Heater Core Corrosion Letter

[richh001]

I just received a letter from Ford on my 2007 MKX extending the warranty on my heater core to 6 years/105,000 miles due to the possibility that cooling system corrosion could plug it up. If heater performance suffers they will flush the system, or even replace the core if necessary, and replace the coolant with a "revised coolant".

 

Anyone else get this letter? Assuming I want my system to last for more than 105,000 miles or 6 years doesn't it seem like the reasonable thing to do would be to flush the system now and put in the "revised" coolant, thus avoiding the contamination in the first place? Any idea what the "revised coolant" is?

 

I don't want to wait until I have a problem if there is an easy way to avoid it.

[igcitng]

I have an 08 and I got a letter also. What I took from it is that they do not want to deal with it until it breaks, in hopes of not many breaking.

[Hurtman]

I also received the letter for my wife's 2009 Edge Limited. I am going to speak with a Ford adviser on Monday and ask about the intent and possible preventative maintenance.

[Platinum White]

I have also received a similar letter for my 2009 SEL.

 

They must know something we don't

Edited December 6, 2009 by Platinum White

[ablb]

Ford has known about this problem.

Evidently some ??,??? def. cores escaped, they just don’t know who got them.

 

http://www.fordedgeforum.com/index.php?sho...5&hl=heater

 

http://www.fordedgeforum.com/index.php?sho...3&hl=heater

 

ab

[pontiac]

Ford has known about this problem.

Evidently some ??,??? def. cores escaped, they just don’t know who got them.

 

http://www.fordedgeforum.com/index.php?sho...5&hl=heater

 

http://www.fordedgeforum.com/index.php?sho...3&hl=heater

 

ab

I also got the letter from ford about the heater core extended warrenty, lately at time getting coolent smell and some burning smell at times , hads seals and PTU replaced already wondering could it be the heater core i am smelling thanks

[sleighbor]

Hurtman,

 

Please let us know what you find out from Ford and what the new antifreeze is. I would like to just replace mine now to avoid the headache later.

 

Thanks.

[Lex Talionis]

got it..

 

always interesting what makes it get to the point to send a letter. there have been all kinds of issues, as with any car, wonder why this one warranted a letter

[akirby]

got it..

 

always interesting what makes it get to the point to send a letter. there have been all kinds of issues, as with any car, wonder why this one warranted a letter

 

Sounds like known defective parts that are guaranteed to fail - but they don't know which vehicles have them.

[bbf2530]

Sounds like known defective parts that are guaranteed to fail - but they don't know which vehicles have them.

 

Hi guys. :D Just to throw out another idea to add to akirby's good reply. In this case (a small percentage of defective heater cores), there is the added factor of the heater core Warranty Extension to "6 years/105,000 miles".

 

As opposed to most TSB's (which are usually strictly informational and do not contain Warranty extensions), without this letter many (maybe most) Edge owners would not know of their extended Warranty rights.

 

So Ford is attempting to make Edge owners aware of this possible problem and just as importantly, the extended Warranty. In this way, the letter now makes the average Edge owner (who does not frequent online Edge forums) aware of this extended coverage in case they should develop possible heater core trouble later (maybe even 5 1/2 years from now).

 

So instead of believing their warranty coverage expired at 3 years/36,000 miles and taking their Edge to a non-Ford/Lincoln-Mercury shop (and getting charged for the work to repair a bad heater core), they will know to bring it to their Ford Dealer for a free Warranty replacement.

 

Just another thought.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

Edited December 7, 2009 by bbf2530

[Lex Talionis]

as an example... so many people have had "the burning smell issue" PTU seal - the #1 topic here (32 pages, 57000 views & imagine those that do not visit this site and just go to the dealer) and I wonder why this warranted a letter, first time I have ever heard of this heater core issue, and that major seal issue costing them - and owners - a ton of money to fix, did not?

 

seems if anything should get a letter and warranty extension, it should be because of the PTU seal issue.

[bbf2530]

as an example... so many people have had "the burning smell issue" PTU seal - the #1 topic here (32 pages, 57000 views & imagine those that do not visit this site and just go to the dealer) and I wonder why this warranted a letter, first time I have ever heard of this heater core issue, and that major seal issue costing them - and owners - a ton of money to fix, did not?

 

seems if anything should get a letter and warranty extension, it should be because of the PTU seal issue.

 

 

Hi Lex. :D I certainly understand your point and don't necessarily disagree. And maybe the PTU leak will eventually lead to a Warranty extension. Unfortunately, up until this point it has not.

 

However. just so others (you and I already understand the situation) do not get confused by the cross referencing, the purpose of these TSB/Warranty extension letters is not to serve as a heads up for the heater core problem. In other words, they are sent strictly as heads up on the Warranty extension (extended to 6 years/105,000 miles from the base 3 years/36,000 miles). Not to tell people to bring their cars in for any mandatory servicing at this time. And if there is a problem, the heater core will be flushed and coolant replaced with a revised formulation, or replaced if irreparably damaged (if I understand correctly).

