Will This Modification Void My Warranty? Answer: Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

[Chase_GHT]

This is a question that is being asked often here and on social media. It is understandably a major concern for many people as they start down the road of modifying their vehicle. Search the web and you will find plenty of answers from internet “experts”, but as usual most of them totally incorrect. So, what is the correctanswer?

Despite all the bad information out there, it is pretty cut and dry because there is federal law on the matter. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. 2302(C)) regulates warranties and protects the consumer. This legislation was enacted in 1975 in response to widespread deceptive warranty practices in many industries. Here is how SEMA summarizes things:

The essence of the law concerning aftermarket auto parts is that a vehicle manufacturer may not condition a written or implied warranty on the consumers using parts or services which are identified by brand, trade, or corporate name (such as the vehicle maker's brand) unless the parts or service are provided free of charge. The law means that the use of an aftermarket part alone is not cause for denying the warranty. However, the law's protection does not extend to aftermarket parts in situations where such parts actually caused the damage being claimed under the warranty. Further, consumers are advised to be aware of any specific terms or conditions stated in the warranty which may result in its being voided. The law states in relevant part: No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumers using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name... (15 U.S.C. 2302(C)).

So in short, this means a service department or automotive manufacturer can not void your warranty simply because you have installed aftermarket parts or have modified your vehicle. They can, however, deny a warranty claim if they can prove the issue in question was a direct result of the installed part or modification. Unfortunately, plenty of people have stories of going to a dealership service department with a warranty issue and being denied because they have modified their vehicle. There are definitely shady service departments out there who will try to get over on their customers if they can, but this is illegal and it is up to the customer to know the law and stand up.


Here is an example of what can not be denied:

You install a larger aftermarket turbo in your vehicle and a month later your drivers side window stops working. The turbo has no impact on your electric window motor, therefore, the repair should be covered.


Here is and example of what could be denied:

You install a larger aftermarket turbo in your vehicle and a month later your clutch is toast. The additional power created by the turbo can easily overpower a stock clutch and lead to the repair not being covered under warranty.

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[RR - All the way]

I understand that in "most" cases a mod probably does not cause the warranty to be voided. However, I just used the words, "most and "probably" as there is a lot of gray area and each situation is open to interpretation. I know absolutely nothing about mod wheels and tires. I do read that mileage goes down because of a bigger tire and/or treads. If mileage is going down the inference to me is that the engine is working harder. So, if something goes wrong with the engine could it be said that it might have been caused by the mod? Just a rambling thought on my part. My own rule of thumb for my vehicle is if I want to mod something for looks, is it worth it to me that I may, under some circumstances, have trouble with the warranty. Comes down to a personal decision......

 

[Deleted member 14823]

So...basically, anything you do to a part connected to the powertrain could void the warranty coverage of an associated part on the powertrain. Which pretty much eliminates all the fun stuff.

 

[Decayed]

This issue comes down to how hard you want to have to fight the service department. Give them a reason to deny your claim and what's your avenue of recourse? Sure, you can hire a lawyer, but that means you have to PAY a lawyer and go through the time and irritation of suing them.

 

[cannon]

This is a question that is being asked often here and on social media. It is understandably major concern for many people as they start down the road of modifying their vehicle. Searchthe web and you will find plenty of answers from internet “experts”, but as usual most of them totally incorrect. So, what is the correctanswer?

Despite all the bad information out there, it is pretty cut and dry because there is federal law on the matter. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. 2302(C)) regulates warranties and protects the consumer. This legislation was enacted in 1975 in response to widespread deceptive warranty practices in many industries. Here is how SEMA summarizes things:

So in short, this means a service department or automotive manufacturer can not void your warranty simply because you have installed aftermarket parts or have modified your vehicle. They can, however, deny a warranty claim if they can prove the issue in question was a direct result of the installed part or modification. Unfortunately, plenty of people have stories of going to a dealership service department with a warranty issue and being denied because they have modified their vehicle. There are definitely shady service departments out there who will try to get over on their customers if they can, but this is illegal and it is up to the customer to know the law and stand up.


Here is an example of what can not be denied:

You install a larger aftermarket turbo in your vehicle and a month later your drivers side window stops working. The turbo has no impact on your electric window motor, therefore, the repair should be covered.


Here is and example of what could be denied:

You install a larger aftermarket turbo in your vehicle and a month later your clutch is toast. The additional power created by the turbo can easily overpower a stock clutch and lead to the repair not being covered under warranty.

​

It's not in the dealerships interest to deny a warranty claim- that's free $ from Ford. The denial comes from the pre approval process, it's FOMOCO not dealers.

 

[Chase_GHT]

I understand that in "most" cases a mod probably does not cause the warranty to be voided. However, I just used the words, "most and "probably" as there is a lot of gray area and each situation is open to interpretation. I know absolutely nothing about mod wheels and tires. I do read that mileage goes down because of a bigger tire and/or treads. If mileage is going down the inference to me is that the engine is working harder. So, if something goes wrong with the engine could it be said that it might have been caused by the mod? Just a rambling thought on my part. My own rule of thumb for my vehicle is if I want to mod something for looks, is it worth it to me that I may, under some circumstances, have trouble with the warranty. Comes down to a personal decision......

No, you will never see a drive train warranty claim denied due to wheels and tires. If you have a lift that changes the angle of drive line components and start having CV or U-joint issues you could.

So...basically, anything you do to a part connected to the powertrain could void the warranty coverage of an associated part on the powertrain. Which pretty much eliminates all the fun stuff.

