Beware: Heat Exchanger not covered under warranty

[JChristiansen]

Which dealer are you working with?

Mike White Ford of Coeur D Alene, Idaho. Please PM for more details as i would like to know wbout your current situation.

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[GPSMan]

I don't have the time to read 100 posts.

I'd be asking in great detail and get great detail of what is the PURPOSE for the heat exhanger?

Like what does it DO for the truck, and what happens if you drive without it.

Hint: if it affected MPG then you are burning more gas, thus causing more pollution than advertised, and it may be construed as an EMISSIONS component.

 

[LM42]

Let me just share my experience with my Maverick Hybrid. Had the check engine light come on for the same trouble codes for a failing heat exchanger. At the time my truck had 40k on it so out of the basic 3/36 but under the 5/60 powertrain and the 8/100 emissions warranty. My dealership ahs informed that it IS covered by the powertrain warranty since ENGINE coolant does flow through this part and also it would be covered by the emissions warranty as well since it is on the exhaust system. Now my part is on order had waiting till mid April to arrive but my dealer assured me that this is a part that is COVERED UNDER WARRANTY!! Either OP's dealer is being lazy or just flat out DON'T care and want to get paid! Either way there is no excuse as to why Ford would deny coverage on this part!

I am really curious to see how this turns out for you, and for the OP. Their description of covered because coolant flows through it, or under emissions would cover it because it is on the exhaust is just not correct phrasing. If that were true, your muffler would be covered. And so would a coolant overflow tank. I hope your truck isn't repaired and then you are hit with an "oops, it isn't covered."

 

[skyhawk]

I don't have the time to read 100 posts.

I'd be asking in great detail and get great detail of what is the PURPOSE for the heat exhanger?

Like what does it DO for the truck, and what happens if you drive without it.

Hint: if it affected MPG then you are burning more gas, thus causing more pollution than advertised, and it may be construed as an EMISSIONS component.

I believe it provides heat for the HV battery if needed and also perhaps cabin heat. IMO it will cause a decrease in mileage in certain environments (cold climates) because the HV battery will perform suboptimally if it cannot be heated.

Additionally, any fluid leaks from this exchanger are going to quickly rust out the exhaust, there is a thread here where this had happened to someone.

 

[JChristiansen]

I am really curious to see how this turns out for you, and for the OP. Their description of covered because coolant flows through it, or under emissions would cover it because it is on the exhaust is just not correct phrasing. If that were true, your muffler would be covered. And so would a coolant overflow tank. I hope your truck isn't repaired and then you are hit with an "oops, it isn't covered."

Anything engine coolant related is covered under the powertrain warranty, no "correct" phrasing needed. I've worked at a Ford dealership on the service side and trust me I know how the game is played! Anything engine coolant touches is covered under the powertrain warranty WITHOUT QUESTION!

 

[JChristiansen]

I believe it provides heat for the HV battery if needed and also perhaps cabin heat. IMO it will cause a decrease in mileage in certain environments (cold climates) because the HV battery will perform suboptimally if it cannot be heated.

Additionally, any fluid leaks from this exchanger are going to quickly rust out the exhaust, there is a thread here where this had happened to someone.

You are correct in what the purpose the heat exchanger is there for!

 

[LM42]

Anything engine coolant related is covered under the powertrain warranty, no "correct" phrasing needed. I've worked at a Ford dealership on the service side and trust me I know how the game is played! Anything engine coolant touches is covered under the powertrain warranty WITHOUT QUESTION!

So coolant hoses are covered under powertrain also?

 

[JChristiansen]

So coolant hoses are covered under powertrain also?

Yes, engine coolant flows through those components which makes it a part of the powertrain system and with out it your powertrain system would FAIL! Just like water pumps, radiator, thermostat, etc is ALL covered under the 5/60 powertrain warranty.

 

[LM42]

Yes, engine coolant flows through those components which makes it a part of the powertrain system and with out it your powertrain system would FAIL! Just like water pumps, radiator, thermostat, etc is ALL covered under the 5/60 powertrain warranty.

Yes, engine coolant flows through those components which makes it a part of the powertrain system and with out it your powertrain system would FAIL! Just like water pumps, radiator, thermostat, etc is ALL covered under the 5/60 powertrain warranty.

That is absolutely false. Radiator hoses are considered unscheduled maintenance once the car leaves base warranty. And just to be sure I just had my friend run an upper radiator hose for coverage and it came back denied. This is exactly what I mean when I say people on these forums say stuff at random. You do not help anyone by doing this. I was an advisor with Lincoln (exact same warranty as Ford) for 8 years. I have forgotten a lot. But not the basics.

