Ford Liability due to faulty part

[DavyNix]

Hi All,

Have a 4 y/o Focus Ztec-s.  Bought from new, serviced with the dealer and MOT'd just last Monday with a health check.  Prior to this i had the coolant expansion tank replaced due to a very slow leak.  Last night, the tank split, dumping all coolant.  Now, I'm not a mechanic but I'm pretty sure it's ruined the engine.  It certainly doesn't get anywhere near starting and a Ford mechanic friend (who hasn't actually looked at it yet) is worried the head-gasket has gone.

I wondered if anybody had any experience of how Ford warranty will look at this.  From my point of view a faulty part (it's about 3 months old) which has potentially caused thousands of pound worth of damage.

I have a meeting with the manager of the dealership at 1:00 today.  Any advice would be welcome. 

Thanks - Dave.

[isetta]

If it has damaged your engine:

I assume you mean the new tank was a genuine ford part fitted by the ford dealer.  But irrespective of that and ignoring any warranty, it is a Products Liability claim against whoever sold you the part.  The part was faulty, it caused damage to your engine by failing to adequately contain the coolant. Warranty or not is not the main point here and a bit of a red herring. 

 

[JW1982]

When claiming warranty on the coolant reservoir it is very important to have prove that the reservoir is the actual cause of the damage and not just the rsult of a different problem.

A cracked coolant reservoir can be the result of another problem. For example the coolant reservoir cap. My experience is that the pressure release valve inside the coolant reservoir cap can become seized solid as a result of crystalised coolant. I have seen this quite a few times on 1.0 and 1.6 ECOboost engines. If the pressure release valve becomes seized the coolant system can build up excessive pressure. As a result of this the weakest part of the coolant system can fail (usually the coolant reservoir or thermostat housing).   

When replacing the coolant reservoir it is good practice to also replace the coolant reservoir cap. Both are pretty inexpensive parts. Checking these parts periodically and replacing these parts when needed can prevent a lot of trouble.

 

Before claiming any warranty you should look at the warranty regulations first. Most car manufacturers have very strict part warranty regulations and usually exclude consequential damages.

[madmole]

In the UK they can't exclude consequential damage. If a part they fit causes damage they are liable. Having said that, its not likely to be the reservoir thats faulty. The pressure cap should vent WAY before that could split due to pressure. The pressure cap could be claimed to be a service item as its easily replaceable.

However, even if the cap is faulty there shouldn't be that much pressure to start with so the head gasket or something else went first. In short you stand no chance claiming

[isetta]

I don't think we know enough (the exact facts) to be 100% certain of anything.  If the tank did split due to higher pressure then normal there is not much chance of success. If the tank split due to a manufacturing fault of the tank itself then there is more chance of success. We have not seen the tank. eg. it may have split where a seem on it was not bonded properly, or the formulation of the plastic was wrong and too brittle or not heat resistant etc- although something like that would probably affect a whole batch.