Wanna Ride

You don't just twist a driveshaft like that without one of two things being present; misuse, or abuse. Period.

OP might claim he did nothing wrong, and it's possible he didn't know he did something wrong. But at the end of the day.... he did something wrong.

If you pin the throttle, and leave it pinned indefinitely, eventually something will break. Why should Ford warranty that?

A warranty is only a warranty, it's not insurance for ignorance.

MadMikeyL

If you pin the throttle, and the drivetrain can't turn, then it will get to the stall speed of the torque converter and just stay there. Try it some time, put your truck in drive, and hold the brake and gas to the floor. It won't break anything, it will just not be able to rev past around 2500rpms or so. I don't see any way of twisting a driveshaft like that with a stock drivetrain other than prior damage to the shaft like a dent, or a manufacturer defect.

MurderFX

True. Kinda. Most modern trucks have the power to overpower either the tires or the brakes, so it won't stall by holding the brakes, and it would take a hell of a bind to lock up all four tires. No idea what happened to the ops driveshaft, but it is more to the story that what he is saying, or like others have said, he previously damaged it.

Wanna Ride

Whatever... You all know what I was getting at. Warranty doesn't cover ignorance.

If your sunroof leaks because you kicked it out (accidental or intentional), warranty shouldn't be expected to cover it.

Wanna Ride

I can assure you, that is incorrect. When you do it (with traction control turned off), you will completely engulf your truck and the surrounding area with tire smoke. I have a feeling you already know that it's called, "power braking". And it WILL rev past 2500 rpm. But I will agree with you on this... I also can't see it twisting a drive shaft.

OP; now that you have our attention... 'fess up. What REALLY happened?

Shidyfidy

With tires spinning free and the motor at 3500rpm. I let of the gas and hit the brakes. Not hard enough to engage abs but hard for the shaft to make the terrible groaning noise of its first twist. New truck never launched in 4x4, bottomed out, never had the front wheels spin and suddenly grab never off roaded. This should not have happened.

MurderFX

How many miles were on the truck when you bought it? Any possibility it happened on a test drive, or something of that sort? It wasn't a weak part or it would have sheared off. You or someone else has fcked up somewhere. If it wasn't you, then that really sucks, and I understand your frustration, but you have to understand why the dealership came to its conclusion.

Wescustogo

Wouldn't regular stress and abuse from shifting into 4 while the wheels are slipping help wear down the point at which it broke?

Rockjock3

Great point. I just had my front driveshaft break as well. Mine didn't twist, but the shaft blew apart inside the rear CV joint portion, where the shaft goes into the joint ($425 for the shaft if I did it my self). The dealership, after looking at it told me repairs would be $610 with all parts/labor. Not bad, but not warranty. Truck has 26k on it, but the guy said his manager wouldn't do it under warranty due to the lift (in signature). Problem is I researched lifts a lot and especially the one I put on to ensure I didn't change the angles on anything. That is also a reason I didn't go with a bigger lift. I got what I wanted with the 4 inch with a lot less of the problems of a larger lift. I have measured mine compared to stock and there is no difference in angles unless you were to get into the 100ths of inches. Drivelines are not THAT exact due to all the vibration and flexing inherent in them just from normal use.


So I talk to the dealer and explain this and tell them that if they put my truck up next to a stock version they will see, but no budge. Both sides were very polite and I simply told them to please make the repairs as they will be paid one way or the other and I want my baby back. They gave me the Ford Care line and I thanked them and we all hung up.


Again, great dealership and very polite and professional.


I reread my warranty again to be sure I was in the right and I was. It doesn't preclude warranty work due to lift kits at all. I simply states that damage caused by them won't be covered. Funny thing in world is you actually do (legally) have to prove the part caused the damage not to fulfill a warranty repair.


So, I called Ford Care line and got a representative. We talked, he called other people, we talked, he called the dealership, we talked and he pushed the case up to his supervisor who will call today. He was, again, very professional and very polite. I would have to say he was one of the best customer service agents I have EVER dealt with when dealing with trying to resolve a problem.


So, after I explained my stance he called and talk to the dealer's service manager. When he came back he told me they had no proof and couldn't say definitively (with any backing) that my lift kit caused any of the damage at all (it didn't). He said it doesn't look like there will be any problem, but he doesn't have the authority to clear the claim so it will go to his supervisor to finalize it tomorrow (which is today).


So, although it might not work in all cases with driveline issues, it can help in a lot. Make sure you are polite and simply ask for them to show you the proof of what caused the damage if they say they won't cover it under warranty. I spent about 15 minutes on the phone (holds and all) with the Ford Care line and all is well.


Also, remember, just like insurance adjusters, many dealerships automatically deny many of their warranty claims because most people will simply say okay and pay for the repairs after a bit of gruff. There is ALWAYS somebody higher to talk to so simply ask for them and keep going until you are either talking with the CEO or getting the right answer, if you are in the right.

brantlyj

I work for a company that also repairs and manufactures driveshafts. I showed this pic to our tech.
He said there are only a few ways a driveshaft tube fails. One is it's old and just fatigues. Two is it gets damaged some how, ex. a dent. Three is over torque. Either you over power the shaft or a sudden grab of traction or rocking the vehicle back and forth to get it unstuck.


He looked at this pic and said it's clearly number three, over-tourque. You can see that the shaft twisted about half a turn before it snapped. You stated that you got it stuck in hard packed snow. You also stated that all 4 tires where spinning. You also stated that you went from forward to reverse. my tech think you were "rocking" the truck trying to get it unstuck, went from forward to reverse with the tires still spinning and when it hit traction in reverse it exceeded the torque rating of the shaft and it twisted.


Sorry to say that this is clearly not a warranty situation. We see twisted shafts everyday and we would not warranty it either.