Man some of you guys are real whiners!!! What do you expect them to do! Some of you are the same ones bitching about the intercooler issue. What ever happened to integrity? If you put a chip in and melt a piston who's fault is it? Yours, SuperChips or Ford.. Has anyone burned one down w/o a chip?? Probably but in much smaller #'s than with a chip. But I forgot that Ford was in business to keep people happy and forget about making $$$.

For those who say pull you chip and hide the evidence,, I say your whimps. Just because you don't get found out doesn't make it right in my book. If I do something and know the risks I don't try and have someone else pay for my mistakes. I guess today its OK to lie if you can profit by it! Not for me..

Flame Away!!!

 

Guys...

I got really tired of reading thru all the mis-information in this thread... I didn't even finish it to see if someone has corrected it.... I apologize if so... Any lawyers on this board?

I hope some of you do not see this as a flame, but a correction to mass hysteria.

The Moss-Magnuson Act is in place to protect the CONSUMER!!!

It basically says that Ford CANNOT void your warranty for aftermarket parts... UNLESS FORD proves IN a COURT of LAW that the parts caused the failure. To do this, FORD must put up the court costs, and do SCIENTIFIC research to PROVE the parts did the damage!

You would only have to pay court costs if you lost, and you would
ONLY have to pay YOUR court costs... ie. the lawyer, etc...

If you contact a good lawyer they will usually draft a letter requesting FORD to go to court, or HONOR the warranty. i've had lawyers do this for FREE!!! or at most a $50 charge....!

It IS cost effective for FORD to TRY to slip your warranty from you under the table, but they CANNOT!!!

If FORD loses in court... (and yes they have in other cases), they must pay their own legal fees, YOUR legal fees, and all court costs. On top of that they MUST still honor your warranty if they lose!

THEY WILL MOST LIKELY BACK DOWN IF YOU GET A LAWYER!!! IT ISN'T WORTH THE COURT COSTS TO FORD!!!

IT IS WORTH TRYING TO GET YOU TO LAY DOWN AND ACCEPT THEM VOIDING YOUR WARRANTY THOUGH!!!!

The point of the matter is this...

"If the chip caused the failure in ONE cylinder... then why didn't the chip cause failure in ALL the other cylinders? If this chip caused failure in YOUR engine.... why hasn't it caused failure in ALL the other chip users engines?"

The burden of proof is on FORD.... The evidence... (other cylinders, and other chip users) is in YOUR favor...

This is a LOSING battle for FORD.... unless they STUPIDLY go to court... AND you get a crooked judge.... How often does that happen?

 

LightningDammitt,

I wish it were only that simple.

 

LightningDammitt,

The Magnuson-Moss Act does NOT state that you can modify a product without risk to your warranty. All it says is that manufacturers can't force you use their brand-name parts or service to keep the warranty intact. There is a BIG difference between the two issues.

In the case of a chip, all that Ford has to do is prove that a) The engine damage was the result of a lean condition, and b) that such a lean condition would not occur with the factory ECM, but that it could (and does) with the addition of the aftermarket chip.

Considering that two of the major functions of a chip are to lean out the A/F ratio and raise the RPM limits, it shouldn't take much for Ford to "prove" to the court's satisfaction that the damage was caused by the use of the chip. The burden would then shift to the owner to prove that the mod did NOT cause the damage, which would be very hard to do, considering that the chip undoubtedly WAS responsible.

The worst misinformation is to lead people to believe that they can change MAFS, ECM programming etc., without any risk to their warranty. It is not true. Your warranty can't be denied just because you have a mod *installed*, but if Ford can establish that the chip is the likely *cause* of a problem, say bye-bye warranty.

 

Where's Judge Judy when ya need her????

 

Sorry so late to respond, I've had computer problems...

According to the Manuson Moss act, the fact IS that FORD must prove in a COURT OF LAW that the chip caused the failure! Ford must go to court to prove this! Until FORD goes to court, they MUST honor the warranty.

Yes... it IS possible that Ford could prove the chip caused the problem. At that point the consumer can then prove that it did not. And this is EASY!

1) There are HUNDREDS of Lightnings running chips with no problems. That makes this particular owners truck different. Either the chip is different, or the truck is different. Either way, nothing is CERTAIN. The Magnuson Moss act requires that Ford PROVE as a matter of FACT that the chip did the damage. This is nearly impossible.

2)Why didn't the chip cause failure in the other cylinders? Yes, I know there is a simple answer, that the engine died prior... but this STILL questions the reliability of Ford's claim that the chip did the damage.

3) Are there OTHER instances of Ford engine failures under the warranty WITHOUT a chip? You BET! Once again calling into question the claim that the chip did the damage.

4) Ford has ALREADY proven that leaning out the fuel mixture is not a problem... (to a certain extent). The 2001 Lightning uses a leaner fuel air mixture... to help add the additional 25 HP!

So... Ford has already proven that leaning out the mixture will not harm the engine.

I just want to make sure that whoever reads this doesn't just lay down and lose their rights.

Make Ford do the right thing. Honor their warranty!

 

Someone posted a link that downs ford sells the same chip you had in your truck.

I would send downs ford an email, or call them and record it (check your state laws to see if it is legal, it is here)

Pretend you are a customer that bought a truck from them and you want to buy a chip from them as well. Tell them that you are worried about your warranty with them, and if you move out of state, of another dealer will cover it (this is a risk, you may not want to ask this part, because the answer may not be what you want) -- if you get them, an authorized ford dealer, selling the exact chip you have in your truck, saying that they will not void the warranty for having it, and that it is not going to cause any damage... this might help in court.

