2020 Shelby GT350 Engine Failure

[lenFeb]

Still got your Mustang? I just bought a 2020 Shelby GT350 and put 1,400miles on it before it shit on me.. cylinder 7 was dead and the spark plug was damaged.. they didn’t proceed to check other cylinders cause ford told then not to.. My buddy is on his second engine and it’s back in the shop with a rattling noise in the engine as well...

You just bought it and already 1400 miles? How long ago you "just" bought it?

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[lenFeb]

Is there an emotional attachment to the vehicle? I mean in almost all 50 States, any vehicle that is inop at the Service Center for 30-consecutive calendar days OR 30-days within a calendar year automatically qualifies as a Lemon Buy Back - period.

I know you probably want to keep a good rapport with your Dealership and Service Center, but going on (57+) days now - you should have opened a Case # the day of or day after the major failure. By opening a Case with the Ford Regional CSR would have elevated your concerns and car to a priority level.

Once a Customer is assigned a Case #, the CSR must get status updates from the Service Center with repair progress and come to some type of resolution to make the Customer whole.

It’s not too late to open a Case and if I were you, I would do it ASAP - and tell them you want out of the vehicle.

Search my user ID as well with the key words “RAV”, “Lemon” and “Buy Back”...

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/

——

OP stated that he don't want a buy back due to money lost. He installed PPF and other goodies. Also, he purchased the car without paying tax. So, it would be pricey to go through buy back. He said that it's better for him to just replace the engine.

 

[Weston]

See the OP's first post.

See the OP's first post.

Oops.. yeah I see now. I’m in the process of doing a buy back right now.. if they can’t do a buy back then surely they can warranty out my vehicle for the next 7 years of paying this off. If not I have to lawyer up.. this is ridiculous! Unfair to the customers.

 

[Weston]

You just bought it and already 1400 miles? How long ago you "just" bought it?

November 25th is when I got it buddy! Did the 1,000mile break in procedure and drove 3 1/2 hrs to Austin and that Sunday I filled up with gas and left the gas station going 55mph and the car lost power. Ran like shit.. so I checked the oil as I was in the side of the road and the oil showed to be fine..

 

[Weston]

November 25th is when I got it buddy! Did the 1,000mile break in procedure and drove 3 1/2 hrs to Austin and that Sunday I filled up with gas and left the gas station going 55mph and the car lost power. Ran like shit.. so I checked the oil as I was in the side of the road and the oil showed to be fine..

The car is still at the dealership. I’m waiting on FCS to let me know about my buy back situation. Been in the dealership over 30days.

 

[lenFeb]

November 25th is when I got it buddy! Did the 1,000mile break in procedure and drove 3 1/2 hrs to Austin and that Sunday I filled up with gas and left the gas station going 55mph and the car lost power. Ran like shit.. so I checked the oil as I was in the side of the road and the oil showed to be fine..

Sorry that you go through this crap. I'm going to drive 1200 miles in my GT350 to Charlotte, NC and back home in April for GT350 Track Attack. But reading all these engine failures is got me wary. I think, I better of buying flight tickets.

 

[shogun32]

April for GT350 Track Attack

at least you'll be flogging somebody else's car. I wonder what the failure rate is on that stable.

 

[mattballislife]

at least you'll be flogging somebody else's car. I wonder what the failure rate is on that stable.

When we asked the instructors last year they told us they have held up really good in Utah. I think the only thing that he said has happened since the first year was one clutch issue but otherwise the cars have taken a beating on a consistent basis. Just mainly tire changes, brakes when they are worn down and changing fluids.

Stuff like this does happen and it's unfortunate but these aren't the only cars that experience this and I've heard the same issues about about German sports cars. As long as the company deals with your issue and in a timely manner that's about all you can ask for with a sports car.

 

[newmoon]

Not good to hear another engine failure story. There has to be a common issue that is causing this that we and Ford are missing. I'm sure Ford is getting tired of replacing these high dollar motors and paying the labor to the dealers. If Ford isn't doing so already they need to be completely reviewing the ECU to see if there were any irregularities prior to the failures.

