Ford Ranger - rotted frame after 1 year. Ford won't cover under warranty

gutteruu · 11-03-2019 04:44PM #1

See pic. Sill rotted out this bad at 12 months old. Ford won't cover under warranty as they say its 'user ware'. Should you not be able to stand on a sill?

Fair enough if this was 10 or 15 years old, but a frame failure after 50 weeks and not covered on warranty?

CJhaughey · 11-03-2019 04:48PM

Getting legal on them is the only recourse you have I would think, a sill on a car should last longer than a year, even if polished by work footwear.

colm_mcm · 11-03-2019 04:50PM

Looks to be caused by extreme wear? You’d expect it to be better protected though given that it’s a work type vehicle.

Is this part structural?

D3V!L · 11-03-2019 04:50PM

Can we see the rest of the vehicle ?

V8 Interceptor · 11-03-2019 04:52PM

Should last more than a year. Its a bloody off roader.

Alun · 11-03-2019 04:53PM

gutteruu wrote: »

Should you not be able to stand on a cill?

I wouldn't do it personally. To me that looks like you've done it so much that you've worn the paint off, and it's rusted from the outside in. Any car would do that under those circumstances I'd say.

ElBastardo1 · 11-03-2019 04:54PM

gutteruu wrote: »

See pic. Cill rotted out this bad at 12 months old. Ford won't cover under warranty as they say its 'user ware'. Should you not be able to stand on a cill?

Fair enough if this was 10 or 15 years old, but a frame failure after 50 weeks and not covered on warranty?

That actually looks like a 15 year old sill? I cannot believe that is on a new vehicle. Were you wearing diamond coated soles? That's a shocking amount of wear though. :mad:

D3V!L · 11-03-2019 04:55PM

Please its "sill"

colm_mcm · 11-03-2019 04:55PM

I don’t think you’re supposed to stand on door sills.

I assume this isn’t your first jeep though and I assume you’ve always done the same thing?

CJhaughey · 11-03-2019 04:57PM

It would be interesting to have a look with a scope in the other side sill.
I don't think even with polishing that it should rust that fast.
But Ford have never been known for their strong anti-rust treatments.

gutteruu · 11-03-2019 04:58PM

ElBastardo1 wrote: »

That actually looks like a 15 year old cill? I cannot believe that is on a new vehicle. Were you wearing diamond coated boots? That's a shocking amount of wear though. :mad:

Bunch of different staff using it. So no 1 person repeatedly on the one spot. Its not extreme use IMO, its just bad material/construction.

Its a high jeep and should have a sill you can stand on regardless I would have thought. Its a work 4x4.

D3V!L wrote: »

Can we see the rest of the vehicle ?

Can't take it right now, but the rest is mint. Not so much as a scratch anywhere.

Isambard · 11-03-2019 04:59PM

the sill looks to be rusted on it's vertical face too so I wouldn't be too sure it's all about wear. You're sure this is a one year old vehilce?

gutteruu · 11-03-2019 05:03PM

Isambard wrote: »

the sill looks to be rusted on it's vertical face too so I wouldn't be too sure it's all about wear. You're sure this is a one year old vehilce?

It almost 2 years old now, but sill hasn't changed. It was this bad at approx 12 months. I've just been arguing with Ford for so long about it (also being prioritising all the other issues with it first :mad:).

bazz26 · 11-03-2019 05:05PM

Jesus, I thought that was a photo of the old Toyota Hi-Lux that Top Gear failed to kill a few years back. That's shocking for a 1 year old vehicle.

11-03-2019 05:05PM

That didn’t rot overnight. Meaning ye did nothing to stop it rotting after drivers wore through the paint and left bare steel bodywork exposed. Sills aren’t steps. Get it repaired, fit sill protectors and if your drivers can’t get in without them, fit side steps. Ford aren’t at fault here.

And I think Ford make ugly overrated cars and vans, so I’ve no horse in this race.

Tacitus Kilgore · 11-03-2019 05:06PM

Ford must be using the steel out of 90s transits again. :eek:

Looks like it's had a hard enough time of it though, is the sill being used as a boot scraper?

Ryath · 11-03-2019 05:10PM

Are they standing on it to get to roof rack? It's surely a not good to stand on painted body work. If it was a regular thing that was needed for roof access it would have been a good idea to fit running boards and sill protectors. Can see Ford refusing it alright as they can very easily say it's user damage. I'd get it fixed before it spreads and gets worse.

gutteruu · 11-03-2019 05:10PM

JayZeus wrote: »

That didn’t rot overnight. Meaning ye did nothing to stop it rotting after drivers wore through the paint and left bare steel bodywork exposed.

The paint was actually still completely on when the crack/hole appeared! I contacted ford who refused to deal with it and its since rotted away. If I touch it they definitely won't cover under warranty.

11-03-2019 05:18PM

gutteruu wrote: »

The paint was actually still completely on when the crack/hole appeared! I contacted ford who refused to deal with it and its since rotted away. If I touch it they definitely won't cover under warranty.

It’s not a warranty job/fault.

Rust didn’t wear away the door seal and drivers didn’t just start using it as a step after they saw a crack or some rust. Drivers damaged it and that’s what’s allowed the rust to get a hold of it. If it’s used around livestock farm (and waste), cement/concrete or coastal areas, there’s no wonder it’s so bad in so little time. I write from my own experience with new atuff going rotten once the paint is gone.

