Overheat Conditions, Headgasket Failures, "Short Block" Replacement

[Kyle]

Hey everyone,

Dont know a better place to get this info from.

2019 Ford Ranger XLT Fx4. 16k miles. 100% stock from the dealership.

In april of this year, had an overheat condition while driving normally in neighborhood streets. Truck entered limp mode and i drove back home (1-2 miles) in low-power mode. Took it to dealership, told them it was likely a headgasket failure, i had water vapor coming out of exhaust and smelled coolant from exhaust. They looked at it after a week and called me and said yes it was a headgasket failure, they said it was a manufacturing defect and that it "didnt sit correctly." So they replaced the short block, i got my vehicle back late June. (In these 2 months without my vehicle, so many things going wrong that I can save for storytelling another time)

So early-mid July 2021 i had another overheat condition. Driving in neighborhood, engine had been running for about 5 - 10 mins prior. Accelerating from a light (maybe 3kRPMs, not flooring it). Vehicle had coolant beforehand because i went on a vacation trip the week prior and i checked all fluids. So again same thing took it to dealership, they said it was the exact same issue and they are replacing short block again.

My vehicle has been out of commission for 3 months out of the year and the same catastrophic engine failure has occurred twice now.

What are my options for reimbursement?
I pay $500 a year for registration in CA because its a truck. My vehicle isnt used for 1/4 of the year because of failures on the part of Ford. Monthly payments of $500 and I cant even use the vehicle for 3 full months.

What are my options for legal recourse? When does lemon law apply?
I did some research and found Lemon Law to be dependent on the "reasonableness" of the issue, and it seems this is decided through mediation or arbitration.
It depends on what is considered "reasonable." Are TWO catastrophic engine failures considered reasonable for a 2019 vehicle?

My vehicle is in B2B warranty now, but what happens at 80k miles when the same issue happens again and im out of warranties and the dealership says its going to be a $6k fix?

Unsure of where to go from here. I have a point of contact at Ford that I can email for customer support, however wanted to ask here first if anyone has had this same problem with their engines.

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[Rp930]

Lemon law is different for every state. Google lemon law for your state and it will be fairly easy to tell if you qualify. Or you could ask for compensation.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

The only instance I know of a similar issue was caused by the coolant overflow tank having a crack in it.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/84k-and-time-for-a-head-gasket.14147/

There may also be an issue with the head as shown in this video. But this doesn't look to apply to stock setups but maybe work looking into.

 

[Radioman]

My vehicle has been out of commission for 3 months out of the year and the same catastrophic engine failure has occurred twice now.

What are my options for reimbursement?
I pay $500 a year for registration in CA because its a truck. My vehicle isnt used for 1/4 of the year because of failures on the part of Ford. Monthly payments of $500 and I cant even use the vehicle for 3 full months.

What are my options for legal recourse? When does lemon law apply?

For California:

REASONABLE NUMBER OF REPAIR ATTEMPTS (continued)
1. The same nonconformity results in a condition that is likely to cause death or serious
bodily injury if the vehicle is driven and the nonconformity has been subject to
repair two or more times by the manufacturer or its agents, and the consumer has at
least once directly notified the manufacturer of the need for repair;
2. The same nonconformity has been subject to repair four or more times by the
manufacturer or its agents and the consumer has at least once directly notified the
manufacturer of the need for repair; or
3. The vehicle has been out of service more than 30 calendar days (cumulative) since
delivery by reason of repair of one or more nonconformities by the manufacturer or
its agent (such as an authorized dealer).
The 30-day limit is extended only if repairs cannot be performed due to conditions
beyond the control of the manufacturer or its agents. The consumer is required to
directly notify the manufacturer pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) only if the
manufacturer has clearly and conspicuously disclosed to the consumer, in the warranty
or owner’s manual, the provisions of the lemon law and the direct notice requirement.

 

[Trigganometry]

For California:

REASONABLE NUMBER OF REPAIR ATTEMPTS (continued)
1. The same nonconformity results in a condition that is likely to cause death or serious
bodily injury if the vehicle is driven and the nonconformity has been subject to
repair two or more times by the manufacturer or its agents, and the consumer has at
least once directly notified the manufacturer of the need for repair;
2. The same nonconformity has been subject to repair four or more times by the
manufacturer or its agents and the consumer has at least once directly notified the
manufacturer of the need for repair; or
3. The vehicle has been out of service more than 30 calendar days (cumulative) since
delivery by reason of repair of one or more nonconformities by the manufacturer or
its agent (such as an authorized dealer).
The 30-day limit is extended only if repairs cannot be performed due to conditions
beyond the control of the manufacturer or its agents. The consumer is required to
directly notify the manufacturer pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) only if the
manufacturer has clearly and conspicuously disclosed to the consumer, in the warranty
or owner’s manual, the provisions of the lemon law and the direct notice requirement.

