2019 GT350 Engine Failure @ 2170 miles

[PRTK350]

Vroom won't care. A dealer might, but they give crappy trade in values anyway. Private party, I'd say it's a toss up on if a buyer will care or not.

Ah I see. Well let's hope for the best!

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[PRTK350]

Ugh. Just bought a new 2020 GT350. I Hate hearing this.
I need to stop reading the internet...

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it (I know, it's coming from me), but a LOT of these cars were produced, and thousands of them are driving around with no issues. You'll be fine.

 

[PRTK350]

many here would select a car with the Gen 2 even if replaced in an earlier model. Until the car becomes a collector, Its meaningless IMHO

So much for the Gen 2s. Being a 2019, mine is a Gen 2 as well, and along with a lot of other Gen 2 engines, mine took a dump.

 

[PRTK350]

@PRTK350

Sorry to hear of the problems you are experiencing. Let’s clarify a few things for you, since this is a stressful time.

1) If the engine is replaced under warranty by Ford AND the vehicle Owner is not going through any Ford RAV Buy Back, NO it does not affect the title to the vehicle at all - ever.

2) If the engine in any Mustang S550 is replaced under warranty, it’s no longer a “numbers matched” engine as it does not and will never have the VIN as the original did. For Shelby owners, yes this can be detrimental for future resale value regarding the car being numbers matched. I’m not going to get into all that here, because there’s way too many threads about this subject matter.

3) If any Warranty work or repair work is completed at any Ford Dealership, that work history can be pulled up in Ford OASIS or ETIS.

4) A vehicle can only be branded a Lemon IF the vehicle Owner went through a Buy Back. Once the vehicle owner has been approved for a Ford RAV Buy Back, has signed all paperwork and they return the car to Ford - the car is deemed a Lemon. It’s not so much a title being branded as a Lemon, the VIN will forever be branded as a “Lemon Buy Back”, which will show up on any future VIN reports, within Ford OASIS/ETIS, in any DMV database within any State and via any extract the Automotive Insurance Industry uses.

—-

If you want to learn more about the Ford RAV Buy Back process, or have questions about filing a claim with Ford, do a search on here using the following key words:
Ford RAV
Lemon Law
RAV Buy Back
MSRP to MSRP
Ford Buy Back
Ford 800#

I’ve posted TONS of factual info regarding the Buy Back process in full, as well as helpful Lemon Law info that has helped quite a few folks on this site.

There are also 2 main threads I’ve started to help others:
1) Lemon Law thread:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...or-are-filing-lemon-law-for-their-s550.59015/

2) Ford 800# thread:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/the-ford-800-info-for-those-needing-it.111571/

If you have not, you NEED to call the Ford 800# and get a Regional CSR to open a Case with your vehicle. This bumps your vehicle to a priority and the CSR and Dealership Service Center must try to resolve the issue ASAP and work to make you whole.

Hey @Cobra Jet - thanks a ton for all the useful resources. I called the Ford customer service and the CSR who answered the phone wasn't helpful at all - she kept deflecting all my questions and kept repeating the same thing - go talk to the dealer. So I hung up and called again! This time a really helpful lady answered the phone, apologized for the problem and said she'd follow up with the dealer she sent me an email after that with her contact info, and asked me to follow up with her if I had any questions.

I will probably be pursuing a buyback of the car considering the engine is toast (update incoming...)

 

[PRTK350]

Any updates about being given a loaner vehicle or being reimbursed for a rental?

I know if something happened to my GT while it's still under warranty that would be my immediate concern as it's my daily.

They didn't have a loaner when I first went in. However 2 days later the service advisor calls me and tells me that he has a loaner for me! They book me a Lyft to the dealership, and I find this little guy waiting for me there:

So far, I'm having fun driving this thing around town! Nippy little thing

 

[pilotgore]

They didn't have a loaner when I first went in. However 2 days later the service advisor calls me and tells me that he has a loaner for me! They book me a Lyft to the dealership, and I find this little guy waiting for me there:

So far, I'm having fun driving this thing around town! Nippy little thing

Seems like a fair trade... a busted GT350 for a toaster with wheels.

 

[PRTK350]

OP, I'm sorry to hear about your experience. I know how it feels. I'm hoping it's not a catastrophic failure and your car doesn't need an engine replacement. Keep us posted. I went through an engine failure on a new 2020 and, thank God, Ford bought it back from me. Since you're planning to sell car, expect to lose $$$$ whether Ford buys it back or you end up selling it or trading it yourself. Ford will not pay for any ADM or after market mods, like paint protection. I lost money on paint protection, mileage (per lemon law), and other expenses.

Here's my take from my experience:

• Follow @Cobra Jet advice above. I read his posts about the buyback process and it served me very well.
• If you want to sell the car, there's no question that a Ford buyback is your best option. If Ford agrees to buy it back, it will pay the MSRP plus all out-the-door fees, including taxes, registration, title, etc. If you sell it yourself, you will lose the taxes and fees plus depreciation.
• There's no question that the car will lose value due to engine replacement. I did a lot of research and based on other members' experiences selling their cars with replaced engines (I read at least 4 stories here) and comments on online auction for GT350's with replaced engines, expect to lose 10+% of its otherwise market value.
• The replaced engine is anonymous (doesn't come with builder plate) and will not match the VIN. Regardless if you care about matched numbers or not, that builder plate after engine replacement means nothing because the replacement engine was most likely built by someone else.
• Whether you are successful in getting a buyback heavily depends on Lemon Law rules that Ford will follow. Ford will have to figure out which state's Lemon Law will apply to you. You can contact the Better Business Bureau to get advice. Ford also has a Good Faith program that may help even if you don't hit the Lemon Law limit. You'll just have to try all options.
• If you are not successful with a buyback and you still want to sell the car, negotiate a monetary compensation with Ford instead of an extended warranty. Get the maximum value you can. Again, BBB may help negotiate a better monetary reward for you. I believe the reward will help you in a sale better than an extended warranty or service plan. @jvandy50 lost money on his replaced-engine car even with extended warranty.

