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transmission and rear diff issues.....Need help with dealership not warrantying

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I had my car taken into the local dealership to look at the transmission for my shifting issues as well as the clutch sticking to the floor during track driving. I also had them look at the rear diff as it was making a metallic rubbing noise. I know the diff will make some noise but it now makes a metallic rubbing noise, almost like rubbing two brake pads together, that it did not originally do and it has gotten louder.

You can hear the diff under 40mph, and I told them you will not be able to duplicate the transmission issue as it only happens on the track in a high performance driving scenario and is intermittent. I went on to tell them NOT to attempt to duplicate the shifting issues as I didn't want them shifting at 7500 rpms into 5th or rev matching and downshifting into third on the street in town...... Again, you can hear the diff.

Well I get an email saying the tech drove the car and they can't get it to duplicate the issue with the trans or rear diff...... They go on to state that they cannot inspect the throwout bearing which I asked them to do as a Ford engineer told me to do that. Nor check the trans fluid for material. Also they can't open the diff and inspect the gears or fluid. They stated because they don't have a suspicion of a problem that Ford won't pay them for the warranty work.

I am not asking or demanding anything be replaced under warranty. I am asking that it gets INSPECTED by looking at a throwout bearing, which was suggested by a Ford engineer, and inspecting fluid from the trans and rear diff as well as visually inspecting the rear diff, again suggested by a Ford engineer. I would think this is common sense repair procedure. If they find nothing wrong than so be it. I will be fine with that.
 
I guess it really depends on the dealer. When my clutch stuck the first time I informed the SM at my dealer. At the time I figured it was a one time problem and did not think we were going to tear the car apart but at least they knew about it. When it happened the second time they called engineering and were given guidance what to do/look for. It was that simple, I don't see Ford blowing off the problems just certain dealers. Why would they do this for me and not others?

My dealer is also well aware of the 5th gear lock-out problem and in fact also contacted engineering about it. They were told to tear down the trans and rebuild it. I have not followed through with this because the dealer told me no rush, I have a long time under warranty and I'm thinking why do this if it will be rebuild with the same factory parts? What is going to change? If it fails completely I will have it worked on but for now it works, not well but works.

When I threw the P0020 codes they looked at the car and came up with a fix. They emailed me when the car was done and told me that they believe the problem was fixed but could not duplicate the conditions like the last time I set off the code at 142 MPH. He did not mean that as a joke but it did come across kind of funny. Now they could have tried saying we are not going to fix something you did at 142 MPH but the fact is Ford built the car to go that fast I ran it under a safe controlled environment so it was the right thing to do.

Anyway after a long winded response, I would try another dealer and see what happens. Dealers make money off repairing cars so I don't understand why some would blow off work like they do. If that does not work contact customer service until you find someone willing to fix what needs to be fixed.
 
As for the trans I dont know if they should just start taking it apart with no proof to them of a problem you could sure enough ask them to contact ford on that issue just to check of known problems the rear well you could just say ok and pay them to change the fluid and be there when they do you see metal you dont pay ;D if you dont see metal your out a few hundred bucks with a piece of mind. as for a throw out bearing or clutch issue you pretty much need to break it then it will be fixed. I think a few people are haveing issues as normal it happens but as for everyone thats hears or feels somthing wrong can only wait until it is bad enough the dealer with have no choice. Good luck I had my rear end fluid changed at 4000 miles for that piece of mind.
 
For ADAM81:

I've got to ask: Is the 'Ford engineer" you mention qualified to answer, and is familiar with, drivetrain issues/problems. Not ALL Ford engineers are familiar with drivetrain issues. What is his expertise/position/experience?
 
Request a ride along from the shop foreman/head tech to verify the diff noise. I have done that a few times including with the Boss to find a rattle in the cabin that was only at 3-3.5k rpm and only at about 2/3 throttle. I have also done it with other brands.

The local dealer tried to charge $275 for a transmission inspection on one of our F150s that had about 5k miles on it, I argued with the guy a bit and they waived it. They claimed that it was possibly driver abuse, so they had to charge. That isn't how warranties work, and in the end it was a warranty issue. Try another dealer if they still refuse, or talk to Deysha as mentioned above.

FWIW I have a grind and a clutch sticking (half way up, not to floor) issue that the local dealer could not replicate so they refuse to do anything. My clutch also has about 1" dead travel at the top, I'm not sure if that is normal and if it is out of adjustment then that might be the causing the issues. The dealer also refused to do the TSB to switch types of tranny fluid since they could not replicate it. I'm going to bring it to a different dealer and let them take a look.
 
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First of all big thanks to Deysha for getting the ball rolling. Once we finally talked I had an email within the day from the regional customer service manager.

However.............

They will not do anything under warranty. The customer service manager said because the dealership cannot duplicate the issues it will not be covered.

