Ford Motor Company Ford 3 year old truck with rusted bumpers and warranty limited by mileage? Detroit, Michigan
I purchased a 2008 Ford Ranger earlier this year from a local dealership. A few months later, the rear bumper has begun to rust severely in several different spots.
I visited a body shop to get a quote to repair the bumper, but they told me that they wouldn't be able to warrant a repair due to the formation of rust, and would need to replace the bumper to warrant the work.
I then asked about the 5 year (note that this is unlimited mileage) body and paint warranty that Ford offers and was told that because it wasn't rusted all the way through (to the point of perforation), that I could not qualify for replacement.
Rusted body panels are not acceptable with the level of technology and techniques available to prevent such problems, especially on a vehicle that is only 3 years old. If Ford stood behind their products, they'd take care of issues like this.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
voiceofreason
North Carolina,United States of America
Hmmmm
#2Consumer Comment
Tue, September 13, 2011
Kind of strange that the bumper rust began to show only months into your ownership. Is it possible the dealer who sold it, or whoever pawned it off on them, applied something to the bumper to hide an existing rust condition?
That said, the terms of the warranty aren't off the wall. This is standard on all auto warranties. A part has to die/fail completely in most cases before they'll cover a repair/replacement. Merely being on life support and gasping for air isn't enough for them.
Make sure you don't face a catch 22, where if you let the bumper deteriorate further to perforation, they don't then claim you were negligent not to arrest the condition.