 

[matthewr87]

When we asked the instructors last year they told us they have held up really good in Utah. I think the only thing that he said has happened since the first year was one clutch issue but otherwise the cars have taken a beating on a consistent basis. Just mainly tire changes, brakes when they are worn down and changing fluids.

For what its worth when I asked them in Sept 2018 they told me they've had to replace a few motors in the fleet.

 

[Weston]

Sorry that you go through this crap. I'm going to drive 1200 miles in my GT350 to Charlotte, NC and back home in April for GT350 Track Attack. But reading all these engine failures is got me wary. I think, I better of buying flight tickets.[/QUOTE

When we asked the instructors last year they told us they have held up really good in Utah. I think the only thing that he said has happened since the first year was one clutch issue but otherwise the cars have taken a beating on a consistent basis. Just mainly tire changes, brakes when they are worn down and changing fluids.

Stuff like this does happen and it's unfortunate but these aren't the only cars that experience this and I've heard the same issues about about German sports cars. As long as the company deals with your issue and in a timely manner that's about all you can ask for with a sports car.

Those instructors are blowing smoke out their asses!! Their only saying that to cover themselves. Out of all the 350’s made, I happen to know 2 other people that have had their engines replaced.. coincidence? I think not.. I talked to the same dealership that had my buddies 350 (in which they did an engine replacement) and they STILL told me that they hardly ever get 350s with engine problems.. well that same buddy is back in their shop getting his car looked at for engine rattle... So I guess that dealership can add my 350 to the list too... Anyways, to the future GT350 owners, definitely buy an extended warranty!! These engines have been locking up since 2016 I believe? Idk I’m pretty sure that’s when the 350’s came out. Alright I’m done ranting.. Glad I’m not the only one going through this bullshit lol

 

[lenFeb]

Hey OP hope your issue is sorted out by now?

 

[overdrive714]

Hey OP hope your issue is sorted out by now?

It recently got resolved but not completely, I will be posting a detailed log about my whole experience on the back end once I get some more time off from work! Apologies for keeping everyone waiting for the updates.

 

[morjo02]

Hello everyone,

I am here to share with you all my ongoing experiences with my 2020 Shelby GT350 I had bought last month. I'll keep this format in a chronological order to facilitate my journey on dealing with this engine issue.

Car Background:
Acquisition Date: 11NOV2019
Acquisition Method: Purchased through Military Autosource (MAS) when deployed overseas.
Modifications: None (was planning on installing oil can separators both sides this weekend after black Friday shopping)
Odometer: 1,333 Miles
Maintenance: Was about to my first oil change this weekend! Been checking the dip stick every 500 miles, never saw any oil consumption. Religiously pour Chevron gas only (92 Premium)
Driving Habits: Broke in the engine in accordance with the owner's manual, never drove it above 5K RPM until engine oil warmed up to 190°F.

***Lastly I wanted to expand the background on how I originally had bought this vehicle. Long story short, I had ordered this vehicle through Military Autosource (MAS) when I was deployed overseas. Literally was able to custom order my vehicle and have it built and shipped straight from the factory to a dealership of my choosing. I essentially bought this vehicle without going through the middle-man aka the dealership. I was able to secure this car MSRP at the time back in July 2019, and I was able to acquire the car without having the paying a single dollar for sales tax (yes you heard that right).***

Friday Morning 13DEC2019
I had started up the car this morning letting it idle for a couple of minutes as I always do to ensure the car warmed up a bit in Washington State's cold weather. Temperatures at this time was in the mid forty's. I began driving my car out of the driveway keeping it well under 3.5K RPM. Upon reaching the first mile, my GT350's engine sputtered to death, forcing me to push the car to the side of the road. As it began sputtering to death, I had noticed the engine oil pressure dropped down immediately to zero. I had done a full inspection to see if there was any oil leak, no cases of oil leaking from the engine bay or from the streets. I've also checked the oil dip stick and it was where it needed to be. My initial instinct was it may had something to do with the oil pump failing. I've attached a video of my attempt to start the engine again when it had initially died, you can hear the car engine trying to turn over, but no luck.


