Paint and Body 2" Of Water In The Drivers Side Footwell

Britmustangfan

New Member
Sep 10, 2017
1
1
1
After several heavy rainstorms I kept finding water in the drivers side footwell. It got so bad that I took it to the dealership for a warranty repair. They found that the underbody drain holes were blocked and they said that the warranty is invalidated as I have not properly maintained the car...this will be thousands of Dollars. The only thing that the owners manual says about this is that you have to flush the underbody regularly...that's it! They tell you what every fuse is and they have pictures describing all of the routine maintenance that the owner has to do but nothing on the drain holes.

What is regularly?
Where are the drain plugs?
How do I check if they're blocked?
Why, if it's so critical to clean these out, is this operation not highlighted more and described in sufficient detail in the owners manual?
Why is this not listed specifically in the routine maintenance section with pictures like everything else?
Why isn't this included in the routine dealer maintenance schedule, they always have it up on a lift, the customer can't reasonably be expected to wash their car on a lift?

Facts: I ran the car through the car wash in late June with a complete underbody wash.
I power wash my car once a month, including as much of the underbody that I can reach without putting the car on a lift (I don't own one). If I had known this was so important, and if I knew where the drain holes were, of course I would have checked them.

So, in effect, Ford are stating that I have invalidated the vehicle warranty because they claim that I haven't washed the car enough. This will be the third time that Ford have refused to stand by their warranty...it seems that Ford warranties are not worth the paper they are written on!

Past dicking overs from Ford regarding in force warranties on my previous Mustangs:

Ford refused to honor the corrosion warranty when I found the paint bubbling on my hood lip; a known design flaw. Ford weaseled out of this one by stating that there was no perforation, and surface corrosion is not covered. So I have a two year old car that's under full warranty and it's rotting but Ford won't resolve it because then they'd have to do it for everyone, it would cost millions to make the customers whole and maintain the integrity of the Ford name...nah! Let's just deny, deny, deny.

Ford refused to repair/replace a totally failed steering rack, because the dealer stated that I had probably damaged it by hitting a curb, their evidence was that I bad curb rash on one of the front wheels. That wheel was on the rear the week before, when I had my tires rotated.

I'm fed up with Ford not standing by their warranties and not doing the right thing for the customer when fundamental design flaws are discovered by the customers...I'm suing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
  • Sponsors (?)


It sounds like your local dealer is comprised of a bunch of a-holes! Try driving a little out of the way to find another dealer and speak to them.

The rust warranty you're gonna have a tough time with, Fords perforation warranty is one of the worst in the industry (they gave me a hard time with my Lincoln last year too)!
 
After several heavy rainstorms I kept finding water in the drivers side footwell. It got so bad that I took it to the dealership for a warranty repair. They found that the underbody drain holes were blocked and they said that the warranty is invalidated as I have not properly maintained the car...this will be thousands of Dollars. The only thing that the owners manual says about this is that you have to flush the underbody regularly...that's it! They tell you what every fuse is and they have pictures describing all of the routine maintenance that the owner has to do but nothing on the drain holes.

What is regularly?
Where are the drain plugs?
How do I check if they're blocked?
Why, if it's so critical to clean these out, is this operation not highlighted more and described in sufficient detail in the owners manual?
Why is this not listed specifically in the routine maintenance section with pictures like everything else?
Why isn't this included in the routine dealer maintenance schedule, they always have it up on a lift, the customer can't reasonably be expected to wash their car on a lift?

Facts: I ran the car through the car wash in late June with a complete underbody wash.
I power wash my car once a month, including as much of the underbody that I can reach without putting the car on a lift (I don't own one). If I had known this was so important, and if I knew where the drain holes were, of course I would have checked them.

So, in effect, Ford are stating that I have invalidated the vehicle warranty because they claim that I haven't washed the car enough. This will be the third time that Ford have refused to stand by their warranty...it seems that Ford warranties are not worth the paper they are written on!

Past dicking overs from Ford regarding in force warranties on my previous Mustangs:

Ford refused to honor the corrosion warranty when I found the paint bubbling on my hood lip; a known design flaw. Ford weaseled out of this one by stating that there was no perforation, and surface corrosion is not covered. So I have a two year old car that's under full warranty and it's rotting but Ford won't resolve it because then they'd have to do it for everyone, it would cost millions to make the customers whole and maintain the integrity of the Ford name...nah! Let's just deny, deny, deny.

Ford refused to repair/replace a totally failed steering rack, because the dealer stated that I had probably damaged it by hitting a curb, their evidence was that I bad curb rash on one of the front wheels. That wheel was on the rear the week before, when I had my tires rotated.

I'm fed up with Ford not standing by their warranties and not doing the right thing for the customer when fundamental design flaws are discovered by the customers...I'm suing.

Look into your state's lemon law, maybe that can help you get a resolution.
 
Think you need to go to a different dealer. My 2015 GT did the same thing except on passengers side, they replaced front windshield and window seal, all under warranty. There is a tsb about it. In in Wa state and my dealer is very helpful.
 
One thing you didn't mention is if your car is still under the 3yr/36K mile bumper to bumper warranty. If it isn't then there is not much you can do. Are you sure they said it was clogged underbody drain holes and not a clogged cabin air filter drain tube? If you're positive they told you underbody drain holes, as a former Ford & Lincoln Merc service writer I can tell you for a fact this is bull$hit..If there is nothing in the owners manual that says the drain holes have to be cleaned as part of the scheduled maintenance than how are you supposed to know do that? I would also ask a Ford dealership for a copy of the vehicle inspection form that their techs fill out every time a car comes in for service. It lists things that they check such as fluid levels, tire thread depth, brakes wear, etc. I promise you there is nothing on that form that about inspecting the chassis drain holes. If dealership techs don't check them, why would you? I would call Ford Customer Service-1800 241-FORD
More importantly the diagnoses is WRONG! Sure the drain holes may be clogged and that may account for the water pooling in the interior. But how is the water getting in there in the first place? Water is not going to leak up through the holes when it rains, especially if they are clogged. There has to be a leak somewhere else to account for the water getting into the car .And even if they want to run with holding you responsible for the clogged holes, repairing the leak itself is a warranty repair, and per Ford's warranty policy "if a covered component fails, and causes damage to an uncovered component the entire repair is covered." In fact before you call Ford I would call the dealership and ask for the service manager and ask him or her how the water getting in there?
As far as the paint bubbling that would not come under the corrosion warranty, it is a paint issue and it is covered by the 3year/36K mile bumper to bumper warranty. There is nothing a dealership could do for you if you on their own for that if you are past the bumper to bumper warranty. You would have had to contact Ford and ask for assistance
 
Last edited: