bigdude2468
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- April 30, 2014
- Messages
- 349
- Reaction score
- 32
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2014 Explorer XT
This is a troubling thread and I do think Ford should have absolutely covered a catastrophic engine failure even if by mileage the vehicle was slightly out of warranty. It's one thing to draw a line in the sand if other components fail that are not major and do not cause major damage, but Ford should have stepped up to the plate to fix this vehicle under warranty, especially knowing the design of the water pump location is somewhat flawed. In addition to the location design flaw of this $85 part, according the maintenance schedule the orange coolant is scheduled to be changed at 100,000 miles and up to 150,000 miles there is no mention of the water pump to be replaced, therefore, the fact the water pump failed at 61,600 miles and ruined the engine is huge issue that Ford should have provided compensation to cover. I am now concerned with what I believe is a poor design and/or location of the water pump driven by the timing chain and also knowing that Ford will not accommodate a customer with minimum slack for a catastrophic failure due to this poor location design.
According to this thread, the dealer cost for replacing the water pump is going to be about $2,300 and if the engine fails it will cost about $7,300, not a great business model for the owner. Again, I go back to Toyota/Lexus, on the cars and trucks that have a timing belt the owner is required to replace the timing belt, water pump, pulley’s etc., every 90,000 miles for about $800 - $1,500 (independent vs dealer) and their engines run for at least 200,000 to 300,000 miles with minimum, if not any problems, genius IMO.
Lastly, one of the reasons I chose the 3.5 liter engine was because I had owned a Ford with a turbo in the past and working on that was not all that easy, in addition to the turbo failing like clockwork. I’m sure Ford has made improvements with their turbo’s, but I’m once bitten, twice shy and will not own another car or truck a turbo again. If I need more power I’ll get a larger engine. I will now more than likely sell my current Explorer just before the 100,000 mile mark.
I don't understand you logic. So If I own a Toyota / Lexus I have to pay $4500 + over the life of the vehicle to change the timing belt, water pump etc multiple times. One USED Ford Ex has a failure for $7500 and in your world its a bad design that should be changed requiring millions of customers to pay for multiple timing belts and water pumps., The bad design is not having a timing chain that eliminates the need to be changed. Water pumps almost always fail when the shaft seals start leaking. The failure is caused by the tension of the serpentine belt which applies torque to the pulley on the end of the water pump shaft. Ford's design puts the water pump internally where the shaft is driven without the torque being applied.