I think my clutch exploded…

[RLee1967]

Yeah, that’s right; I said I think it exploded.

I was on my way to get my first dyno run and my car broke before I made it to the shop. I drove 1 ½ hours and was only about 15 minutes from the shop when it happened.

Here’s my story [warning; it is a tad long]…
My buddy and I were driving down the highway in our cars this morning on the way to the shop to do some dyno pulls. Along the way my clutch started feeling a little stiff each time I depressed the pedal. It continued to feel stiffer each time I depressed it but nothing bad enough to make me expect what was about to happen.

Ultimately, I depressed the clutch pedal and tried to downshift into third but it wouldn’t go into gear and made a grinding noise. I didn’t try to force it and waited a second to try again. Same thing so I tried to go back into forth. I couldn’t get it to go into forth either. Now I’m starting to get a little concerned and shifted into fifth (wasn’t easy) and let the clutch back out. It felt extremely stiff when I let the pedal out and I heard something hit the road and bounce up and hit the bottom of the car (kind of like when gravel or something small and hard bounces up and hits the underside of your car).

I tried to push the clutch pedal in after this but it is extremely stiff and the RPM’s didn’t drop at all when the pedal was on the floor. Great!

At this point I’m thinking the linkage broke and fell off. I figured that could explain why it was getting stiffer (as it was loosening/breaking) and the sound of parts falling off.

Miraculously, I actually made it to the shop we were scheduled to get the dyno pulls done at but it wasn’t easy. It was an adventure getting the car into forth gear without a clutch and through one traffic light (thank God that was all) without having to stop.

We jacked the car up to take took a look when I got to the shop. We discovered a hole in the bell housing where something left at a very high rate of speed. The guy that runs the shop (Jeff) said he believes the clutch exploded and blew something out that new hole I have in my bell housing. This wasn’t what I was expecting to find.

I called Ford’s roadside assistance and asked for a flatbed to come get me. They were there in about 20 minutes to take me to the nearest Ford dealership (Eastgate Ford in Dayton, OH).

So I drive 1 ½ hours to do some dyno pulls and see what my car is putting down before doing any big mods and the clutch/transmission breaks...on the highway of all places. I didn’t even get to see what the car is putting down. At least my buddy was able to do his dyno runs. His best pull was 351 rwhp and 361 lb/ft torque on his bone stock ’05 GTO. Thankfully, he was there to give me a ride back home.

At this point I’m wondering how in the world this could have happened and if this will be covered under warranty. My car is very lightly modified and I really do not believe any of my mods could have caused/contributed to this failure but I’m thinking this will be an expensive repair and they may try to say my CAI, non-stock tune, lowered suspension, or the 4.30 gear caused this to happen. The guy that owns the shop I was heading for knows some people in the service department and is working with them to try to ensure they cover this under warranty but he obviously doesn’t have control of the situation.


Sorry for the long post but I’m curious to hear your thoughts on all of this. Any ideas on what could have caused this? What my likelihood of warranty problems will be? Eastgate Ford? Anything else?

 

[anthony05gt]

Mechanical failure with the clutch or pressure plate. Depending on the dealer, it could go either way as far as warranty goes.

 

[mjacobsen64]

The June 2006 issue of Muscle Mutangs and Fast Fords has an excellent article on dealing with warranty issues on modified cars. As long as the modified part did not directly cause the malfunction, it should be covered. A dealer may try to just dismiss it and say that it isn't covered, but you may have a recourse. Wait until you know what they say, and pick up an issue of the mag for the article.

 

[RLee1967]

The June 2006 issue of Muscle Mutangs and Fast Fords has an excellent article on dealing with warranty issues on modified cars. As long as the modified part did not directly cause the malfunction, it should be covered. A dealer may try to just dismiss it and say that it isn't covered, but you may have a recourse. Wait until you know what they say, and pick up an issue of the mag for the article.

