Modifications and Ford Factory Warranty

[prestj1]

Hello Fellow S550 owners, quick question on Ford's policy on aftermarket modifications and the factory warranty. My dealer is saying any aftermarket mod will void the warranty but other cars I have owned the dealers have been a bit more flexible stating that it only impacts the actual modification not the entire car.

Does anyone have a Ford official view on mods and the warranty.

Looking at doing the resonator delete and trying to determine how much grief Ford will give me if I need to make a warranty claim for something.

Thanks in advance.

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[2021 Mach 1]

Hello Fellow S550 owners, quick question on Ford's policy on aftermarket modifications and the factory warranty. My dealer is saying any aftermarket mod will void the warranty but other cars I have owned the dealers have been a bit more flexible stating that it only impacts the actual modification not the entire car.

Does anyone have a Ford official view on mods and the warranty.

Looking at doing the resonator delete and trying to determine how much grief Ford will give me if I need to make a warranty claim for something.

Thanks in advance.

Bud, unless your dealer is the one making the modifications AND they put in writing that they'll warranty it, then I would assume you are then without warranty post modifications.

 

[JimC]

A modification doesn't "void" the entire warranty.
If you change the seat covers and the engine fails you will have a warranty still. If you tune the car, then it is no longer the car that Ford built and so Ford can deny a warranty claim for an engine failure.

If you changed the seat covers and then one had an issue, would you expect Ford to warranty the seat covers?

 

[njweatherman]

I asked my dealer about the mid-pipe resonator delete and they said as long as it is a Ford Performance part, the warranty was still good.

Check out https://performanceparts.ford.com/
https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-5251-M8 (GT X-Pipe)
and https://performanceparts.ford.com/download/PDFS/fpp-warranty.pdf (warranty info).

"Installation of these select Ford Performance warranted performance packs and components by an authorized installer will NOT void your New Vehicle Limited Warranty. Engine, driveline and suspension concerns not caused by the use of Ford Performance parts remain eligible for warranty coverage according to the terms of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty."

 

[prestj1]

If you changed the seat covers and then one had an issue, would you expect Ford to warranty the seat covers?

The question wasn't whether Ford would cover the modded part but whether it impacts the total car warranty. I wouldn't expect them to cover the new h-pipe lol.

 

[prestj1]

I asked my dealer about the mid-pipe resonator delete and they said as long as it is a Ford Performance part, the warranty was still good.

Check out https://performanceparts.ford.com/
https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-5251-M8 (GT X-Pipe)
and https://performanceparts.ford.com/download/PDFS/fpp-warranty.pdf (warranty info).

"Installation of these select Ford Performance warranted performance packs and components by an authorized installer will NOT void your New Vehicle Limited Warranty. Engine, driveline and suspension concerns not caused by the use of Ford Performance parts remain eligible for warranty coverage according to the terms of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty."

Thanks for the info very helpful

 

[K4fxd]

The question wasn't whether Ford would cover the modded part but whether it impacts the total car warranty. I wouldn't expect them to cover the new h-pipe lol.

If you modify the exhaust Ford will not warrant the exhaust. Everything else is still covered. So long as you didn't remove the cats.

 

[Rapid Red]

The question wasn't whether Ford would cover the modded part but whether it impacts the total car warranty. I wouldn't expect them to cover the new h-pipe lol.

You're right, what could go wrong with the mod to result in a warranty claim.

.........I suggest that if the car has Active Exhaust. First step unplug the valve connectors. They are prone to get damaged, moving the tail pipe assembly around, removing and installing the H pipe.
A very common problem seen.

That's the only real gotcha to be aware of.

"Ford Performance part H pipe" never seen one advertised,

 

[EFI]

whether it impacts the total car warranty

Nothing can impact the total car warranty, unless you replace the entire car with aftermarket parts. You can install a jet engine instead of the regular engine, and Ford will still warranty your stereo if it goes bad.

The only thing that is impacted by a certain modification is 1) that part itself and 2) directly related components. Anything else is not impacted. In your example, putting in an hpipe will affect your warranty on the exhaust itself, but that's it. Everything else will still be fine.

 

[mattrubt12]

Unless the aftermarket part is the cause of the issue, then your warranty is still good. There are some dealers that won't bother with it because they don't want to deal with the hassle of talking to ford about it.

"The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that a dealer must prove that aftermarket equipment caused the need for repairs before it can deny warranty coverage."

 

[JimC]

Unless the aftermarket part is the cause of the issue, then your warranty is still good. There are some dealers that won't bother with it because they don't want to deal with the hassle of talking to ford about it.

"The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that a dealer must prove that aftermarket equipment caused the need for repairs before it can deny warranty coverage."

First, the dealer isn't the one denying coverage, the manufacturer Ford is the entity offering warranty and denying coverage. The dealer is just the store selling the product.

And yes, Manuson-Moss says that the manufacturer has to prove it. That proof though is, "we looked at it and determined that the modification caused this not a manufacturing defect". There's the proof they need to provide.
After that it is up to the consumer to start the lawsuit, pay the costs of getting their own expert analysis and testimony, pay their legal fees, and prove that the manufacturer denial was wrong. At that point, if they survive the motion to dismiss, the manufacturer has to come forward with more proofs.
The manufacturer doesn't have to do anything more than issue its' denial, it has no duty to do anything else unless you start the lawsuit. And once the suit starts, they have a lot deeper pockets to wage war, and more engineers and experts than you will ever have to rebut what you present.
So Magnuson-Moss isn't some shield that you hold up and the manufacturer caves. It is a hollow tool.

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