be dead in the water, especially considering the time delay involved.
Just out of curiosity you might check with the parts dept. and ask them if they have a record of that mirror being ordered before talking to the service manager.
My gut feeling is that the service writer may have pushed it to the back of his mind and failed to follow through on it.
Did they begin paperwork ( a repair order ) to diagnose the mirror ?
That r.o. is the proof it’s covered.
Ford will pay it provided there is not physical damage to the mirror, ( they just need someone who knows how to file the claims )They could start an ro today and write any mileage on it they want if the truck is in warranty by date.
Did they NOT initiate diagnostic paperwork ?
The dealer screwed up and owes you the mirror in lieu of warranty.
If there’s no extenuating circumstance that makes this not warranty;
Phone 800-392-3673 ( in your owner’s manual. )
( I am a Ford dealer parts man since 1979 )
SOME sleazy dealerships have got their sleaze tactics down so well…Here are a few I’ve seen over the years.
. No paperwork on ANY warranty work will be given to the customer. If the customer has no paperwork then the customer has no leverage dispute the dealer.
. Deny ALL warranty claims when the OD or calendar is past the warranty period. If the claim is related to a previous claim that was performed under warranty there should be no paperwork for the customer to rely on.
. Deny that you have any records of any warranty work being done on customers vehicle even if it was.
. Any service the customer pays for that will be covered under warranty under a future date…be very very vague in any paperwork that the customer is given. Ex…If customer had a Transmission rebuilt…then the paperwork should only say “Transmission Service”. That way if a claim is to be made on the transmission on any future date the claim can be denied.
MOST people won’t fight it.
I ran across a dealership like this years ago. They’ve since gone out of business (got caught turning the OD back on some used cars). So when ever I buy a new (or even a used car) I ask about the warranty service and what paperwork is given when warranty work is done. I actually walked out of a dealership when I was in the market for a new car because I was told by the service manager that no paperwork was ever given to the customer. The service manager actually told me that Toyota does not give any paperwork to any customer for any warranty work. Needless to say it’s a blatant lie.
When a dealer orders a part it usually comes in a matter of days, not weeks or months. The customer should be given some sort of paperwork, often a card that is mailed to the customer to tell them the part is in. Something here is out of wack with my experience with dealers.
If the part arrived and the customer didn’t come in for the service for several months then the part is often sent back, or gets used on another vehicle so the process starts over from scratch. At that point the warranty period is past. Since the mirror may need to painted to match the car, there is some cost in this repair.
I think the customer has an argument, but should have some paperwork giving a date, and mileage on the car at the time the part was ordered. Without that it gives the dealer and Ford some wiggle room to deny the warranty claim. The lesson is get something in writing whenever it involves a warranty and make sure the paperwork has a date and mileage of the car at the time, then keep it in case you need it.