Would this be covered

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Chazon

Chazon

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Chickasaw, AL
My 07 Sport Trac is only 2 years old with 27K miles. My issue is the trim on the drivers side seat that holds all the power switches (angle, position and lumbar). I snagged the corner getting out, and the plastic tabs broke on the trim and now it is dangling (only held on by the seat belt). Seems to me a bad design. Should I expect Ford to replace this, or would it be considered wear and tear?



Thanks
 
Knowing Ford, they might try to worm their way out of covering this. Just be prepared to stand your ground.
 
Chazon - the same thing happened to mine. Fortunately, just the front tab broke. I'm going to bring it up when I take mine in for scheduled maintainence in the next few weeks. I'll let you know afterwards.



If you take yours in before hand, please let me (us) know!
 
Why people expect the dealer to pay for damage that they cause always baffles me.
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I understand what you are talking about I1tech, however, if it is a design flaw (i.e, my back seat latch), it would be covered. It doesn't hurt to inquire about it.
 
^^^ You are right, it doesn't hurt to ask but when you do at least be honest and tell them what really happened and not just say" I don't know it just fell off"
 
They should cover it under the warranty. You don't need to mention that you caught it on something. Just show it too them and tell them it broke.



Like others have said, The dealer might try to worm their way out of replacing it, but just stand your ground. It's only plastic and plastic breaks without being abused.



...Rich



 
^^^ See that is just plain wrong. People sit and piss and moan when they think they are getting shafted by the dealer but it's ok when they try to stick it to the dealer. I wonder who started this trend, the dishonest dealership or the equally dishonest consumer. Where my parents the only people who tought their children to not grow up to be liars.



And yeah just tell them that it broke, I'm sure these things ALWAYS break at the attaching points for no reason whatsoever After you try to convince them of that one they will definetely know what kind of person you are
 
I snagged the corner getting out, and the plastic tabs broke on the trim and now it is dangling (only held on by the seat belt).
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^^^ See that is just plain wrong. People sit and piss and moan when they think they are getting shafted by the dealer but it's ok when they try to stick it to the dealer. I wonder who started this trend, the dishonest dealership or the equally dishonest consumer. Where my parents the only people who tought their children to not grow up to be liars.
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If the part fit properly this wouldn't have happened.



And the dealer NEVER lies to the customer...



 
My point on the matter is that they should not have the plastic extend past the end of the seat (it wraps around towards the front) making it easy to snag on your leg getting out. They should also reinforce it better, and not have it held on by 3 plastic tabs. That's why I think it should be replaced by Ford.

It happened from me getting in and out of the vehicle - my leg would catch the edge of the trim and that eventually broke the tabs - its a bad DESIGN!
 
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I1Tech,

If he deliberately broke the lever, or forced it to go past it's limit, or was totally careless in the use of the lever, then it would be wrong to claim it's a warranty problem.



The fact that it was designed in such a way that it could snag on clothing and then break is still a warranty issue. He is not obligated to tell the dealer how it broke. It just broke and there are no obvious signs of abuse and it is not a normal wear item. That says it's a defective item either by design or by the material used. The dealers are going to put their own interpretation on how or why it broke anyway and some will do it honestly and fairly, and some will not



So please get off you almight throne and join the rest of the world. Nothing is dishonest about getting the lever fixed under warranty because they was no abuse involved.



...Rich



 
No reason to lie to the dealer, and all the reasons to expect the dealer to fix the broken trim under warranty.



If trim doesn't sit flush and is susceptible to getting snagged and damaged then the owner can easily make the case that there is a design or a construction defect that was the "root cause" and the broken trim should therefore be fixed.



Case-In-Point: Twice I got the little plastic rivet (that keeps the belt from retracting in too far) on the driver's side belt replaced. It was broken from getting smashed in the door as the door was shut. Some could say that was due to my negligence. I don't agree. I've never shut the door on a seatbelt in any other vehicle before or after the ST...but did so on the ST several times until I trained myself to get out of the vehicle the way the design of the ST required.



