- First Name
- Phil
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2023
- Threads
- 5
- Messages
- 70
- Reaction score
- 160
- Location
- Pennsylvania
- Vehicle(s)
- 2023 Maverick Tremor
- Engine
- 2.0L EcoBoost
- Thread starter
- #16
official word from ford is they are rejecting the warranty claim.
Sponsored
Sponsored
Tail exhaust melting bumper
- Thread starter Tremor1942
- Start date
- Watchers 9
If something pushes the tailpipe up (and a little back), it can flip the last bracket up and the tailpipe is pointed at the bumper. You can pull it down by hand when it cools off. This happened to mine and I took it to the dealer. One of their mechanics figured it out when she was up on a stand.
My extended warranty excludes all exhaust components behind the cats and also plastic body parts. I’d get a double denial
- First Name
- Jay
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2024
- Threads
- 48
- Messages
- 1,499
- Reaction score
- 2,092
- Location
- Castlegar B.C. Canada
- Vehicle(s)
- 2024 XLT 2.0 turbo
- Engine
- 2.0L EcoBoost
Kinda makes you wonder WTF warranties are actually for! Nope, nope, nope, nah, none of that is covered under your $5000.00 extended warranty, too bad, BYE!My extended warranty excludes all exhaust components behind the cats and also plastic body parts. I’d get a double denial
Come again,
I bought the extended warranty for the electronics & all the sensors & motors etc. Not worried about the exhaust & plastic body parts. Bumper to Bumper excludes them also. My catback & Air Design plastic mods all have their own warrantyKinda makes you wonder WTF warranties are actually for! Nope, nope, nope, nah, none of that is covered under your $5000.00 extended warranty, too bad, BYE!
Sponsored
- First Name
- Levi
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2023
- Threads
- 39
- Messages
- 1,742
- Reaction score
- 2,035
- Location
- Spring Lake Michigan
- Vehicle(s)
- 23 F150-2016 RS/ 22 GT500/ rx8 x2/ 95 mustang GT/ 17 edge.
- Engine
- 2.0L EcoBoost
Mine also melted on my xl.
After a long haul to Texas and back with trailer.
After a long haul to Texas and back with trailer.
#OCD detected
Never seen anything like that!
- Joined
- May 26, 2025
- Threads
- 28
- Messages
- 1,056
- Reaction score
- 1,434
- Location
- Niagara Region, ON
- Vehicle(s)
- 2025 Lariat Hyb AWD 4K, '25 Escape PHEV, Versa, T&C
- Engine
- 2.5L Hybrid
I had a thought...
Could it be that the continual torque against resistance of towing is compressing the engine mounts in position, such that the exhaust gets pulled in?
I am thinking you should hear louder exhaust noise when this starts happening, due to pressure waves hitting the edge of the plastic.
Could it be that the continual torque against resistance of towing is compressing the engine mounts in position, such that the exhaust gets pulled in?
I am thinking you should hear louder exhaust noise when this starts happening, due to pressure waves hitting the edge of the plastic.
Sponsored
If it's a factory defect, which it sounds like it is, they should warranty it. Consider contacting your state consumer protection agency if it exists, or the state attorney general office and explain what's going on. A nasty-gram from government agencies tends to light fires under most businesses.
That is crazy. I remember the same day I brought my Mav home looking at it and not seeing the exhaust pipe and thinking that was strange, then crawling under and noticing the design and thinking to myself what an odd design choice that was. I shrugged assuming Ford had probably tested it sufficiently and determined it was a non-issue. Turns out not so much.
I'm not sure I'd roll over on this one. Assuming you've made zero modifications to the exhaust at all, not even aftermarket tips, then this is at best a design defect that will occasionally cause damage to the vehicle and at worst, a safety issue that may result in vehicle fires.
I would suggest you do a few things:
- Gather documentation: photos of the damage, mileage, service history, denial paperwork, and screenshots of other owners reporting the same. A clear paper trail strengthens the case
- Get the warranty denial in writing if you haven't already. Don't allow the dealer to deflect. If Ford denied the claim, it's in their system and they can print it out for you.
