Broken Alternator Belt

[fjs0947]

I have a 2013 Ford Explorer Limited. It's out of warranty and has 47k miles. Just had the dealer do an oil change and they automatically do their vehicle inspection. Everything was in the "green." 2 days later the alternator belt comes apart. Problem ended up being the AC Compressor which locked up and caused all the problems. This is one of those times where I was thankful that I had an extended warranty. The dealer (Cloninger Ford of Hickory) was great and took care of everything.

 

[orangesoda123]

Its pretty hard to predict when a belt will go. Most of the time if you see cracking in the ribs or just general wear its time to replace but occasionally they will fail with little or no warning. As for tearing things on the way out its just how it goes. I had a corolla that had a failed serpentine and tore out all sorts of things on the way out.

I would talk to your dealer and see if they are willing to work with you. I believe the manual states that the belts should be changed around 100-125k. They may be willing to work with you on this. It really shouldn't have failed this soon so hopefully they will give you a hand.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Find out if this part still has a warranty. I bought a belt in Autozone a couple of months ago which only lasted for less than 2 weeks until it came apart. They swapped it for a new one under the warranty, and that was it. I don't know what caused it to come apart, but these things happen.