Question on Extended Service Plan: Should my battery be covered?

[IndyMike]

Hi all. I'll do my best to make this short.
Driving in to work and I get a message on the center screen stating "Stop driving vehicle immediately". I was almost to work, so I continued in. The truck went into an electric-only limp mode. Had to have it towed to my dealership where they diagnosed it as a faulty headlight switch which slowly drained the battery (12V, not hybrid) to the point of killing it. The headlight switch is covered on the plan (which they tried to deny), but they said the battery was not. I get that batteries are most likely not covered as it would fall into the normal wear category, but with the faulty headlight switch causing the battery failure, I don't feel I should have to pay for the battery. Do I have a fight here? Thanks for your time.

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[Glen Baker LLC]

I like and agree with your logic.
Now whether Ford will..... that's another matter.
Who knows whether it would be included under the Extended Service Plan that you have.
Good luck.

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

Are you within 3/36?

HRG

 

[Chopperbobc]

2 comments..... there is a well known defect in the Maverick electrical system that destroys the battery so it should be covered..........and... is the battery a wearable part since it does not move......

 

[Johnkn]

Hi all. I'll do my best to make this short.
Driving in to work and I get a message on the center screen stating "Stop driving vehicle immediately". I was almost to work, so I continued in. The truck went into an electric-only limp mode. Had to have it towed to my dealership where they diagnosed it as a faulty headlight switch which slowly drained the battery (12V, not hybrid) to the point of killing it. The headlight switch is covered on the plan (which they tried to deny), but they said the battery was not. I get that batteries are most likely not covered as it would fall into the normal wear category, but with the faulty headlight switch causing the battery failure, I don't feel I should have to pay for the battery. Do I have a fight here? Thanks for your time.

I believe the reasonable approach would be to have a discussion with the Dealer Service Manager stating that the (covered) switch caused the (no longer covered) battery to fail.

Coolness prevails

Should you not get the answer you wish, escalate (with Ford.com) to the Ford Regional service team.

Good luck



.

 

[HeyBales]

Many times a single drain on a decent battery doesn't ruin it.

Part of the process for the 12VB intermittent drain is recharge it, test it after an overnight sit to confirm it's holding a charge and can take the minor load thrown at it when starting the truck.

Now - "decent battery" and hybrid can be worlds apart - if you haven't had issues until now, you likely may not have a problem.

Had you been getting battery saver functions for awhile, especially after your winter?
Lights off quickly on entry or exit.
FordPass app if used declaring battery saver on, or worse Deep Sleep Mode enabled.

That old and original battery - I'm betting you were coming up for an issue quickly anyway if like many of us. The amount of damage from this drain was probably minor compared to what had already occurred.

 

[pigsareus]

Hi all. I'll do my best to make this short.
Driving in to work and I get a message on the center screen stating "Stop driving vehicle immediately". I was almost to work, so I continued in. The truck went into an electric-only limp mode. Had to have it towed to my dealership where they diagnosed it as a faulty headlight switch which slowly drained the battery (12V, not hybrid) to the point of killing it. The headlight switch is covered on the plan (which they tried to deny), but they said the battery was not. I get that batteries are most likely not covered as it would fall into the normal wear category, but with the faulty headlight switch causing the battery failure, I don't feel I should have to pay for the battery. Do I have a fight here? Thanks for your time.

a one time drain isn't going to destroy your battery, when it gets recharged back up it should be as good as it was before it drained. On the other hand...I have the ESP and one month after my 3/36 was up the battery died - able to jump it, took it in to the dealer...was just going to pay for a new battery as it looked like a bit of a pain to get the old one out, they called me back told me that they installed an AGM and that I was only liable for the deductible (100 bucks) and it was covered under my extended. I think dealers have some leeway with Ford in doing battery replacements/upgrades so it's better to not be adversarial with them but to use some polite but firm convincing.

 

[TheRealEman]

I’d like to know the year of the vehicle and mileage. I never buy extended warranties because if dealers push them, as they always do, there’s a (highly) profitable reason. I also trade vehicles around 90,000 miles and pay cash now that I can.