Great advise. I actually have a subscription and just read that article about one week ago. I though, dang I hope I never have to deal with that. Wouldn't you know I not only have to deal with it but it happens when I'm out of town and I am unable to take it to a dealer I know...

 

[RLee1967]

Well, the diagnosis has been given to me as well as the warranty coverage answer. The call came on my cell phone while I was in a meeting. I left the meeting to take the call once I saw the area code but I didn’t stay on the call for very long because I had left a fairly important meeting and needed to get back to it.

The Diagnosis:
The clutch did explode inside the bell housing just as I feared. The apparent cause of the failure was a spring that let loose and then proceeded to tear the clutch to pieces. It seems that the spring was starting to come undone when I was noticing the pedal stiffening up prior to it completely letting go. The Service tech I spoke with said the only part they needed to replace was the clutch so they ordered one today and he expects it to be in his hands (and hopefully in my car) in a few days. I asked if there was any other damage to the transmission. He said there didn’t appear to be any other damage.


Warranty or out of my pocket?
They are covering it under warranty. I was relieved and stunned at the same time. I honestly believe the guy that owns the shop I was heading to when it happened (Jeff Wightman) had a lot to do with this being covered under warranty. He went over there today and talked to the service manager and the tech. The fact that they know him and trust him probably saved me a boat load of money.

Jeff owns and operates Precision Autosports in Beavercreek (Dayton suburb), OH. He is a stand up guy that does awesome work. He obviously didn’t have to take the time to do this for me but I am very grateful that he did. Heck, I just met him a few weeks ago. He is a class act and I highly recommend him and his shop.

Believe it or not, I forgot to ask about the hole in the bell housing while I was on the phone with the service tech. I can’t believe I didn’t ask him but I was so elated to hear it was being covered under warranty and that I should have my car back by the weekend. I was also pressed for time since I ducked out of a meeting and needed to get back.

Jeff was going to go back over to the dealership and take pictures of the carnage while it was still apart. I will post them when I get them from him.

 

[Mike06_10pm]

glad to hear everythings gonna work out =)
-mike

 

[RLee1967]

Well the saga continues…

I received a call from the service manager today and he told me he was not going to honor the warranty claim on my car. I explained to him the service technician had called me yesterday and ensured me the repair was going to be covered under warranty. He said he knew that but after giving it some more thought, he decided to reverse that decision. I was stunned.

I asked him why he had decided to not honor the warranty claim on this repair. He said, and I quote, “Well, you have quite a few aftermarket modification on that car.” I asked him if he believed any of the modifications was the direct cause of the clutch failure or contributed to it. He didn’t really give me a straight answer so I asked him “Could you look me strait in the eyes and tell me you honestly believe any of the parts on this car caused or contributed to this failure.” He still didn’t really answer my question directly. Instead he said something to the effect of “When someone puts parts like that on a car, you have to assume they are not driving it the way it was intended…they are abusing the car…drag racing…etc.” I paraphrased his statements back to him and asked if I understood him correctly and he agreed that I had and mentioned something about hard launching the car (i.e. drag racing).

I told him that I didn’t believe any of the aftermarket parts I have on my car would have contributed to the failure of the clutch and that I didn’t agree with the principle of him deciding to refuse the warranty claim based on an assumption about the driving habits of the owner that was construed from the presence of aftermarket parts. I went on to explain that I have never had the car to a race track nor had I ever engaged in street racing in this car. I explained that I spent a lot of time researching parts and was very selective in what parts I installed because (a) I wanted to tailor the cars handling characteristics and power delivery to my personal taste and (b) because I wanted to make sure I didn’t install something on the car that would create the exact situation I am now in. He said he could understand my points and that he hated to make assumptions because it…

Here are some of the things he mentioned regarding my parts and my responses:

Suspension
Service Manager (SM): It looks like you have some suspension components installed…lighter weight springs in the back…brace…
Me: That is correct. In addition to the springs (front and rear) I also have adjustable shocks and struts installed as well as an adjustable panhard rod to re-center the rear axle after lowering. I also have stronger bracing to reduce deflection in the areas the stock components are known for having shortcomings. All of the suspension components installed on this car improve the handling characteristics without sacrificing the stock ride. The lower stance also makes the car look much better which I desired. None of these would contribute to a clutch failure nor would they be especially desirable for a drag racing setup since they change the pinion angle. That hurts your ability to launch as well. I would have went with a completely different suspension setup had I intended to drag race this car.