 

And since there is no such Warranty extension (yet) for the PTU seal, there has been no letter.

 

I had received a similar letter for my wife's 2001 Cougar back in 2003. It notified owners that the Warranty was being extended to 10 years/100,000 miles on the fuel pump, due to an overheating problem that could lead to premature failure. Again, it was not telling people to bring their cars in, just that the Warranty would be extended on fuel pump failures if they should occur. If the fuel pump did not fail, there was no free replacement. Similar to this heater core campaign.

 

I only explain this because many owners do not understand the difference between TSB's, Warranty Extensions, Recalls, etc. etc..

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

Edited December 8, 2009 by bbf2530

[richh001]

Hi Lex. :D I certainly understand your point and don't necessarily disagree. And maybe the PTU leak will eventually lead to a Warranty extension. Unfortunately, up until this point it has not.

 

However. just so others (you and I already understand the situation) do not get confused by the cross referencing, the purpose of these TSB/Warranty extension letters is not to serve as a heads up for the heater core problem. In other words, they are sent strictly as heads up on the Warranty extension (extended to 6 years/105,000 miles from the base 3 years/36,000 miles). Not to tell people to bring their cars in for any mandatory servicing at this time. And if there is a problem, the heater core will be flushed and coolant replaced with a revised formulation, or replaced if irreparably damaged (if I understand correctly).

 

And since there is no such Warranty extension (yet) for the PTU seal, there has been no letter.

 

I had received a similar letter for my wife's 2001 Cougar back in 2003. It notified owners that the Warranty was being extended to 10 years/100,000 miles on the fuel pump, due to an overheating problem that could lead to premature failure. Again, it was not telling people to bring their cars in, just that the Warranty would be extended on fuel pump failures if they should occur. If the fuel pump did not fail, there was no free replacement. Similar to this heater core campaign.

 

I only explain this because many owners do not understand the difference between TSB's, Warranty Extensions, Recalls, etc. etc..

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

 

I see the reason for the letter versus a recall, especially in a case like the fuel pump, but the way the heater core letter is worded leads me to wonder if there is a relatively cheap proactive step I can take to avoid the problem or reduce the odds of it occurring. If changing the coolant and flushing the system will take care of it I consider that normal maintenance and would not ask Ford for reimbursement. I have always been skeptical of the 5 year/100,000 mile coolant claims anyway.

[bbf2530]

I see the reason for the letter versus a recall, especially in a case like the fuel pump, but the way the heater core letter is worded leads me to wonder if there is a relatively cheap proactive step I can take to avoid the problem or reduce the odds of it occurring. If changing the coolant and flushing the system will take care of it I consider that normal maintenance and would not ask Ford for reimbursement. I have always been skeptical of the 5 year/100,000 mile coolant claims anyway.

 

Hi Rich. :D I agree.

 

It would seem to me that the best proactive step would be to have the system flushed and filled with the "revised coolant" mentioned in the letter.

 

While a pre-problem flush and fill does not seem to be covered under the terms of the extended Warranty, it never hurts to ask the Dealer if it can be Warranty covered. If they say yes, great.

 

If they say no, then paying for the flush and revised coolant refill out-of-pocket would seem to be a small price to pay for a little added peace of mind.

 

As you stated, you are skeptical of the 5 year/100,000 mile coolant flush interval anyway. And you are probably at least two years into ownership on top of that.

 

Keep us updated.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

 

PS - I have a feeling the reason Ford has decided to address this problem on an as-needed basis is because only a small percentage of heater cores are defective (as akirby mentioned earlier). Therefore, it is more cost effective to address the situation by extending the Warranty and flushing/fixing on an as-needed basis, as opposed to calling everyone back in to flush and fill (since most vehicle heater cores are not defective and will not have the problem anyway). Just an educated guess.

Also, to save any outraged replies. I completely understand that this causes anguish and aggravation for some owners so I am not defending the decision made by Ford. I am only taking an educated guess and explaining the "business" end of it.

Edited December 8, 2009 by bbf2530

[Goldy]

Hi Rich. :D I agree.

 

It would seem to me that the best proactive step would be to have the system flushed and filled with the "revised coolant" mentioned in the letter.

 

While a pre-problem flush and fill does not seem to be covered under the terms of the extended Warranty, it never hurts to ask the Dealer if it can be Warranty covered. If they say yes, great.

 

If they say no, then paying for the flush and revised coolant refill out-of-pocket would seem to be a small price to pay for a little added peace of mind.