There is your answer. Call Fords customer care and log a complaint. They will most likely buy it back and give you another one or you walk away. That’s your choice. Sounds like they should be dropping a new motor in the truck to resolve issue(s) once and for all.

 

[mlarma]

Why they aren’t doing the long block for round two is beyond me. I know there’s a process to follow but maybe a call to corporate will help.

 

[Kyle]

For California:

REASONABLE NUMBER OF REPAIR ATTEMPTS (continued)
1. The same nonconformity results in a condition that is likely to cause death or serious
bodily injury if the vehicle is driven and the nonconformity has been subject to
repair two or more times by the manufacturer or its agents, and the consumer has at
least once directly notified the manufacturer of the need for repair;
2. The same nonconformity has been subject to repair four or more times by the
manufacturer or its agents and the consumer has at least once directly notified the
manufacturer of the need for repair; or
3. The vehicle has been out of service more than 30 calendar days (cumulative) since
delivery by reason of repair of one or more nonconformities by the manufacturer or
its agent (such as an authorized dealer).
The 30-day limit is extended only if repairs cannot be performed due to conditions
beyond the control of the manufacturer or its agents. The consumer is required to
directly notify the manufacturer pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) only if the
manufacturer has clearly and conspicuously disclosed to the consumer, in the warranty
or owner’s manual, the provisions of the lemon law and the direct notice requirement.

Thank you for this.

 

[Kyle]

Why they aren’t doing the long block for round two is beyond me. I know there’s a process to follow but maybe a call to corporate will help.

Yeah... They "fixed" the issue the first time by replacing short block and they are doing the exact same thing again... What was the definition of insanity again?

 

[Kyle]

There is your answer. Call Fords customer care and log a complaint. They will most likely buy it back and give you another one or you walk away. That’s your choice. Sounds like they should be dropping a new motor in the truck to resolve issue(s) once and for all.

After the 2nd time you would think they try something different.

I will definitely reach out to Ford customer service to document my complaint. Thanks

 

[Delirious]

For California:

REASONABLE NUMBER OF REPAIR ATTEMPTS (continued)
1. The same nonconformity results in a condition that is likely to cause death or serious
bodily injury if the vehicle is driven and the nonconformity has been subject to
repair two or more times by the manufacturer or its agents, and the consumer has at
least once directly notified the manufacturer of the need for repair;
2. The same nonconformity has been subject to repair four or more times by the
manufacturer or its agents and the consumer has at least once directly notified the
manufacturer of the need for repair; or
3. The vehicle has been out of service more than 30 calendar days (cumulative) since
delivery by reason of repair of one or more nonconformities by the manufacturer or
its agent (such as an authorized dealer).
The 30-day limit is extended only if repairs cannot be performed due to conditions
beyond the control of the manufacturer or its agents. The consumer is required to
directly notify the manufacturer pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) only if the
manufacturer has clearly and conspicuously disclosed to the consumer, in the warranty
or owner’s manual, the provisions of the lemon law and the direct notice requirement.

Around 2004-ish I challenged Ford on the lemon law in Florida on a Ford Explorer. I can't remember exactly the issues- might have been a hesitancy or a shutter issue I can't remember.. They attempted to fix it three times so I filed the lemon law. That gave them one more try at it legally which did not fix it. Two of the three lemon law arbitrators sided with us that it was a safety issue. I think my demeanor in the court arbitration really helped because I talked to the Ford reps as if we were all on the same side and I noticed the arbitrators were really watching me and apparently my attitude. Took it for a short drive in the parking lot and even though they could not really tell what the issue was, they agreed with us and Ford had to reimburse us. I can't believe Ford really challenged us on it knowing it was still a problem. It was a very easy process and did not need an attorney although I wouldn't recommend doing anything without an attorney on most everything but we had records and the issue was still happening. My wife turned around and bought another explorer and did not have any issues with that one.

 

[Rp930]

It should be easy in CA.

 

[PascoPatio]

Yes, after warranty it is a nice $4000 repair.

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