Tires
SM: You also have some pretty big tires on there. I assume those would give you much better traction (I assumed he was implying drag racing again).
Me: Yes they do…for cornering. I restated this car is setup to handle better without sacrificing the stock ride and that I wouldn’t be running this tire/wheel combination if my goal was drag racing the car. I would be running drag radials out back and much skinnier tires up front on smaller diameter wheels.

Gear
SM: It looks like you have a different gear installed in it too.
Me: Yes, I do have a lower gear installed.
SM: What is it a 4.10?
Me: No, it is actually a 4.30.
SM: Wow! That’s an even bigger gear than I guessed.
Me: Do you know why I selected that gear and/or why I want it in this car?
SM: Why?
Me: Because I drive the car around town, to work, and occasionally on longer highway trips. This gear ratio keeps me in the power band and allows for quicker acceleration without requiring downshifts as much. Kind of ironic that I was downshifting when the clutch went out in this car.
SM: He chuckled and said “yeah it is.”

I also told him what the service tech had told me about the apparent cause of the failure (the spring coming off and binding up the clutch) and also reiterated what I was doing when the part failed (downshifting into third gear while driving on the highway). I asked him how he thought that action could be construed as abusive or inappropriate driving. He said while that wouldn’t be, he couldn’t be sure I was telling the truth.

I even asked him if there was a data logger on this car and/or if he could extract the data from the “black box” to see what was going on with the car when the clutch broke and that I thought this information would prove I was telling him the truth. He said “Unfortunately, there isn’t anything like that on these cars. I asked our service techs that same question because the Dodges have that and they informed me these do not.” I told him that was a shame considering he was basing his decision on an assumption that I felt this data could prove to be wrong.


After all of this conversation he admitted that his main concern was that Ford would deny the claim when they sent the part back for inspection and the dealership would be out of the money for the parts and labor.


He said he could understand my position and asked if I could try to see his. He said he has an obligation to the dealership to make sure they don’t eat the money on this warranty claim. I told him I was trying real hard but was struggling with that request. I told him it was a very tough and bitter pill to swallow considering we both agree at this point that none of these parts would cause this failure and I know I wasn’t abusing the car. I also told him I feel he has an obligation to the customer when representing Ford just as much as he has one to the dealership.

He then told me he had two options for me:

1. I could buy an aftermarket, higher performance, clutch and they would install it for the cost of labor (about three – three and one half hours). He even said they looked and thought I could get one from Jegs for about $200. He also said “I obviously wouldn’t be able to cover it under warranty since it would be an after market part.”
2. They could go ahead and install the factory replacement clutch that they had already ordered, charge me for the parts and labor, submit it as a warranty claim, and then refund me the money if Ford accepts it. He said I would obviously have to trust him to refund the money if it was accepted.

I told him neither of these options sounded fair or just considering everything we just discussed. I also told him it apparently didn’t matter which of these option I chose from a warranty coverage perspective since he was denying the claim on this stock clutch right now. His response was that he had given this a great deal of thought (and even lost sleep over it last night) and this was the best he could do.

He said I didn’t have to give him the answer right now but could think it over and get back to him. I asked him what the total cost of each option would be and he said that he hadn’t ran the numbers yet. I told him that I would obviously need that information before I could even consider the options and he agreed to call me back with the complete cost of each option.

He called me back about five hours later with the numbers. He said the total cost to do option 2 would be $750 ($325 in parts & $425 in labor). I asked him if he had reconsidered and he said no, this was the best he could do. He said he would cut me a check the moment Ford accepted the warranty claim but I would have to have my money tied up until then. I told him I would think about it and talk to him tomorrow.

