Exhaust warranty

[decidave8]

So I contacted my dealer and they say an aftermarket exhaust will COULD void my warranty can’t get a straight answer but I talked to the warranty manager and service dep and they both just say it could wish I could get a straight yea or no but I guess I’m stuck on the safe side for 36k miles

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[roket]

a new exhaust will not void the warranty unless it is provable that it was the cause of the issue. you are protected by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

 

[Alan Applegate]

Here is the PDF.

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/COMPS-3072/pdf/COMPS-3072.pdf

 

[Neggytive]

IF they deny a warranty claim they have to give you IN WRITING the reason for it explaining how what you did was the proximate cause or contributing factor to the failure you are claiming under warranty.

The ONLY company that got away with across the board bumper to bumper, or fender to fender cancellation of a factory was Harley on bikes newer than 2016 that had any modification to the exhaust, intake, computer, internals.... and they did not have to prove it per Magnusson Moss as their warranty voiding was forced upon them by the EPA and a consent decree.

I will tell you that Ford especially on the PowerStrokes will look for any sign that you have played with the boost, chipped it, used a tuner, etc and will void or deny warranty service.

Dealers are required to check for such things including if anyone has been playing with the tune in order to get paid for a warranty repair

 

[Mspider]

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act only holds weight in court or in a legal sense. If a dealership/manufacturer denies a warranty claim you must take legal action. Its not like you can just call the police and say the magic word making the dealership comply. That`s what people just fail to understand. Even if it can protect you the hassle of having to fight a manufacturer would be awful.

Yes a exhaust can effect warranty and even a 100% stock car as well. Key word "can" not will.

 

[MAT1955]

@decidave8 ..... same answer I got with my 2014 Mustang and now my 2024 GT premium. It could void the warranty. I know the service manager well and they defined the could as depends on the day and who thinks what. I asked, are you saying it is a crap shoot. The answer was yes. BTW as @Mspider said 100% accurately IMO the MMWA is only good if you want to pay big bucks for a lawyer and roll the dice. Our Ford/Mustang warranties are very specific on what can and not be done. Some Ford dealers have installed aftermarket exhausts that Ford wont recognize. If you really want to do it properly call Ford Client Service and speak with an advisor. They will ask for specifics. Have the parts numbers, spec sheet and manufacturer's data ready to email/scan/fax. You should hear back within 24 hours. If they agree ask for a formal approval and case file number. I did this when asking to have an analogue kill switch approved. Don't do that you are rolling the dice with a great warranty.

 

[Doug Watson]

Dealer can refuse to touch the car with any mod installed. Proving that what you did has not caused the issue is not on them but on you. I've been down this road before with several dealers in the US and now in Canada. Forget the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act it's not going to help you much unless you want to take your issue to court and even then, no guarantee you'll win.

 

[epat]

I contacted Ford and was told that the car would still be covered except for a problem caused by the aftermarket exhaust. I chose the axle back American Thunder Flow Masters and had them professionally installed.

 

[JimC]

Magnusson-Moss isn't some sword that you hold up and that is the end of things. All it says is that Ford has to prove that your modification caused the failure.

Ford warranties the car that Ford built. When you modify the car it is no longer the car that Ford built.

All that Ford has to do is say, "we looked at it and we believe the modification is the cause of the failure". They don't have to do anything more than that. You can scream "but Magnusson-Moss" all day, but Ford met its burden at that point.

After that the burden shifts to the consumer to start the lawsuit, hire your experts to say, "Ford is wrong and it is a manufacturing defect". IF your experts are good enough to survive the motion to dismiss, then Ford has the burden again to come forward with their experts (and they have much deeper pockets and a lot more testing to support their decision) to support their decision.

In the end you may win. But it isn't a cheap quick thing.

Now if you change the muffler and your transmission goes out it is highly unlikely that there is any connection to that modification. But if there is a failure of the exhaust system of course Ford is going to say, "not our problem, not our system".

 

[8915GT]

I feel some of the replies are speculation, anyone have real experiences where Ford denied warranty for a mod? If so what was denied and what was the mod? Anyone modded their car and had Ford honored a warranty claim?
I do not understand how any mod after the cats could cause a warranty to be avoided. I mean how is a resonator delete or muffler going to effect the engine in any way? I feel if that were the case the could find a way to see how many times someone has redlined their car and claim you red lined it too much so the warranty is voided.

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