And when I say won’t be covered I mean they won’t do a THING! They won’t look at anything, take off an inspection plate, look at the fluid, nothing….. I am sure they visually inspected it and turned some wheels and the driveshaft and went through the gears etc. The general basic stuff. But they won’t do any type of REAL inspections.

A couple of quick points:

1. The transmission shifting issues only happens on the track and are intermittent. I never have problems on the street. A tech would have to sit shotgun for an entire track day for me to be able to show them what is going on. I told them this…. But again they can’t duplicate it driving it on the street (nor could they, or I for that matter) so they won’t do anything about it….

2. This is the SECOND time the car has been in for the rear diff noise and the clutch sticking to the floor.

3. The rear diff noise was heard by the tech the FIRST time the car was taken in. He thought it was normal. I told him it never made the noise until one day it just started. He just shrugged.... Now it is louder but now they can’t hear it???

4. The first time the car was in the tech drove first and could not duplicate the clutch sticking to the floor. I drove and had it happen. He confirmed it and said he would talk to Ford and they would get back to me. They never did…. Now they can’t duplicate it so they won’t do anything about it….

5. I am not asking them to do anything except actually INSPECT the car. I was told by TWO FORD ENGINEERS, both intimately involved with the Boss, to bring the car in and have the dealership:

1. inspect the throw out bearing for the clutch sticking to the floor
2. drain and inspect the trans fluid and refill with fresh fluid for the shifting issues
3. pull off the diff cover to inspect the diff and fluid and refill with fresh fluid for the noise

To say I have a bad taste in my mouth right now is an understatement. I am still working with the regional customer service manager and I will keep you all updated. I must say the dealership has been fine to work with, and so far the regional manager has been good too.

It just seems that Ford’s policies/rules say “If a dealership cannot duplicate the problem under no circumstance will we do anything”. This seems completely unreasonable considering they sell and advertise a car for the track that will most likely have issues that happen only in a track environment. I believe the dealership’s hands are tied here, and possibly the customer service manager’s as well. However I would think he would have some authority to do something….

Funny thing……. I never had this issue with Nissan (truck and car) or Honda (wife’s van) dealerships….. They would at least do some sort of inspection on the issue. As of right now Ford will do NOTHING???
 
Well maybe just ask them "do you feel lucky"?

Ask how much shop time to remove and inspect. Maybe 2 hours? So fine, if there are no pblems found. You will pay for the two hours. If there are they fix under warranty and make even more from Ford or the complete repair. It's a win-win for the dealer and for you, if you're sure, a way to overcome this obstacle.
 
That is basically what they told me. If you know someone at the service department, that would help but they are being pretty stingy here too since all the guys I know retired years ago. I did not have the clutch stick to the floor, but I had mine only come up half way when the clutch was hot and it started grinding and smelling like clutch. They claimed the tranny was normal and could not replicate the clutch issue. I bled the clutch and it has been great since then, but I have not had it back on the track yet. Maybe that would help with yours, I am almost certain there was air in the lines from the factory (there was in the brakes for sure, as I bled them after just street driving with about 1k miles and they were full of bubbles). Won't fix everything but it might help.
 
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Ford replaced my entire rear axle for whining noise. This is AFTER dealer replaced bearings and it did not fix. New axle...no more noise.
 
I started getting 3rd lock outs today, if it keeps up I'll be fighting my dealer as they claim there is nothing wrong. Had to add another quart of oil too. 1st completely refused to go in until I had gone a couple blocks starting in 2nd. It had been running great since I bled the clutch, hopefully this is just from it sitting a few weeks. 3rd felt like it was being blocked by the skip shift, it didn't grind or anything it just refused to go in the groove and was only when I shifted from 2nd above 6k rpm. Went away after shifting through the gears a few times at low rpm.
 
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UPDATE:

Nothing was really done with the car.... The only thing that was done was the trans fluid was drained a little to look for shavings. Other than that.......nothing.

The dealership and regional customer service representative were courteous, helpful, and professional. I am a bit disappointed they didn't just do these simple inspections, and take care of it. They had the ability and power to do so....... It seems they were following the "book" to the letter. At this point my issue is with Ford policy....

I got the car back and I will be making a formal complaint with Ford about their policy. I will change the fluid out and inspect the diff and TO bearing myself. Lucky for me I have the ability to do this but that isn't the point. The point is this should be covered under warranty....
 
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I can't help but think another dealer would be worth a try. I'm assuming you didn't buy your LS from the dealer that you took it to for this inspection?

Also, there are dealers who are more experienced with performance cars than others. The dealer I bought my Boss from sold Roushes and Saleens for years and have had the same service techs for a long time. Since any authorized Ford dealer is obligated to handle warranty claims, you might try one who is experienced in hi-po stuff.

The other option is to simply wait until something breaks - hopefully in the warranty period. Then there will be no discussion or debate and the issue will be resolved.
 

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