I have given this a fair amount of thought and I really do not feel this is fair or justified. We both agree that none of the parts on this car would cause a clutch failure. I am certain I haven’t abused the clutch. I have driven the car like a performance car but nothing that would be considered abusive.

The more I think about it the more I am shocked that he would even suggest option one considering the big production he made about the parts on my car now let alone that he would even mention that he wouldn’t be able to cover the aftermarket clutch under warranty.

I feel like I am in a bit of a tough spot with this one. I don’t want to take either of these options; almost on principle alone (the money does play some part in it too though). I also don’t like the idea of having the car towed (likely at my own expense) to another dealership and possibly going through the same hassle again or worse.

This is what I plan to do:

1. Contact the dealer I purchased the car from (and possibly a few others), explain the situation to them and see what they say.
2. Check the price on a Spec Stage 2 clutch kit and aluminum flywheel (The best deal I have found so far is at Brenspeed).
3. Check with Jeff to see what he would charge to install the Spec Stage 2 clutch kit and aluminum flywheel.
4. Call the service manager back, explain that I have given this a lot of thought (and even lost some sleep last night), that neither of these options are fair or acceptable and ask him to reconsider.
5. Depending on his response to my request, I will either have them complete the work under warranty like they originally said they would or ask him to please put the car back together and I will come to pick it up.

I will either have it towed to another dealership to have them do the work under waranty or take it to Precision to have Jeff perform the work (install either the Spec parts or stock parts). This will depend on what my the other dealerships say about covering it under warranty.

 

[RLee1967]

Pictures of the carnage

Here are some pictures of the damage.

 

[cowtown]

That's BS. No way the parts you installed will cause a clutch to do that. Tell the service manager that the only option you're willing to take is the dealership replacing the item under warranty. It's not up to him to determine the validity of a warranty claim, it's up to Ford.

If he keeps balking, get it towed to your dealership and work on them. If need be bring in a tranny expert and get them to provide a second opinion. Moreover make sure to lodge a formal complain with Ford about the service.

if you want to take a parting shot at the service manager, ask him if he's ever actually driven a performance car or if he drives automatic Kia Spectras.

 

[bigcat]

they are denying the claim because they can get more from a customer pay than what warranty will pay. warranty does not pay very well and you usually earn your money the hard way. i know, i get screwed on warranty all the time. i dont see how the manager can deny the claim without consulting the regional manager. i think they are trying to screw you. make them PROVE that the aftermarket parts caused the failure.

i would take it somewhere else, even if they finally accept the repair as warranty. they dont deserve a penny!! they can find out if ford will warranty the clutch with a few phone calls. if they forget to mention the aftermarket parts, then ford will never know, and will not deny the claim anyway.

 

[RLee1967]

they are denying the claim because they can get more from a customer pay than what warranty will pay. warranty does not pay very well and you usually earn your money the hard way. i know, i get screwed on warranty all the time. i dont see how the manager can deny the claim without consulting the regional manager. i think they are trying to screw you. make them PROVE that the aftermarket parts caused the failure.

I think you hit the nail on the head. That is what I suspect is going on too.

i would take it somewhere else, even if they finally accept the repair as warranty. they dont deserve a penny!! they can find out if ford will warranty the clutch with a few phone calls. if they forget to mention the aftermarket parts, then ford will never know, and will not deny the claim anyway.

I called the dealership where I bought my car (Krieger) and spoke with my salesman yesterday. He was blown away by this story. He said it was BS and he also suspected they were tryin to do what you said. He told me he would speak to his SM and GM to see what, if anything, they could do to help. I received a call from the SM at Krieger and I explained everything to him. He said he would start by calling and talking to the SM at Eastgate. I haven't heard back from either yet.

 

[twenty8eight]

RE:

Just saw your post....the exact same thing happened to me last night...

I must say reading your post has me Super nervous...If my claim gets denied I am gonna go ballistic....