If the vehicle requires that you learn new ways to get in and out of it, or to take special care in doing so all in order to avoid breaking things then there is a design issue.



TJR
 
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^^^ You are right, it doesn't hurt to ask but when you do at least be honest and tell them what really happened and not just say" I don't know it just fell off"
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I1tech - I couldn't agree with you more. I got my pant leg &/or back of my shoe caught, causing the tab to snap. In my opinion, this is a design defect that, also my opinion, should be fixed under warranty. I will explain it to them how it happened, and the decision will have to be made.



Not to get off-subject, but last month, I got the back seat fixed under warranty ('60' part of the 60/40 seats). The seat didn't lock back into the 'up' position. My '07 Trac, the latch is at the pivot-point. I've noticed on '09 Tracs (possibly '08's too), the latch is now at the top of the seat, nearer to the head rest. I looked at the new ones for reference. Perhaps this is because of a design-flaw? Don't know for sure. But if no one brings this up, the design will stay the same. Maybe this is why Ford moved the latch towards the top of the seat, mounting to the back wall.



All those with '07's -- see if your back seats lock in place. If there is a lot of play (especially in the middle seat), then the latch is probably at the 'pivot', and broken!
 
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l1tech,



Read my post above. Like I said, there is no reason to lie. I hope you don't disagree with what I have said above as I don't see anything I said being controversial.



TJR
 
TJR,3/3/2009 09:25 MT





If the vehicle requires that you learn new ways to get in and out of it, or to take special care in doing so all in order to avoid breaking things then there is a design issue.



TJR
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I agree with you except for this statement. IMO not everything in life is shall we say "plug and play" or idiot proof. This may be on the extreme side but a good example would be on a Corvette. If you don't learn to get in and out of that vehicle you will definetely break things.



I had a look at the trim on my seat in the 08 and unless I were trying to stuff my feet and legs under the seat while i was getting out I honestly don't know how I would ever snag this piece. The top of the bottom seat cushion covers it and the inside corner is rounded and does not protrude out. Granted this piece is not fastened that securely but if it were maybe Ford would be gettign sued by the couple of people that have somehow managed to snag it and rip it off if it cut into their leg instead of pulling away.



The wife, while I do love her dearly, has a tendency to be able to find all the weak spots of a vehicle. She has a heck of a time getting in and out of the ST because she is abit short and even while wearing dresses and skirts has never managed to rip this off.



I guess all I am saying is that if I snagged it and ripped it off I would just have to say to myself "stupid what the hell you do that for" and go buy a new one.
 
l1tech said:
I guess all I am saying is that if I snagged it and ripped it off I would just have to say to myself "stupid what the hell you do that for" and go buy a new one.
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Is that a blanket, all encompassing statement? You can't think of an example of where you were using something normally and with care and yet due to the normal use it broke anyway and it wasn't your fault?



If one was using reasonable care to get in and out of their vehicle, yet there was still a snag that resulted in broken trim is it really their fault?



I see your point of view, l1tech, but can't you do the same and recognize there might be instances were it simply wasn't the consumer's fault (assuming reasonable caution and actions that is)?



What about my seatbelt example?



Also, who said everything in life should be "plug and play", or "idiot proof". I've heard the old saying about making things idiot proof ("only an idiot would want to use it"). I'm not an extremist and we aren't talking about Corvettes.



I'm a realist. Once we start apologizing for defects and blaming the consumer first and the products last then we start down that slippery slope of ever decreasing product quality and manufacturer responsibility.



Ralph Nadar would be ashamed of you. ;)



TJR
 
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I am not implying that anyone lie. I'm saying that you do not have to give a reason or a theory to the dealer as to how the part broke. It broke and that's all that needs to be said and the dealer is obligated by the warranty to fix it unless he can show proof that the part broke because is was abused. The part was not abused and it should not break under normal use, and that was normal use.



I'm sure others have caught their clothing on the lever and it did not break, but his did, so that would indicate that the part was weak or defective and should be replaced.



...Rich



 

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