 

[YazYaz]

Hi all. I'll do my best to make this short.
Driving in to work and I get a message on the center screen stating "Stop driving vehicle immediately". I was almost to work, so I continued in. The truck went into an electric-only limp mode. Had to have it towed to my dealership where they diagnosed it as a faulty headlight switch which slowly drained the battery (12V, not hybrid) to the point of killing it. The headlight switch is covered on the plan (which they tried to deny), but they said the battery was not. I get that batteries are most likely not covered as it would fall into the normal wear category, but with the faulty headlight switch causing the battery failure, I don't feel I should have to pay for the battery. Do I have a fight here? Thanks for your time.

The ESP does not cover the battery. There are a couple of law firms looking to begin a class action lawsuit against Ford for the many batteries that have had to be replaced. It's a slow process.

 

[YazYaz]

I believe the reasonable approach would be to have a discussion with the Dealer Service Manager stating that the (covered) switch caused the (no longer covered) battery to fail.

Coolness prevails

Should you not get the answer you wish, escalate (with Ford.com) to the Ford Regional service team.

Good luck



.

Unfortunately, the dealership has no say in this. and it is not their responsibility.

 

[Toadhopper1]

Hi all. I'll do my best to make this short.
Driving in to work and I get a message on the center screen stating "Stop driving vehicle immediately". I was almost to work, so I continued in. The truck went into an electric-only limp mode. Had to have it towed to my dealership where they diagnosed it as a faulty headlight switch which slowly drained the battery (12V, not hybrid) to the point of killing it. The headlight switch is covered on the plan (which they tried to deny), but they said the battery was not. I get that batteries are most likely not covered as it would fall into the normal wear category, but with the faulty headlight switch causing the battery failure, I don't feel I should have to pay for the battery. Do I have a fight here? Thanks for your time.

 

[Toadhopper1]

Batteries alone are not covered under extended warranty as the are considered a wear item. But if the tech can prove a failed covered part damaged and caused Battery to fail then there's a good chance you could get covered
Although over charging battery is main coverage I've seen

 

[Randorita]

I keep wondering why a faulty headlight switch that drained your 12V battery would kill your engine. Am I missing something? If your Mav was running, wouldn't the high voltage battery handle everything? The 12V mostly just starts your engine.

 

[TJ2023]

Hi all. I'll do my best to make this short.
Driving in to work and I get a message on the center screen stating "Stop driving vehicle immediately". I was almost to work, so I continued in. The truck went into an electric-only limp mode. Had to have it towed to my dealership where they diagnosed it as a faulty headlight switch which slowly drained the battery (12V, not hybrid) to the point of killing it. The headlight switch is covered on the plan (which they tried to deny), but they said the battery was not. I get that batteries are most likely not covered as it would fall into the normal wear category, but with the faulty headlight switch causing the battery failure, I don't feel I should have to pay for the battery. Do I have a fight here? Thanks for your time.

Battery won't be covered. That being said if you put up a big enough fight about it they will probably replace it just to keep you happy. If your service writer won't do anything, demand to speak with the service manager. If that doesn't work, you can try to contact Ford directly, start writing bad reviews on Google, Facebook and through their own surveys. Squeaky wheel gets the grease!
I work at a Ford dealer, and we have tons of issues with 12v batteries on hybrids. Ford won't even warranty batteries on new vehicles if they have been sitting on a storage lot. The 12v batteries on hybrids drain quickly even while sitting if the vehicle isn't driven on a regular basis to keep them charged. Too many electronics that are constantly draining the battery even when its off.

 

[pigsareus]

The ESP does not cover the battery. There are a couple of law firms looking to begin a class action lawsuit against Ford for the many batteries that have had to be replaced. It's a slow process.

My ESP covered the battery - one month after my factory warr was up i had a dead battery, took it to the dealer to just have them put in a new battery as I didn't want to fool with it - they replaced the dead battery with an AGM and I only had to pay my 100 deductible. I was totally surprised, but it actually happened.

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