How many miles did you have when it went????

I've only got 13,028....

I don't have any mods, just a tri-ax shifter...
I too never dump the clutch or street race...

I guess I will be hearing something tomorrow...I sure hope its that it will all be covered...if not...this could get ugly...

 

[lukoi66]

I recommend the Better Business Bureau gets a call from you regarding this dealership.

Just my .02

 

[killertomato]

What was the final outcome?

 

[ks44142]

here's a thought he makes mention of possible hard driving yet Ford has a commercial out where a dad and son are ripping on a GT in a parking lot... What kind of message does that send?
Ask him to detail how each of those mods would or could add to the cause of this problem in writing.
Have him document the condition of the tires and vehical as this would be the only mod that could even come close to adding higher load conditions on the clutch (i.e. do they appear to have been subject to hard driving).
It would seem being that he is a manager he is making the opinion based only on a dollar figure. And from his answer it would appear that they haven't even contacted Ford for their opinion.
I would also make mention of the other guy who posted abt the same problem happening.
I think if you give in to his options you are admitting that your mods could have caused or added to this problem.

Just my 2 cents good luck in fighting this...

 

[TGJ]

I am going to take an opposing stance here and I don't care if people agree or not.

First:

Your aftermarket tires and your 4.30's are harder on your clutch under all driving circumstances than the stock tires and 3.55's are. That is a fact. I am not going to go and round up the supporting data for this.

That dealership is correct in denying your warranty claim as your aftermarket parts assisted in the premature distruction of your clutch. If I was the service manager I too would deny your warranty claim.

Something to think about, both cars in this thread with broken clutches have in common is larger aftermarket rims and tires. Every clutch that I know about that failed in an 05 - 06 Mustang, the car had larger tires and rims than was is equipped from the factory. I know there is people out there that had luck with bigger rims, tires and gears however that is a mute point.

Second:

The clutch is a wear and tear item. It is only covered for the first 20,000kms in Canada, I think that equates to 12,000 miles down in the US. After that, you are responsible for the clutch.

Finally:

I think it would be wrong for a dealership to ignore the aftermarket parts and repair the clutch under warranty. I think it is even more wrong to modify a car with parts that are tougher on the clutch and then expect the car to be repaired under warranty.

Suck it up, dry your tears and buy yourself an aftermarket clutch.

 

[White05GT]

I am going to take an opposing stance here and I don't care if people agree or not.

Your aftermarket tires and your 4.30's are harder on your clutch under all driving circumstances than the stock tires and 3.55's are. That is a fact. I am not going to go and round up the supporting data for this.

Every clutch that I know about that failed in an 05 - 06 Mustang, the car had larger tires and rims than was is equipped from the factory. I know there is people out there that had luck with bigger rims, tires and gears however that is a mute point.

Since you don't care if people agree or not, I'll go ahead and disagree. I quoted a couple selections from your post, but want to draw particular attention to the part about not having supporting data. Lack of proof makes your position baseless and either "mute" or moot.

BTW, if any of the cars with exploded clutches are equipped with a K&N air filter, then I agree with this member that the warranty should be denied -- the filter caused the clutch failure.

 

[jlisle01]

While I agree that some of these aftermarket parts could have contributed to the failure of the stock clutch, the fact is (unless I've missed something) the car was not being abused at the time of the failure and the mechanics own findings are that a spring came off and "ate" the clutch. If I was at the track or strip and my clutch slipped itself into an early grave then I'd pay for it myself (and want to, since the same thing would likely happen to the Ford replacement) but if the problem is Ford's they should honor the warrenty.

 

[dastang2]

i don't see how lower gears will make a clutch go out faster. seems to me that the would make teh car take off easier with less gas and drag therefore letting the clutch last longer. the gears are more than enough to overcome the extra drag of the bigger wheels i think.

 

[Henceforward]

What ever you do, don't put a crappy stocker back in there...

Get something like a Spec, KC, Mcleod, etc...