As much as we try to keep our vehicles in good shape, there are certain things we can’t fight. Our cars are not immune to the elements. While you can carefully drive to avoid accidents and keep up with maintenance to ensure your powertrain performs optimally, corrosion issues can be beyond your control. Oxidation or rust can wear down the surfaces of your vehicle as car wax isn’t enough to keep corrosion at bay. That’s where the Ford corrosion warranty comes into play.
Every new vehicle from Ford comes with a comprehensive factory warranty that covers certain repair costs for an initial period. Once that period ends, the Ford corrosion warranty can cover the cost of repairing corrosion.
What Is a Ford Corrosion Warranty?
Ford vehicles, including truck, crossover, or SUV models, have various warranties that cover them within a specified period. This coverage policy is limited to a manufacturing defect in factory-supplied materials or factory workmanship.
A Ford corrosion warranty is a written agreement that covers damages such as perforation caused by rust or corrosion on your Ford vehicles during a specific set duration. In other words, if parts of your car are damaged by rust due to workmanship or faulty material as originally manufactured by Ford, they will repair the parts at no charge to you. However, you must take your car to the authorized Ford dealer for repair.
The corrosion warranty covers perforation by rust from the inside or underside for five years and unlimited miles. It’s worth noting that surface rusting caused by scratches or stone chips isn’t covered. “Perforation” means that there is a hole all the way through the metal. Therefore, even if the paint is bubbling up from the metal, or if the paint is gone and there is exposed rusty metal, it still will not be covered under the corrosion warranty until it is severe enough for holes to appear. Hence, you must get to know the limits of your corrosion warranty as provided by Ford.
The Importance of a Ford Corrosion Warranty
Like other Ford warranties, the corrosion warranty is essential, as it helps protect your car from any perforation that might occur due to a manufacturing defect on your vehicle. In other words, if your car is damaged by rust within the year that the warranty is still active, you don’t have to pay for a repair. However, this only applies to your car body sheet metal panels or aluminum body panels.
Is a Used Ford Covered By the Corrosion Warranty?
A used Ford is covered by the corrosion warranty. You may still enjoy Ford’s existing corrosion warranty coverage if you purchase your vehicle from an individual rather than a dealership. You can track down your vehicle identification number (VIN), then reach out to your local dealership to check your vehicle’s warranty information using the VIN.
One good thing about a Ford corrosion warranty is that it’s fully transferable if you sell your car within the 5-year, unlimited mileage warranty period.
What Ford Corrosion Warranty Does Not Cover
While Ford offers a corrosion warranty to their customers, they don’t take the responsibility of repairing or replacing any part of yours that gets damaged due to inadequate maintenance.
Below are the reasons Ford will not take responsibility for your vehicle’s rust and perforation:
- Damage caused by negligence, flooding, accident, racing, and other improper use
- Failure to properly keep your car in good shape in accordance with Ford maintenance guidelines and service instruction
- Your inability to properly maintain paint and bodywork by routine cleaning in line with Ford’s instructions
- Corrosion as a result of unauthorized modifications to the vehicle or its components
- Using a method not approved by Ford to repair your car
- Corrosion that results when you fail to rectify on a timely basis any paint or corrosion damage identified during the body and paint check
- Factors beyond Ford’s control such as airborne contamination, storm damage, stone chip, scratches, and the use of harmful cleaning agents
Only Ford Authorized Dealers can perform repairs covered by Ford corrosion warranties, except in case of emergency.
How Can I Claim My Ford Corrosion Warranty?
There are two ways you can contact Ford for your corrosion warranty. You can claim your Ford warranty by reaching out to customer support at (800) 392-3673, or you can visit a Ford dealership near you and claim your warranty in person. If you want to find a dealer near you, go to the Ford website and use the ‘Locate a dealer’ option to find out the nearest dealer.
Which Other Warranty Does Ford Offer?
Besides the corrosion warranty we have discussed in detail, Ford offers a suite of other warranties such as powertrain, diesel engine, paint surface, base, parts, and more. However, irrespective of the above warranties, you should strive to properly maintain your vehicle by diligently following all the maintenance guidelines given by Ford to ensure your car’s durability.
Final Thoughts
You must comply with some instructions to receive the benefits of a Ford warranty. For instance, you must perform or arrange for an expert to carry out the required maintenance in line with the service interval. You should also maintain your car paint and bodywork by cleaning it while following the requirements set out in the owner’s manual and service portfolio.
You can also ensure your service and scheduled maintenance records are completed and stamped and that you retain all the relevant invoices/receipts.
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