 

As you stated, you are skeptical of the 5 year/100,000 mile coolant flush interval anyway. And you are probably at least two years into ownership on top of that.

 

Keep us updated.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

 

PS - I have a feeling the reason Ford has decided to address this problem on an as-needed basis is because only a small percentage of heater cores are defective (as akirby mentioned earlier). Therefore, it is more cost effective to address the situation by extending the Warranty and flushing/fixing on an as-needed basis, as opposed to calling everyone back in to flush and fill (since most vehicle heater cores are not defective and will not have the problem anyway). Just an educated guess.

Also, to save any outraged replies. I completely understand that this causes anguish and aggravation for some owners so I am not defending the decision made by Ford. I am only taking an educated guess and explaining the "business" end of it.

 

Personally, I like that Ford is not trying to sweep the 'heater core' problem under the rug...in my mind, this shows Ford is committed to customer satisfaction, and I'd even say quality. Don't get me wrong, I (my wife) has an '09 Edge, and I won't be happy if the heater core goes south pre-maturely. But you know, stuff happens...be it a Ford, Toyota, Honda,...whatever. (Side note: Just about every 2 year old or so Toyota Camry I see seems to have an exhaust system ready to drop when the car hits the road bump. I've not heard Toyota saying they're having exhaust issues, or will be extending a warranty to replace is there is a problem.)

 

Ford is doing the right thing; being up-front saying that yes, a few bad heater cores may have been installed in certain model year Edges, and that if you happen to have one, Ford will cover it. Again, this is not to say I'd be a happy camper if my wife's Edge needs it's heater core replaced, but what more can you ask of, or expect from a company trying to doing the right thing?

 

Just my thoughts.

[pontiac]

Personally, I like that Ford is not trying to sweep the 'heater core' problem under the rug...in my mind, this shows Ford is committed to customer satisfaction, and I'd even say quality. Don't get me wrong, I (my wife) has an '09 Edge, and I won't be happy if the heater core goes south pre-maturely. But you know, stuff happens...be it a Ford, Toyota, Honda,...whatever. (Side note: Just about every 2 year old or so Toyota Camry I see seems to have an exhaust system ready to drop when the car hits the road bump. I've not heard Toyota saying they're having exhaust issues, or will be extending a warranty to replace is there is a problem.)

 

Ford is doing the right thing; being up-front saying that yes, a few bad heater cores may have been installed in certain model year Edges, and that if you happen to have one, Ford will cover it. Again, this is not to say I'd be a happy camper if my wife's Edge needs it's heater core replaced, but what more can you ask of, or expect from a company trying to doing the right thing?

 

Just my thoughts.

Well just wanted to let everyone know of another problem that happined to me have had the seals replaced twice then the PTU Replaced got the smell back again thought it was leaking again, called the ford zone reb explained not happy with car explained the issues in addition to vista roof rattling gave them tsb on it explained were the rattle was coming from also had problem with lag from transmission also to make a long story short i have been informed that the ac compressor is leaking and it had to be replacethat is were the smell is coming from so i am not happy i am going to demand a buyback or replacement, Ihave had enough.FYI i got one of thoise letters also about the heater core so i thought it might be that also think the car was built on friday.

[bbf2530]

Well just wanted to let everyone know of another problem that happined to me have had the seals replaced twice then the PTU Replaced got the smell back again thought it was leaking again, called the ford zone reb explained not happy with car explained the issues in addition to vista roof rattling gave them tsb on it explained were the rattle was coming from also had problem with lag from transmission also to make a long story short i have been informed that the ac compressor is leaking and it had to be replacethat is were the smell is coming from so i am not happy i am going to demand a buyback or replacement, Ihave had enough.FYI i got one of thoise letters also about the heater core so i thought it might be that also think the car was built on friday.

 

 

Hi pontiac. :D While this is a bit off topic, I will give you this advice: If you actually plan on attempting a "Lemon Law" buyback or replacement, you need to read the Warranty Guide Brochure which you were given when you purchased your vehicle.

 

In that Warranty Guide are listed the specific steps which you must follow to begin this process. If you do not follow those procedures, you can affect your chances of success.

 

Do not expect the Dealer (or Ford rep) to assist you in this process, since technically it is not their job to (not defending, just explaining the reality). There are some Dealers and Ford reps who will, but they are the exception. If your Dealer or particular Ford rep does assist you in a "Lemon Law" buyback or exchange, that is great and consider yourself lucky. However, be ready to exercise your rights on your own, just in case.

 

So read the Warranty Guide so that you know your rights and responsibilities. Like the old saying goes: "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst".

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

Edited December 10, 2009 by bbf2530

[pontiac]

Hi pontiac. :D While this is a bit off topic, I will give you this advice: If you actually plan on attempting a "Lemon Law" buyback or replacement, you need to read the Warranty Guide Brochure which you were given when you purchased your vehicle.

