Clutch Replacement at 5600 Miles?

Depending on your state you might have some recourse.
Previous owner probably smoked it.

Foxtrot Bravo

Depending on your state you might have some recourse.
Previous owner probably smoked it.

Yuuuuuup

Get someone who does not know how to drive a manual can trash a clutch real quick. Previous owner probably did not know how to drive. Check to make sure that the pressure plate and throw out bearing are covered, they are not wear items...

PSUTE

Get someone who does not know how to drive a manual can trash a clutch real quick. Previous owner probably did not know how to drive. Check to make sure that the pressure plate and throw out bearing are covered, they are not wear items...

Yep...I drove a stick that sat on the lot. I haven't drove a stick in many years. I took 4 trips around the lot before I took it on the road. Still missed a number of gears. Heart says yep, brain says nope!! Sometimes getting old sucks!!

PSUTE

Get someone who does not know how to drive a manual can trash a clutch real quick. Previous owner probably did not know how to drive. Check to make sure that the pressure plate and throw out bearing are covered, they are not wear items...

I was thinking the same thing. The previous owner sat with the clutch depressed the whole time at lights and in traffic.

TK1215

I was thinking the same thing. The previous owner sat with the clutch depressed the whole time at lights and in traffic.

They do all kinds of things, like slip the clutch between gears,slip the clutch on down shifts,forget to shift into first at lights/stop signs and really over load it trying to take off in high gear, use it to hold car on hills. Saw all this with the little girl that worked in the office, who bought a manual transmission car but did not know how to drive.Car sat in the parking lot for almost a year before it was sold at a loss.Drove it 27 miles.

TK1215

I was thinking the same thing. The previous owner sat with the clutch depressed the whole time at lights and in traffic.

There’s nothing wrong with that. That does not damage the clutch face so long as the pedal is kept down far enough to keep the clutch completely disengaged.

JJACK502

There’s nothing wrong with that. That does not damage the clutch face so long as the pedal is kept down far enough to keep the clutch completely disengaged.

Well not "nothing", it does accelerate wear on the throw out and pilot bearings, but no, it wouldn't burn up the friction disc.

The bottom line is that there are a lot of people who drive sticks that have never been shown how to drive them appropriately. Improper use can significantly reduce the life of a clutch and associated parts.

Tricky Dick

Well not "nothing", it does accelerate wear on the throw out and pilot bearings, but no, it wouldn't burn up the friction disc.

Throw out and thrust bearing take the most abuse,
Some people don't keep cars very long, (the Bronco seems to have the shortest ownership I've ever seen) so they treat them like a rental car.

TK1215

The bottom line is that there are a lot of people who drive sticks that have never been shown how to drive them appropriately. Improper use can significantly reduce the life of a clutch and associated parts.

It starts with driver ed not requiring manual transmission training,

What is the tech going to do to troubleshoot and diagnose the clutch as being worn beyond limits? I have had zero issues with shift, clutch slippage, or any other indication that the clutch is failing. I haven't talked to the Service Advisor since he called to tell me it was bad. How can you differentiate between a throwout bearing/pilot bearing issue vs the clutch disk? I'm afraid that there is something else, and they are going straight to the one item that wouldn't necessarily be covered under the warranty. I'm afraid to eat a clutch replacement and then after the fact still be dealing with issues that are transmission related.

Throw out bearing will make noise when you push in the clutch.

Go there and tell them you want to see the pressure plate , disc and flywheel.

Foxtrot Bravo

Go there and tell them you want to see the pressure plate , disc and flywheel.

Yeah, I thought about this. Since I haven’t heard back from them, I’m wondering how they diagnosed. Since I haven’t authorized any repairs, and it appears that they have not yet gotten a response from ford, I can’t believe that they would pull the transmission to inspect the clutch and associated equipment?

CAVALANCHE

Purchased 2023 Badlands with ~1300 miles back in September from Carmax. Smelled oil burning the other day at a stop light and took a peek under the vehicle after I got home and found a small amount of residual oil underneath the truck. Dropped it off at Ford Dealer for a diagnosis. Also had noticed over the last week a rattle after starting first thing in the a.m. that would cease when the clutch is depressed. Identified both issues to the Service Advisor at drop off.

Got a call today from the service advisor stating that the clutch is completely worn. Vehicle has 5600 miles on it now. Advisor told me that since it is a wear item, Ford has no obligation to cover it under the warranty. The dealer has submitted the case to Ford, but I'm already bracing for bad news. I do not abuse the truck, I don't ride the clutch. I can't speak for the previous owner, but I'm shocked that this is an issue. Any ideas about what I could/should expect from Ford? Do I have a leg to stand on? Any advice is appreciated.