- Escalate beyond the dealer, directly with Ford via Ford Customer Care the the BBB Auto Line. Ford is a participating brand of the BBB Auto Line and this would cost you nothing but time. Abritrators often side with the consumer on obvious defects like this.
- File a complaint with the NHTSA. Melting body panels near exhaust is a fire-risk issue. NHTSA complaints go into the public database, and enough of them can trigger investigations.
- File a complaint with your state's attorney general consumer protection office. Warranty denial on a stock part may violate state-level consumer protection or implied warranty statutes
If none of that gets you anywhere, I'd file a small claims suit. They don't cost much and are such a nuisance to large corporates like Ford that they will often pay to make this go away on a one-by-one basis because what they don't want is to lose even in a small claims court because then that potentially opens them up to all kinds of liabilities. They would likely offer to settle offering a good-faith repair so long as you sign some papers that quietly sweep this under the rug.
Even if its being insinuated that you modified your exhaust - which you say you did not, but even if you had - under the Moss Ferguson Act the burden of proof is on the manufacturer to prove that the modification is what caused the damage. They don't get to just "say" that. They have to prove it.
Get loud. Be a pain in the rear. I sure would.
Note: I'm not a lawyer. This is not legal advice.
I'm not sure I'd roll over on this one. Assuming you've made zero modifications to the exhaust at all, not even aftermarket tips, then this is at best a design defect that will occasionally cause damage to the vehicle and at worst, a safety issue that may result in vehicle fires.
I would suggest you do a few things:
- Gather documentation: photos of the damage, mileage, service history, denial paperwork, and screenshots of other owners reporting the same. A clear paper trail strengthens the case
- Get the warranty denial in writing if you haven't already. Don't allow the dealer to deflect. If Ford denied the claim, it's in their system and they can print it out for you.
- Escalate beyond the dealer, directly with Ford via Ford Customer Care the the BBB Auto Line. Ford is a participating brand of the BBB Auto Line and this would cost you nothing but time. Abritrators often side with the consumer on obvious defects like this.
- File a complaint with the NHTSA. Melting body panels near exhaust is a fire-risk issue. NHTSA complaints go into the public database, and enough of them can trigger investigations.
- File a complaint with your state's attorney general consumer protection office. Warranty denial on a stock part may violate state-level consumer protection or implied warranty statutes
If none of that gets you anywhere, I'd file a small claims suit. They don't cost much and are such a nuisance to large corporates like Ford that they will often pay to make this go away on a one-by-one basis because what they don't want is to lose even in a small claims court because then that potentially opens them up to all kinds of liabilities. They would likely offer to settle offering a good-faith repair so long as you sign some papers that quietly sweep this under the rug.
Even if its being insinuated that you modified your exhaust - which you say you did not, but even if you had - under the Moss Ferguson Act the burden of proof is on the manufacturer to prove that the modification is what caused the damage. They don't get to just "say" that. They have to prove it.
Get loud. Be a pain in the rear. I sure would.
Note: I'm not a lawyer. This is not legal advice.
Last edited:
I didn't hear anything get louder while the exhaust pipe was pushed up. It was probably like that for a day before I noticed it (I had a bike rack on making it harder to see that spot).
Question for @Tremor1942, @Snox801 or anyone else that has had this happen - do you park your vehicle with the rear tires against a curb and idle for moderate periods of time? That's really the only way I could see this not being a design defect. If you do that, then the exhaust gasses would be hitting the elevated ground surface and possibly reflecting back up against your bumper.
Even if, it's a terrible design and I would still call that standard use of the vehicle and the exhaust should be engineered to you know, not melt body parts under any circumstances.
Even if, it's a terrible design and I would still call that standard use of the vehicle and the exhaust should be engineered to you know, not melt body parts under any circumstances.
None of that is what causes it. See what I wrote above. I posted about how this happens after nothing on this thread since last year, then it got buried in junk replies.
Sponsored
