HOW I SEE IT: A cautionary tale on vehicle warranties

Let’s start with the Wikepedia definition of a warranty: “In commercial and consumer transactions, a warranty is an obligation or guarantee that an article or service sold is as factually stated or legally implied by the seller, and that often provides for a specific remedy such as repair or replacement in the event the article or service fails to meet the warranty. A breach of warranty occurs when the promise is broken, i.e., a product is defective or not as should be expected by a reasonable buyer.“

Like most vehicles more than three years old, my 2005 Ford truck was not covered for repairs under the manufacturer’s warranty, except for the fact that (in order to win more customers) Ford extended the warranty on its diesel engines to 100,000 miles or five years, whichever came first. 

To cut a long story short, the diesel engine failed one Saturday, too late to get it to our usual Ford dealer for repairs some 22 miles away. As the truck wasn’t safe to drive any distance, we had to take it to the nearest reliable shop we could find. One week later, we were left with a working truck, but all our savings ($3,800) gone.

At no time did anyone at the repair shop mention the need for warranty repairs to be carried out only by a Ford authorized dealer, and foolishly we assumed Ford would cover the costs of the repairs under its guarantee.

In one of the toughest recessions in decades, the world’s biggest automobile manufacturer refused to refund our costs, as the repairs were not carried out by their approved dealer.  What’s worse is they didn’t class the repairs as an “emergency” (where anyone could fix it), since in their opinion the vehicle could still be driven to the nearest dealer!

Things are tough in the auto industry, so you’d think every manufacturer would want to do all they could to retain their loyal customers!

Ford promises its customers that its diesel engines will run without error for 100,000 miles or five years, and if parts fail within that period they shall be replaced under the written guarantee. The onus of that guarantee should not be placed upon the unsuspecting customer (very few of whom are knowledgeable mechanics), but instead should be part of the standard customer care program that these companies are always promoting.

How large a dent would reimbursing us have made in the salaries of Ford’s board of directors, had they chosen to do the honorable thing? Old Henry (Ford) must be turning in his grave!

Hasbury’s column usually appears every other Wednesday on the community page.