Any body repair place will repair that easily but you’re wasting your own time trying to get a warranty job done. It’s just not their or the manufacturers fault.

gutteruu · 11-03-2019 05:19PM

Nope. No roof racks or anything weird. Just normal use.

Widdensushi · 11-03-2019 05:22PM

Not being smart but what height are the usual drivers,either way that is disgraceful wear and imo should be covered under warranty

gutteruu · 11-03-2019 05:22PM

JayZeus wrote: »

It’s just not their or the manufacturers fault.

I couldn't imagine any circumstance where an owner needs to weld the frame back together after less than 50 weeks use. Regardless of abuse or not.

Toyotafanboi · 11-03-2019 05:24PM

JayZeus wrote: »

It’s not a warranty job/fault.

Rust didn’t wear away the door seal and drivers didn’t just start using it as a step after they saw a crack or some rust. Drivers damaged it and that’s what’s allowed the rust to get a hold of it. If it’s used around livestock farm (and waste), cement/concrete or coastal areas, there’s no wonder it’s so bad in so little time. I write from my own experience with new atuff going rotten once the paint is gone.

Any body repair place will repair that easily but you’re wasting your own time trying to get a warranty job done. It’s just not their or the manufacturers fault.

I completely agree. That's not a warrantable defect.

The paint and primer has been worn away from soiled footwear being dragged over the sill. Then when the protection was gone, the soiled footwear was dragged over bare metal, it was ever only going to rust. It's lack of care/ maintenance, user inflicted.

If you rubbed the rear quarter panel gently off of a pebble dashed pillar every morning for a year and it wore through, would that be warranty?

Driver needs to lift their foot. Or if they don't want to lift their foot, they should get a side step or a scuff plate.

Sure the jeep should be able for the rough and tumble of jeep work, but you cant scratch away the paint and expect it not to rust. It'd be totally different if the paintwork were intact, or the owner had taken any measures at all to attempt to mitigate the issue.

mickdw · 11-03-2019 05:27PM

It's clearly failed due to the usage it's got however that doesn't mean that it's the drivers issues.
To me it looks like poor design. There is quite a flat panel of steel bodywork there on that sill that only invites stepping on.
It should have been covered or reinforced to withstand such use being an off-road truck.

11-03-2019 05:30PM

gutteruu wrote: »

I couldn't imagine any circumstance where an owner needs to weld the frame back together after less than 50 weeks use. Regardless of abuse or not.

You’re not welding the frame back together. Don’t exaggerate. You’ve to repair a sill because ye wore the paint off and ignored it. Then started chasing Ford, now and then, while it kept rotting for the guts of another year.

It’s a pain in the hole, but you can’t blame anyone except the fellas who drive it.

colm_mcm · 11-03-2019 05:36PM

mickdw wrote: »

It's clearly failed due to the usage it's got however that doesn't mean that it's the drivers issues.
To me it looks like poor design. There is quite a flat panel of steel bodywork there on that sill that only invites stepping on.
It should have been covered or reinforced to withstand such use being an off-road truck.

Hilux is exactly the same

Toyotafanboi · 11-03-2019 05:39PM

mickdw wrote: »

It's clearly failed due to the usage it's got however that doesn't mean that it's the drivers issues.
To me it looks like poor design. There is quite a flat panel of steel bodywork there on that sill that only invites stepping on.
It should have been covered or reinforced to withstand such use being an off-road truck.

Most manufacturers warranties have a clause that will exclude damage caused as a result of the owner ignoring/ neglecting an issue known to them, where the original issue may have been warrantable fault. The owner/ driver has a responsibility to mitigate any potential issues.

This can be difficult to prove with mechanical failures, but with a corrosion issue it's much more clear cut (excuse the pun), that sill didn't end up like that over night. Has the car been in for it's first service? If so, what does the body inspection in the service logbook say?

I don't think this claim would even fly as far as that discussion to be honest, anyway.

TeaBagMania · 11-03-2019 05:44PM

Alun wrote: »

I wouldn't do it personally. To me that looks like you've done it so much that you've worn the paint off, and it's rusted from the outside in. Any car would do that under those circumstances I'd say.

This makes the most logical sense

if you routinely stand on the sill... find a local skate shop and buy some "grip tape" its like a very heavy sand paper with an adhesive side.
It should help prevent this issue on your next vehicle

V8 Interceptor · 11-03-2019 05:44PM

JayZeus wrote: »

I think Ford make ugly overrated cars and vans.

Clearly not fit for purpose either.

patmahe · 11-03-2019 05:45PM

Probably worth a one-off visit to a solicitor with experience in the area.

On a one/two year old vehicle (unless its got massive mileage or spends its days in a swamp and even then) that is unacceptable in my eyes.

I'm guessing you are going to need copies of every bit of correspondence you have to show you have done the right thing since you became aware of the problem.

Good luck

V8 Interceptor · 11-03-2019 05:48PM

JayZeus wrote: »

If it’s used around livestock farm (and waste), cement/concrete or coastal areas, there’s no wonder it’s so bad in so little time.

That's what its supposed to be designed for!

Ford Ranger - rotted frame after 1 year. Ford won't cover under warranty

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