I admire your attitude that you will be forthcoming and tell the next buyer about the engine replacement, whether it's reported in Carfax or not. For the record, the dealer service center does not have to report it. There's no legal obligation to do so whatsoever. But they get incentives, ad referrals, and kickbacks from Carfax for reporting it.

Hello @mroad ! Thank you for your kind words

I completely understand the point about resale value. Even if the next buyer does not care about a swapped engine, they will use it as a negotiating point to bring the price down.

I will be pursuing a buyback with Ford for this car. I was planning to sell the car anyways. However I had a few questions in the case of a buyback:

1. I understand Ford will not pay back ADM, but what if the car was sold under MSRP? I purchased my car for almost 10% below MSRP (~57k). Will they still consider MSRP as a buyback price, or pay me the purchase price minus mileage?

2. I purchased the car in Iowa, but registered the car myself in Tennessee, which means that I did not pay sales tax at the point of purchase. I went to the DMV later, registered it and payed the tax. Will Ford reimburse me for that too?

3. How does BBB work, and what exactly is their function? How is the monetary compensation calculated, and do you have any idea if it will be enough to cover for the depreciation or sales tax?

4. What is the Ford good faith program?

5. In the case of lemon law, which state's lemon law applies here? State of purchase or state of registration?

6. I paid $6k for full body PPF and ceramic. bummer.

 

[Hattrick]

Wondering what the actual percentage rate of failures of the Voodoo vs Coyote engines are. Thinking Voodoo much higher? Is that why Ford discontinued the Gt350 and created their own(Mach 1) with the more reliable Coyote mill?

 

[PRTK350]

Update:

Alright folks - finally heard back from the dealer:
They are saying it is a possible connecting rod failure. According to them, one side of the connecting rod gave way and sent the piston smashing into the top of the cylinder number 5.

I was absolutely flummoxed to hear this as I had never heard of this happening with a Voodoo before. A 2000 mile engine throwing a rod??!??!?!?!?

They then sent me a picture of the spark plug they removed:

Apparently the piston made contact with the spark plug, bending it.

They said that there is no way this engine can be repaired, and they have contacted Ford, asking them to send a new engine.

They also said that they do not think that this is in any way my fault and the whole thing will be taken care of under warranty.

 

[shogun32]

Thinking Voodoo much higher?

based on forum reports, definitely.
There's more money to milk off of GT buyers than Ford could ever hope to make from Shelby cars even if they weren't blowing up engines with disturbing frequency.

 

[stanglife]

Sorry to see. I wonder if they have any other evidence than the spark plug to support their conclusion? This would definitely be a unique failure...but we have seen quite a few different things fail while never really getting a definitive root cause. When valvetrains fail, often a valve invades the combustion chamber. Also consider a sizable piece of piston that could break off if there is a ring land failure..that piston debris can also bend a plug. I guess it doesn't matter as in either case, they are going to replace the entire motor. If they are chatty about it, see if they have additonal details. Do you know when your car was actually built?

If you were going to sell it anyway, then this is the opportunity to try for a buyback, IMO. I wouldn't say anything to the dealer about that just yet as the time they take to repair could help your case...in fact you might need them to take a while. If you were considering keeping it, of course, opinions vary but I'd get it repaired and soak them for the extra warranty, then enjoy the car.

 

[stanglife]

based on forum reports, definitely.
There's more money to milk off of GT buyers than Ford could ever hope to make from Shelby cars even if they weren't blowing up engines with disturbing frequency.

Man - are all of your posts to complain about the cars that other people bought? Pros and cons to everything and I could look at your car list and come up with quite a few.

 

[ihc95]

Hello @mroad I will be pursuing a buyback with Ford for this car. I was planning to sell the car anyways. However I had a few questions in the case of a buyback:

I don't have the answers to your questions, but if Ford fixes your car in a certain amount of time, they are not going to approve a buy back. You need to check what the lemon law is in your state, but I believe the car needs to be down for at least 30 days in most states.

Best of luck. Sucks that you're going through this.

 

[Rubyred17]

Seems like a fair trade... a busted GT350 for a toaster with wheels.

Sneak a nitros kit on it for some fun while you have it !

 

[lenFeb]

Not sure if this applies to the car that originally purchased in the diff. state(I remember OP said he bought the car from outside of his state). But here in short lemon law in TN:
The Tennessee Lemon Law covers drivers whose vehicles suffer a nonconformity or defect within the first year of ownership or during the express warranty period (whichever comes first) that can't be repaired after repeated attempts (normally three) by a manufacturer-authorized dealership.
So, my understanding OP is qualify (Purchased in September 2020) for buy-back for his GT350.

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