I had then call for a flat bed truck to tow the car, this is where I wish I had installed my ZL1 tow hook to make the towing hook up easier for the tow truck driver.

IMG_5848 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Brought it over to closest dealership to have them initially inspect and being the repair process. The tow driver was extremely professional, the only issue I had with him was that he definitely came off the truck bed pretty hot, and scraped the front splitter.

IMG_5854 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Met with one of the senior service repair mechanics to have him initially trouble shoot the car, see the video below. It appears the car is struggling even more to turn over.



Towards the evening, the service repair customer service representative had updated me on their initial progress and what I can expect next week:
-They were able to turn the motor over manually, but they could not turn the motor the other way. It looks like the motor has seized.
-They've confirmed that I was not at fault for any maintenance negligence, considering there was adequate oil in the system and the car was not even due for the first oil maintenance change.
-They will deep dive further into the car next week Tuesday 17DEC2019 when their full service repair team will be in the shop.
-They told me I can expect the following options: 1) They will be able to fix the engine itself 2) They will completely replace the engine 3) Considering how new the car is, they may just buy back the car and get me a new one


Saturday Noon 14DEC2019

I came by the shop today in the hopes of getting maybe a loaner vehicle while my car sits in the shop for a while. Unfortunately the service repair customer service representative I had spoken to earlier was not there, and I had to coordinate with her on all matters with GT350. This dealership service repair department operates with different repair service teams depending on the shifts and each of them are tasked with specific repairs and amount of loaner vehicles they can each allocate. I will have to check back Tuesday to see if they can provide me with a loaner vehicle. In the meantime I was able to to check up my car and acquire my personal belongings from it.

IMG_5880 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Tuesday Evening 17DEC2019

Immediately after I got off of work, I went to follow up on the engine issue. To summarize my exchange with the service department representative, she had informed me via email the following:

-The department had began examining the vehicle this morning for the first time and confirmed that the vehicle's engine has seized.
-They've sent a formal action request to Ford's "Hotline" in order for higher-ups to determine the appropriate course of action (authorizing the dealership to tear the engine down in attempt to fix it or completely replacing the engine). They will be waiting to hear back for the green light on one of the two options, hopefully tomorrow.
-One of her mechanics had informed her that the front splitter looks like it's installed correctly. Now if anyone can send me photos as to what the proper installation of the front splitter should look like, that'd be awesome!

Soon I had driven down directly to the dealership to tell the mechanic in person that the splitter is not installed correctly as informed by you knowledgeable folks, and I asked him if he could take a look at it once more when he had the time. I was also able to get his initial diagnosis in person. I will paraphrase to the best of my ability about his initial findings:
-The engine has definitely seized
-He confirmed that there was no oil leak, and there was adequate amount of oil in the system.
-He was able to rotate the crankshaft counter clockwise (backwards) manually but not clockwise. He mentioned about using a lot of force to try to turn it, but it's seized pretty good.
-He suspects there's a bent connecting rod in the engine.
-He's confirmed that there are no electrical issues, battery's good, and the starter is definitely working.
-During the self diagnostic test, there was a "Engine Starter Performance Code" which he believed was triggered when we were trying to restart the engine after it had seized the first day. However, he did not see any hard fault or engine fault codes.

Again, the mechanic at this dealership had not be authorized to tear apart the engine at this point. This is based on his initial bare troubleshooting without digging into the engine.