No mod can void the warranty outright simply because its there. The mod would have to be directly responsible for the issue in question.

This issue comes down to how hard you want to have to fight the service department. Give them a reason to deny your claim and what's your avenue of recourse? Sure, you can hire a lawyer, but that means you have to PAY a lawyer and go through the time and irritation of suing them.

Actually, the proper course of action is to contact your state's attorney general's office. Its an actual criminal offense, not a civil claim.

It's not in the dealerships interest to deny a warranty claim- that's free $ from Ford. The denial comes from the pre approval process, it's FOMOCO not dealers.

Typically when people have run into these problems its not the OEM, its a service writter or service department manager that is trying to charge customers more that the OEM will pay them for the repair. They straight up lie to them and say their warranty is void because they modified their car.

 

[Mr.Roboto.1975]

The law says you can "replace" parts with aftermarket parts...... i.e. brake pads, air filters etc etc. It does not say you can "modify" the vehicle and they have to cover it. Modifications rarely make a vehicle more reliable, or less likely to break under normal use. I'll take this further, and say that as long as the vehicle is under warranty, to have all maintenance and repairs done at a dealer, so there is documentation in their system.

 

[Chase_GHT]

The law says you can "replace" parts with aftermarket parts...... i.e. brake pads, air filters etc etc. It does not say you can "modify" the vehicle and they have to cover it. Modifications rarely make a vehicle more reliable, or less likely to break under normal use. I'll take this further, and say that as long as the vehicle is under warranty, to have all maintenance and repairs done at a dealer, so there is documentation in their system.

Correct, if the modification is directly responsible for the problem they do not have to cover the claim. But they can't deny a claim or void your warranty simply due to a modification or the presence of an aftermarket part.

 

[Mr.Roboto.1975]

Correct, if the modification is directly responsible for the problem they do not have to cover the claim. But they can't deny a claim or void your warranty simply due to a modification or the presence of an aftermarket part.

Please cite the part of the law that states that modifications will not effect the warranty. I did a quick scan of the law, the only time I saw the word "modification" was in reference to modifying warranties to be limited. Now I'm sure people have won this in court..... judges tend to be more concerned with politics, than actual law.

 

[Chase_GHT]

Please cite the part of the law that states that modifications will not effect the warranty. I did a quick scan of the law, the only time I saw the word "modification" was in reference to modifying warranties to be limited. Now I'm sure people have won this in court..... judges tend to be more concerned with politics, than actual law.

I'm not sure I understand what you are looking for. The installation of aftermarket parts IS modification of the vehicle.

 

[Deleted member 14823]

No mod can void the warranty outright simply because its there. The mod would have to be directly responsible for the issue in question.

The example you gave about the turbo adding stress to the clutch is exactly what I'm talking about with the powertrain. Anything you modify can be blamed for exceeding the design limits of any associated components. Doesn't seem worth it to me. I know there's a lot of folks on this board that are doing all kinds of modifications, but to me it's not worth my time to get into debates with service managers. After the warranty expires, sure, go all Grave Digger on it.

 

[Chase_GHT]

The example you gave about the turbo adding stress to the clutch is exactly what I'm talking about with the powertrain. Anything you modify can be blamed for exceeding the design limits of any associated components. Doesn't seem worth it to me. I know there's a lot of folks on this board that are doing all kinds of modifications, but to me it's not worth my time to get into debates with service managers. After the warranty expires, sure, go all Grave Digger on it.

Obviously, its your vehicle to do with what you want and what you are comfortable with. I don't sell aftermarket parts so have no skin in the game, I was just trying to help the community out and answer a common question.

 

[Decayed]

Actually, the proper course of action is to contact your state's attorney general's office. Its an actual criminal offense, not a civil claim.

You are missing my point: Good luck with doing that. At the end of the day, it's gonna cost you either time, money or both. The process might well end up costing you more than the repair.

It's VERY arguable that a claim denial fits the definition of a "criminal offense". If billy bob does a lift and tires and the cv joints blow, I will go out of a limb and say billy bob will NEVER win a claim for blown CV axels and nor should he.

 

[Chase_GHT]

You are missing my point: Good luck with doing that. At the end of the day, it's gonna cost you either time, money or both. The process might well end up costing you more than the repair.

It's VERY arguable that a claim denial fits the definition of a "criminal offense". If billy bob does a lift and tires and the cv joints blow, I will go out of a limb and say billy bob will NEVER win a claim for blown CV axels and nor should he.

I understand that there shady service departments out there but in general they are going to abide by the law. The point of the post is that you aren't going to lose your drivetrain warranty simply because you installed an air intake or a cat back exhaust.

Your Billy Bob example is a perfect example of what is NOT protected under the law. Lifting the truck changes the angle of the CV which causes more wear. That warranty claim would in all likelihood, and should, be denied. But his warranty wouldn't be voided outright. If his alternator went out it would still be covered.

 

[Decayed]

I understand that there shady service departments out there but in general they are going to abide by the law. The point of the post is that you aren't going to lose your drivetrain warranty simply because you installed an air intake or a cat back exhaust.

Your Billy Bob example is a perfect example of what is NOT protected under the law. Lifting the truck changes the angle of the CV which causes more wear. That warranty claim would in all likelihood, and should, be denied. But his warranty wouldn't be voided outright. If his alternator went out it would still be covered.

Totally agree. An air intake or catback shouldn't affect anything. But some service departments are dedicated to sucking.

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