Clutch disc failure after engine replacement NOT COVERED?

[OviV]

I have a 2014 Fiesta ST which is less than 1 year old and has 18000 miles. Here is what I am experiencing:

1) At the beginning of January I started hearing a rattle coming from the engine and it progressively got worst.
2) I called Ford roadside assistance and they picked up the vehicle.
3) Long story short they determined that there was internal engine damage and they did not know why but decided to replace the engine.
4) 18 days later and I picked up the car.
5) Right away I noticed that there was a slight noise that seemed to go away when slightly depressing the clutch. It was intermittent. I also noticed that the gear shifts were not as smooth as they used to be. I left a voice mail for my local dealer service agent letting them know that I felt something was wrong.
6) 3 days later while driving on highway, I hear a pop and RPMs shoot up and scare the heck out of me. I cross several lanes while coasting and make it to shoulder. I call Ford Roadside Assistance again and they send toll truck. Car is delivered to the dealer in the morning.
7) One day later I get call from dealer asking for my authorization to drop transmission so they can inspect. I tell them to please do so.
8) Today I get call from dealer telling me that clutch disc is sheared and not covered under warranty as they believe this is either wear and tear or abuse.
9) I call Ford and they tell me they will not cover because it is over 12k miles and they must follow what the dealer says. Only option they offer is for me to take the car to another dealer for second opinion.

I am at a loss. There was no problem with the transmission/clutch when the car went in for service. I am a 46 year old professional that uses this car to commute to work. I am not going to the track or racing the car. I may not drive like an old lady but I certainly do not abuse the car.

Looking for experience or feedback on where to go next. I really do not want to pay for this repair as I feel certain I did not cause the problem.

Ovi

 

[Fortz]

Maybe Meagan could help you. [MENTION=582]FordService[/MENTION]

 

[_Hunter702]

That sucks hope you get it fixed soon! Talk to the service department director and tell them whats going on.

 

[OTSDetail]

sounds like bullshit to me. 12k miles is a joke. The powertrain warranty is 60k. Throw that in their face. They screwed up and they need to fix it.

 

[RAAMaudio]

The shop screwed up the clutch when they swapped it to the new engine and do not want admit it and pay for it, pretty simple.

 

[felopr]

drivetrain warranty (that includes engine and transmition componets) are covered for 5 year, so they should fix it under warranty... if they tell you otherwise is BS

 

[caliboy15]

Not Covered


Maintenance/Wear
The New Vehicle Limited Warranty does not cover: (1) parts and labor
needed to maintain the vehicle; and (2) the replacement of parts due to
normal wear and tear. You, as the owner, are responsible for these items.
See your Owner?s Manual. Some examples of maintenance and normal
wear are:
? oil changes
? oils, lubricants, other fluids
? oil/air filters
? tire rotation/inflation
? cleaning/polishing
? clutch linings
? wiper blades*
? wheel alignments and tire
balancing*
? brake pad/lining*

 

[caliboy15]

What is Covered

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

 

[MrClean]

1- That part is covered for TENS OF THOUSANDS more miles than it currently has on it.
2- Any powertrain or drivetrain part breaking under 50,000 miles is not "wear and tear."
3- It sounds a lot like typical stealership BS to me. Something I grew very accustomed to while owning my 1-series.

Keep pushing back. You may have to keep asking for a person who is "higher up" than the previous person you talked to. Also, be persistent. It really does pay off.
Best of luck and let us know what the outcome of your situation is.

 

[RAAMaudio]

If the driver caused the clutch to fail it would of been very evident it needed replaced when they removed it from the back of the original engine, more evidence of an improper install, perhaps did not torque the bolts, over torqued them, etc....the clutch did not fail, the mechanic did and the shop does not want to cover the loss.

 

[DHM1]

This is sad. So fed up with the way dealers treat people. I hope you get this fixed!

Russ

 

[D1JL]

Even if the clutch is not covered under warranty.
The shop should have covered it's ass by offering to replace the clutch at the owner's expense.
In this case the shop should still eat the labor for the clutch.



Dave

 

[rodmoe]

MY guess is like a few other clutches on our car the center ring of the clutch disk failed or the shop put the disk in backwards causing it to fail. And yes one would think they would work with the customer to help foster good will between the dealer and the customer..
how does the saying go. A happy customer tells 5 people. A unhappy one tells EVERYONE. lets hope they wake up and do the right thing..

 

[Gonzo]

If the driver caused the clutch to fail it would of been very evident it needed replaced when they removed it from the back of the original engine, more evidence of an improper install, perhaps did not torque the bolts, over torqued them, etc....the clutch did not fail, the mechanic did and the shop does not want to cover the loss.

Ding ding ding. We have a winner.

 

[FordService]

I have a 2014 Fiesta ST which is less than 1 year old and has 18000 miles. Here is what I am experiencing...Ovi

I got your message & replied to your post over on FiestaST.Org.

Maybe Meagan could help you. [MENTION=582]FordService[/MENTION]

Thanks for the shout out!

Meagan

 

[CurrentlyPissed]

drivetrain warranty (that includes engine and transmition componets) are covered for 5 year, so they should fix it under warranty... if they tell you otherwise is BS

Clutches are wearable items, and only covered to 12,000 miles. This is across all manufactures. So it's not BS. Contact Ford and have it escalated. It'll have to be what is known as good willed by a field rep, not by the dealership. But they are correct in it not being a covered component. Only leg you have to stand on right now is that the engine was recently replaced. It's going to be a tough battle. Good luck.

-Service writer for a Nissan Dealership, 10 years experience.

 

[CurrentlyPissed]

Even if the clutch is not covered under warranty.
The shop should have covered it's ass by offering to replace the clutch at the owner's expense.
In this case the shop should still eat the labor for the clutch.



Dave

It's a hard thing to bring up. Hey we have your engine getting installed, noticed your clutch is shot. Would like you to spend $1000 today, or $1500 in two weeks?

A lot of writers aren't going to bring that up. They should, but a lot wont.

 

[RAAMaudio]

Did you see the clutch disk?

When I wrote about loose bolts or over torqued I was thinking the bolts sheared or came loose but just reread your original post and see they said the disk sheared which could mean a few different things due to how interpreted.

If you can take some pics and post them up so we can take a look.

As what Rodmoe said, the center ring could of failed.

I had not seen that posted before but if other cars had that issue then is sure is a warranty thing, especially if the lining looks fine and it is less likely to have caused the initial issues you left the message to the service manager about that they failed to follow up on.

Your problems sound more like the disk was put on backwards.

---------------------

Even if the disk was shot it might of been the only part that had to be replaced and there would of been no reason to charge more labor as they had to move the whole assembly from one engine to the next anyway. New disk, not much money, new PP and flywheel if all were messed up, still not that much and certainly should be no where near $1000 on a car like this. I have had the parts in my hands and there is nothing special about them.

 

[OviV]

It's a hard thing to bring up. Hey we have your engine getting installed, noticed your clutch is shot. Would like you to spend $1000 today, or $1500 in two weeks?

A lot of writers aren't going to bring that up. They should, but a lot wont.

The fact is that there were no clutch failure symptoms when the car went into the shop but they were immediately apparent when it came out of the shop. I made them aware of this within a few days of picking up the car.

Ovi

 

[rooSTer]

sounds like bullshit to me. 12k miles is a joke. The powertrain warranty is 60k. Throw that in their face. They screwed up and they need to fix it.

I think all wear items like clutch, brakes, tires, wiper blades only have a 12month / 12k mile warranty.