I had then asked the service department representative with regards to the options and compensations available to me for this issue (possible buyback, extended/upgraded Ford warranty, maintenance free package, etc). She told me that the dealership could not help me directly and provided me Ford Motor Company Customer Service Line Number (1-800-392-3673) in order to inquire about the compensation. I shortly called them afterwards, and they had told me that they could not begin the discussion with me on the available options/compensations until they receive word on the results of the engine repair/inspection at the dealership. I then had to remind them that the dealership's hands were tied and could not perform any actions on the vehicle until they received the green light from the Ford Motor Company! Then the Ford Motor CSR on the phone insisted I get the dealership to call their "Dealership Relationship Center" in order to expedite this process. I thank the person for their time and then shot a friendly email to the dealership to elaborate how productive the phone call to the Ford Motor Company CSR line was. Hoping we begin making progress in the right direction tomorrow!


Friday Noon 27DEC2019
Heard back from the service repair team and due to the holidays, their schedule has been very hectic in meeting all their scheduled repair timeline. Service representative had informed me that there would only be minimal teardown of the engine needed in order to compile the information needed for Ford Headquarter to make the determination between repairing the engine or completely replacing the engine. I've also made the request or their mechanic to take any photos during the teardown, but the service representative sounded reluctant to do so. On a positive note, they were finally able to accommodate me a courtesy vehicle while the GT350 continues to lay dormant in their garage.

2018 Ford 150 XLT Edition

FORD150 TWO by Terry Tran, on Flickr

FORD150 ONE by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Tuesday Afternoon 31DEC2019
Service representative had informed me that after sending the results of the "minimal" engine teardown and the cost gap to Ford Headquarter, they have determined to proceed on with a full engine replacement for my 2020 GT350. I then had asked for a confirmation that the new replacement engine will be a 2020 GT350 engine (I didn't want them replacing it with an older model engine) but she had reassured me I'd be given a brand new engine as the vehicle was equipped with. Due to the mechanic only being authorized to do a minimal teardown of the engine, he had diagnosed the root cause to be "possible valve contact." Removing spark plugs from cylinder six and seven, they noticed the spark plugs were damaged as well as the cylinders. I thank them for sending me some photos of their inspection process. Let me know what you can make out of these photos!

Damage One by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Damage Two by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Spark Splug Damage 3 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

The service representative had informed me it would be a few days until the new replacement engine arrive to their facility and another few days to conduct the full engine replacement. I'm expecting to hopefully receive the car next week. Looking to hopefully start off 2020 strong!!!!

Friday Afternoon 24JAN2020
Repair service representative informed me that they have successfully removed the old broken engine completely out of the car now. The dealership also informed me that, in terms of compensation, I would have to put in a case directly with the Ford headquarters and would have to back channel it through the selling dealer, which is not them unfortunately. It will be a tricky situation seeing that I've purchased my vehicle through the MAS program, thus purchasing the car directly from the factory and having it delivered.

Repair service representative was also able to provide me a photo depicting exactly what the issue was with the engine seizing. It appears that the cam intake valve has completely snapped and been bent perpendicularly, effectively violating the clearance space of the pistol valves and thus damaging the spark plugs in the whole process. See photo below.

Cam Intake Valve by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Saturday afternoon 08FEB2020
I've requested an update to see where they were with the installation of the new GT350 engine back on Wednesday 05FEB2020. Repair service representative informed me that they were still in the process of installing the new engine, and one of their techs were reinstalling the front splitter to best of his ability (after I had voiced my concern that it appeared to be installed incorrectly by the previous dealership and didn't want it flying off on the highway potentially injuring someone). Repair service representative also informed me that their team's work scheduled has been shifted to working Wednesday - Saturday now, and she would email me as soon as they got it ready to pick up. Praying that their team gets the job done by today and also done correctly. Today will mark day 57 since the 2020 GT350 has been taken into the dealership for repair. If GT350 does not get completely repaired today and released to me, I plan on calling Ford CSV again and trying to escalate the situation to a regional representative next week.

is the transportation company going to replace your front splitter for their negligence ??

 

[Weston]

It recently got resolved but not completely, I will be posting a detailed log about my whole experience on the back end once I get some more time off from work! Apologies for keeping everyone waiting for the updates.

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