 

In that Warranty Guide are listed the specific steps which you must follow to begin this process. If you do not follow those procedures, you can affect your chances of success.

 

Do not expect the Dealer (or Ford rep) to assist you in this process, since technically it is not their job to (not defending, just explaining the reality). There are some Dealers and Ford reps who will, but they are the exception.

 

So read the Warranty Guide so that you know your rights and responsibilities. Like the old saying goes: "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst".

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

Thanks for the advice but they had they ford send a reb down to look at the car because i told the ford reb this is the last fix on the car i explained this to her and she told me that to start a buyback they had to have a engineer look at it and he did today and this is what theyfound over 4500 in repairs alrewady i have had enough i told her already waiting for a responce from her on next step so will see what happins i live in mass they have a great lemon law 15 days or any magor defect so far i have had three.

[akirby]

Thanks for the advice but they had they ford send a reb down to look at the car because i told the ford reb this is the last fix on the car i explained this to her and she told me that to start a buyback they had to have a engineer look at it and he did today and this is what theyfound over 4500 in repairs alrewady i have had enough i told her already waiting for a responce from her on next step so will see what happins i live in mass they have a great lemon law 15 days or any magor defect so far i have had three.

 

Good grief - would it kill you to use a few periods?????

[garyedwardsmith]

Took my 2008 Edge in for an Oil Change, Check PTU and Check problem with no heat.

 

Cleaned around PTU they will inspect next time I am in again. Jury is still out as to whether this is fixed or not.

 

No Heat - Mechanic said there was 20 degrees difference between Drivers Side and Passenger Side. They have ordered a special coolant/flush and need to do a procedure which needs a special tool. They had to order this special tool before they can service - might take a month to get. In the mean time I am freezing my ass. (-35 below). Heater is on full blast and you can see your breath.

 

Gary

 

Update - Since I posted this 30 minutes ago - I got a call from my Dealer who said he got a call from Ford that this tool is being sent out to all dealers before the end of the year. - Is Ford actually monitoring these entries?

 

Anyone have an idea what this special tool or procedure is?

 

Smokin on the outside - Freezing on the inside! - What a lovely vehicle! I am sure glad I bought a POS Ford.

 

Gary

Edited December 22, 2009 by garyedwardsmith

[druck52]

Took my 2008 Edge in for an Oil Change, Check PTU and Check problem with no heat.

 

Cleaned around PTU they will inspect next time I am in again. Jury is still out as to whether this is fixed or not.

 

No Heat - Mechanic said there was 20 degrees difference between Drivers Side and Passenger Side. They have ordered a special coolant/flush and need to do a procedure which needs a special tool. They have to order this special tool before they can service - might take a month to get. In the mean time I am freezing my ass.

 

Gary

 

Update - Since I posted this 30 minutes ago - I got a call from my Dealer who said he got a call from Ford that this tool is being sent out to all dealers before the end of the year. - Is Ford actually monitoring these entries?

 

Anyone have an idea what this special tool or procedure is?

 

Smokin on the outside - Freezing on the inside!

 

Gary

 

 

The tool is being sent to all the dealerships as part of the recall. the procedure is a complete flush of the cooling system and it will take a couple hours if done right.

[garyedwardsmith]

The dealer said when I brought the vehicle in that it was likely a heater core problem and they replace one in an Edge already @ 7 hours of labor.

 

So shouldn't they be replacing the heater core?

 

I guess I don't understand how a flush is going to correct the problem. Is this just a stop-gap measure or a cost reduction measure so they can save money?

 

Gary

[akirby]

The dealer said when I brought the vehicle in that it was likely a heater core problem and they replace one in an Edge already @ 7 hours of labor.

 

So shouldn't they be replacing the heater core?

 

I guess I don't understand how a flush is going to correct the problem. Is this just a stop-gap measure or a cost reduction measure so they can save money?

 

Gary

 

It gets plugged up because of things coming loose inside the heater core. Flushing it may get rid of the obstruction. Makes sense to me.

[flyerjmr33]

If the problem can be fixed by flushing, that is much better than having the dashboard removed to replace the core. It's better because I prefer to NOT have a flat rate mechanic leaving out a few of the parts, creating some new rattles and creaks, and tying my vehicle up for a couple of days!

 

 

I give high marks to Ford for handling this problem the way they have!

Edited December 12, 2009 by flyerjmr33

[ablb]

If the problem can be fixed by flushing, that is much better than having the dashboard removed to replace the core. It's better because I prefer to NOT have a flat rate mechanic leaving out a few of the parts, creating some new rattles and creaks, and tying my vehicle up for a couple of days!

 

 

I give high marks to Ford for handling this problem the way they have!

 

+1 much mush better!

 

ab

Edited December 12, 2009 by ablb