So I have 2015 F150 Eco 3.5 with 80xxx miles about 3 months ago it kicked a CEL and was towed to the dealership as it was knocking. Long Story short FORD ESP denied my claim based on Foreign Object ingestion, except per my Service Manager no FOD was ingested as the turbo's are in pristine condition. No play, No bent fins, No damage at all. I called ESP and they stated authorize dealer to tear down further to find cause of damage, I did so...……. Except what ever was broken and ingested post the turbos is gone, a very tiny Piece of metal was found in one of the Cylinders and that was it. Ford ESP further refused to come out and even look at the Truck. I have started the BBB Arbitration but who knows how long that will take. Has anyone had this happen to them ? Any other avenue of approach? I have a case with FORD but so far no help there. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Get your ducks in a row. Have all the verifiable facts ready to present. Do not blur the line between fact and opinion. Be prepared to be frustrated, and don’t expect the arbitrator to be knowledgeable about cars or warranty issues. Ford will do everything in their power to weasel their way out of a claim. You need to catch them on inconsistencies and get written confirmation from the dealer that the intake tract was pristine.

 

I already have everything together and submitted. The Service Manager Wrote me a Document stating the facts about the intake tract being good to go.

 

Something is missing here...or I'm missing something obvious. Have modifications been done that they suggest caused an issue?

 

No Mods to the Engine its stock, the Ford ESP is denying it based on the Contract language of Foreign Object Ingestion is not covered. No Foreign Object was Ingested, if FOD was ingested was the turbos would be destroyed. They just don't want to pay for a New long Block. Which is BS

 

So it is in fact a esp with Ford and not a third party? you could contact a lawyer and talk to them. some will take the case and recover their fees from ford no money up front from you. If they feel like they can win. ford will have to prove that it was your fault. or that it was not due to failure from the product . they deny theses claims banking on people will just walk away. many people have won cases or able to come to a settlement. They will fight you till they win or realize they have to settle.

 

Something is being left out of this story. What modifications have you made to the truck?

 

Clearly this is the case.

"No modifications to the engine" was the response, which means "modifications were made".

Not that whatever mods were done will necessarily be the determining factor, but not knowing the rest of the story and what those mods were...who knows maybe they are irrelevant and maybe they are the whole thing?

 

And what had the truck been used for and what was it being used for at the time that the knocking started? I have to say that a lot of things aren't adding up here. Were you using an air cleaner and what condition was it in ???? If the dealer is trying to say that it was FOD (Foreign Object Damage) then they should have to show that the air cleaner wasn't installed or that an object got through it, and through the turbo without causing any damage. Exactly what kind of damage did the engine sustain? What did that piece of metal that was found look like and what makes them think that it is a "Foreign Object" and not part of the engine???

Either the OP isn't telling the whole story or else FORD is just making a totally unsubstantiated claim about FOD.

I think that it's time for the OP to get lots of pictures (particularly of the undamaged turbo and undamaged air cleaner, assuming that they are) and then lawyer up. If those items are good and the OP isn't leaving anything out of his story then I think that this case would be a slam dunk in court. He may be able to go to small claims court, depending on the limit in his state and the cost of the engine repair/replacement.

 

Wait a minute. Ford denied the claim based on FOD even before the engine was completely torn down and the metal was found? That's pretty damming! Particularly if they hadn't even seen the engine at that point and the service manager said that it wasn't FOD! A judge and/or a jury would LOVE to hear that one!


." Except what ever was broken and ingested post the turbos is gone, a very tiny Piece of metal was found in one of the Cylinders and that was it. Ford ESP further refused to come out and even look at the Truck. I have started the BBB Arbitration but who knows how long that will take. Has anyone had this happen to them ? Any other avenue of approach? I have a case with FORD but so far no help there. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated"

SCREW BBB Arbitration! BBB and ALL arbitrators know which side their bread is buttered on and they will ALWAYS side with Ford and their other big client companies. Do NOT agree to arbitration! Get a lawyer and go to court! Otherwise you're going to get F'd!

If you feel that you have a sound case and can afford to, go buy another truck or pay to have this one fixed and then go to court and sue for your expenses. Even if you have to borrow money to pay for it, the court should award you ALL of your reasonable expenses including interest. Keep in mind that Ford has already had three months to make this right and hasn't done so, so if you incur additional expenses such as interest or if you need to buy another truck so that you have the immediate use of it, then Ford should have to pay for those additional expenses as well as the reasonable repair or replacement costs.