 

[JChristiansen]

That is absolutely false. Radiator hoses are considered unscheduled maintenance once the car leaves base warranty. And just to be sure I just had my friend run an upper radiator hose for coverage and it came back denied. This is exactly what I mean when I say people on these forums say stuff at random. You do not help anyone by doing this. I was an advisor with Lincoln (exact same warranty as Ford) for 8 years. I have forgotten a lot. But not the basics.

Well I no longer work at the dealership so I've been a tad out of the loop as well, BUT why is it different from one dealership to another. Where one will claim powertrain warranty and another will say that it's not covered under that same warranty is beyond me. Again if I was in OP shoes I would see if I could visit another dealership for a second opinion.

 

[LSchicago]

Posting this as a caution to anyone considering a hybrid. This is concerning the heat exchanger which seems to be a common issue. I took delivery of my truck 3-28-2022. Around September with 20,000 miles I had an appointment scheduled for an engine shield recall. Days before my appointment, I began to get notifications in the app that battery power was low and all remote systems were disabled. Dealer found no issue causing this. Now at 38,000 miles, I have a check engine light with codes 237c and 237d. The cause was deemed to be the heat exchanger in the hybrid system (GREAT! Should be under the hybrid system warranty). Wrong. Sent home with the vehicle and told it is safe to drive. After speaking with the warranty department, I’m on my own for a $1500 repair on a part that should be covered under warranty. I have a shake at idle that started when the check engine light came on also. I was told that sometimes they’d offer to cover the cost based on circumstances but since I’m not a loyal ford customer, I’m out of luck. Mind you, I’m 26 and this is my first new vehicle ever owned. Just beware that after the 36,000 mile warranty, it’s a crapshoot whether anything (including power train) will be covered. Despite being maintained based on the maintenance schedule and services being done at the dealer, ford doesn’t care. Mine will be for sale after this repair and I’ll be Toyota shopping again based on solely customer service. My dealer’s service manager told me that this seems to be a common theme with ford’s warranty department in the last year. He told me that they thought it would be covered without question and he even requested it be covered again to no avail.
I don’t see this vehicle making it to 100,000 miles without extensive repairs and costs.

Good luck with your new Toyota. I would use this an an opportunity to upgrade to a Better/larger heat exchanger, probably for less than the dealer would charge.

 

[LM42]

Well I no longer work at the dealership so I've been a tad out of the loop as well, BUT why is it different from one dealership to another. Where one will claim powertrain warranty and another will say that it's not covered under that same warranty is beyond me. Again if I was in OP shoes I would see if I could visit another dealership for a second opinion.

This is exactly the point I am trying to make. 99% of the time a dealer says it is not covered, its not covered. There might be some outliers who simply lie. But you have to realize that a lie like that has to be done across more than one employee and is just not likely. The system for checking coverage is the same for everyone. You load a VIN, put in the respective part number or part description and it tells you covered (under which category) or not covered. Its that simple. There is no variance from one dealer to the next.

 

[Darnon]

Hint: if it affected MPG then you are burning more gas, thus causing more pollution than advertised, and it may be construed as an EMISSIONS component.

The Federal Emissions Warranty only covers emissions related components for 2 years / 24,000 miles. There are only a few items that specifically are covered for 8 years/80k miles: the catalytic converters, the ECU, the onboard diagnostic computer (although normally this is the ECU), and the battery energy control module of hybrids.

 

[jahl]

I had an independent mechanic say he would not do aftermarket warranty repairs because it was too hard/too long to get paid. And the debate over what was covered was a hassle. Not sure if dealers provide dealer provided extended warranties, but on balance I don't think I ever had an appliance, tool or vehicle repair that would have been covered or cost more than the warranty premium. Everyone wants to see you one, so it adds up. If the unknowns were so big I felt I needed a warranty, I would just look elsewhere for the product. Just my own opinion on extra warranties.

One thing I consider regarding cost of repair vs warranty premium, is 2023 dollars vs 2030 dollars. Example: in 2030 vehicle might need a repair that costs $1100. (If that was the only warranty claim ever made) If I paid $1400 premium in 2023 there is still a pretty good chance that I come out ahead (1400 in 2023 is worth less than 1100 in 2030).

To each their own, but to the question of "Do you think the vehicle will need $1400 in repairs in the next 10 years/100k miles?" I think the chances are high enough that it is worth the one time $1400 payment for peace of mind.

 

[jahl]

This is exactly the point I am trying to make. 99% of the time a dealer says it is not covered, its not covered. There might be some outliers who simply lie. But you have to realize that a lie like that has to be done across more than one employee and is just not likely. The system for checking coverage is the same for everyone. You load a VIN, put in the respective part number or part description and it tells you covered (under which category) or not covered. Its that simple. There is no variance from one dealer to the next.

Yeaaaahhhhh mostly. Not to get too deep in the weeds here, but clumsy example: If you have a new tire blow out and destroy your fender lining, they are likely to replace both for free, even though the fender liner was not covered, but was damaged by failure of a covered part.

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