It wouldnt hurt to look for other dealers that sell similar chips for other cars.. like anderson ford and chips for mustangs, etc.

Basicly, get as many different dealers selling different chips saying that they dont void the warranty..

 

I Agree 1000% Well said Dennis.

 

I don't understand some of this thread. What doesn't make sense is why do you believe the chip manufacturers about a warranty from Ford Motor Company? Did the chip folks tell you they would warranty the motor?

I think it would be very simple for Ford to prove that the chip modifies the characteristics of the engine sufficiently to cause any failure that occurs... more power=more stress=more frequent failure ?

Also, Dealers get audited periodically on the warranty work they do.. so they have some accountability not to mention they depend on Ford Motor Company for their livelihood so it is in their best interest to protect Ford and only perform valid warranty work. Don't you think?

 

Flintstone,

Your quote:

"99svtlightning
you have not read your svt book in a while
no mods-no racing
only to use to go to church on sunday"

SVT book, what SVT book? I haven't read an owners manual since I've owned a car.

Ford states no racing, but they show a big nasty burnout on the brochure. It's just one of those liability things, I know. However, I guess it's up to the relationship you have with your dealer. I have modded every single vehicle I've owned, including a Tacoma TRD, with no issues. I've done blowers ,etc. and have never had a problem. Ford would be the first! Do you know how many tranny's get replaced in Cobra's a year? Me neither, but I know it's a ton because I had two and my fellow racers had a lot. I think they are just coming down hard on the L's.

 

Hey Robert,
Ford has authorized a recall campaign for intercooler replacement on all 99-00 Ls. I believe you are entitled to the replacement intercooler regardless of warranty status. In fact, you could argue against warranty void since Ford has admitted that the intercoolers may fail. Ford can still void powertrain warranty on modified vehicles, but if they voided YOUR warranty in response to an IC leak you may be able to appeal it.
Recall letters haven't been issued yet but service departments can print the letter (Owner Notification Program #01B81) off OASIS. I called SVT and was told ALL ICs will be replaced, regardless of leaking or not leaking. Letter also states recall in effect regardless of mileage. If you've already paid for IC replacement, you should be eligible for reimbursement from Ford.
Hope this helps.

 

My my, isn't this the thread?

It might interest some of our detractors to know that we have been talking with Bob about this for some months now, though we have not heard anything from him lately, not since before he made this post. I was a bit surprised that this fact was not mentioned in his post, but be that as it may, anyone trying to claim that either Superchips Inc. or we here at Performance a'e "missing in action", etc. is sadly mistaken. We had given Bob the specific instructions on who to contact, etc. with regards to having Superchips, the manufacturer of 1 of his aftermarket parts, be made aware of this for assistance. That has to be done directly by him, and we have not heard back from his as to status.

This issue is quite clear, Bob has had numerous problems from his leaking intercooler, and we all know how many Lightnings we've seen right here on these boards end up loosing a cylinder because of that.

It's also clear that Bob has had this Superchip for quite some time, and has not had any problems whatsoever. It it had anything to do with causing his engine failure from any lean condition, if that were the case, that would have happened long ago, not almost 2 years later after teh installation of the Superchip.

We also all well know just how many of these Lightnings are running performance chips of all kinds, and we see very few problems with the vast majority of the better chips out there. The point being, there is no inherent tendency of the Superchip to cause the Lightning engine to run an unsafe air/fuel ratio, at any throttle position or rpm.

In fact, it was the R9 Superchip that powered Stan's winning Lightning run in the 135 mph class in the Silver State Classic!

This isn't the first time that we've seen an automaker attempt to deny their responsibiilties under warranty, and it probably won't be the last. The key here is that the consumer stands up for his rights and fights this. What has to be remembered here is that neither Superchips nor any other party can fight this battle for him, as a few posters quickly pointed out. Superchips is not the "injured" party here, it's Bob, and therefore it is *only* Bob who can fight this. Superchips will be more than happy, if called upon, to provide any needed documentation, etc.

The bottom line here is that this is *not* going to be decided here on these message boards. We (meaning we here at Performance) will not be participating in an endless debate over this here, that would be entirely inappropriate, as we are neither the injured party nor the manufacturer.

Those claiming that either Superchips or that I personally am nowhere to be seen in this are dead wrong. This is the first that I have personally seen of this thread, and of course, everyone is welcome to their opinions. However, I thought it only appropriate to let those claiming that we're missing know that we are not, "missing in action", we've been speaking with Bob for some time about this. It's up to Bob to defend his rights, nobody can do that for him. He has told us that he intends to do exactly that, and we have been in communications with Bob about this for some time, though we haven't heard from him lately, since before he posted this here.

Our bests to all,

 

Whatever happened w/ your situation? All I saw was from this post:

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...threadid=80092

that you had your head replaced and I/C. Was this done under warranty and did Ford fix your bad motor under warranty because of this recall?

I hope so! Please let us know. I was concerned for you!

Take care,

 

Hell, I bought my 99 L used with a Superchip and K&N Filter installed already and I had them put in writing that they would not void my warranty.

 

I think you should go after Ford and make them prove it. SEMA has worked with the automakers to try and get the aftermarket and automakers on the same page. JDM said there is some kind of bi-law that makes the dealer or automaker prove that the mod damaged the engine. They cannot just say this is what they assume and just go with that. Ford themselves is selling mustangs and F-150's all over the country from steeda and sean hyland. These cars are warrantied. Fight your *** off on this one.