Hi there! I can look into your bronco's concern on my end. To get started, could you please send a private message over with the name/location of your local Ford dealer and your bronco's VIN?

I new a guy that bought a new ninety something GT Mustang with a manual transmission. He babied it an it had real low miles, still under warranty. He parked it at home and left on a business trip. He gets home a few days later and takes the Mustang out for a drive. It makes all kinds of bad noises will hardly move. Takes it to the Ford dealer, they tell him the clutch is bad. He explodes, having a cow, tell they what a piece of crap it is as the car has low miles and he has driven a stick for years and never had to replace a clutch ect. I believe Ford covered it under warranty. A few year later his wife admits to him that while he was out of town she decided to teach herself how to drive a manual shift car.

So reading this, the owner put 4300 miles on it. Sure, the clutch could have been glazed/fried in the first 1300 miles, but that, surely would have shown up when first received from CarMax. So if everything was fine then and you have been taught the right way and know how to drive a manual, it is possible there is a rear main oil seal or oil leak finding its way to the clutch plate, hence the oil smell and residual oil under the vehicle. And the throw out bearing is a wear item as is the pressure plate and flywheel, but with probably 100s of thousands of miles if driven corectly. If you smell and see oil under the vehicleunder the bell housing/cluth area, I would say you have a legit claim with Ford as oil seals are covered under warranty. Don't let them BS you, go to another dealer for another diagnosis. Did the first dealer pull the unit and actually inspect the components, or just give a best guess..... The oil leak is the key... Call or write fo Ford Customer Service. How about some photos of the bell housing area showing where the oil is coming from?

Update and looking for advice.......

Let me recap.....

Dropped my Bronco off at the dealership on 28 November, primarily due to oil leak but also because of the transmission noise. After the initial diagnosis of a failed clutch, I didn't hear back from the service department for 10 days. I went to the dealership in person to get an answer. In the mean time I had found the service bulletin addressing 5/6 gear synchros and had a printed out copy with me. I spoke to my service advisor who took the approach that they were still waiting on "manual review" by Ford to see if they would cover the clutch. I asked him how the tech came to a failed clutch diagnosis, and my concerns with that. He became a little irritated that I was questioning this. I told him I would like to speak to the tech, or someone with more background info. He brought the shop foreman over who told me that he actually drove my truck around the lot and was so concerned with the grinding noise that they didn't even take it off the lot. I then produced the service bulletin and asked him if what he observed was in line with the symptoms laid out in the bulletin. This came as a bit of a surprise to him. Said that they would look into this and call me the next day. This was December 12th.

I get a call back from the shop foreman the next day, he tells me that yes, they agree that the truck needs to be repaired IAW the TSB and that they were going to order the parts. He also tells me that they still think the clutch is bad and later that day gets back to me and lets me know that Ford is going to replace the clutch. They advise me that the parts will be in late the following week and it would be after Christmas until they could get to the repairs, and that they would provide me with an updated timeline. I asked them if they had diagnosed the oil leak yet, and they told me that they had not been able to get it on a lift to look at that.

I don't hear a peep from the service department and reach out to them on the 30th of December (I was out of town for the holidays and didn't need access to my vehicle until after I got back after New Year's). It takes most of the day to get a response and all I get is "no further updates, tech hasn't gotten to it yet".

Since they did provide a loaner vehicle, I'm doing my best to be patient, but again, I don't hear anything from them all week. I have to reach out to them again on 5 January. I had to press them hard to get a response as to what the hold up was. Asked specifically if they had the parts, if not was there an ETA, and if they had everything, did they have an estimate to when they would start working on it. The shop foreman finally responds and tells me that they have all the parts, and that the tech found the front diff input pinion shaft seal was leaking. He tells me that it should be in the shop early this week and I should be back in the truck by the middle of the week.

Again, radio silence all week. I get ahold of them yesterday and receive the following response "I'm sorry you haven't been updated already. We had to order another secondary shaft seal as it was nicked during installation as Ford does not provide a special tool for the install of the seal that would regulate the depth of the installation. Unfortunately that is going to push us into next week."

Since I've been able to download the Service Manuals, I decide to take a peek at the procedure for replacing the drive pinion seal and what do I find? A requirement to use a special tool to install the pinion drive oil seal. So either I'm being lied to about this, or they aren't following the tech data for replacing the seal.

I couldn't help myself and sent a message to the shop foreman asking for clarity since I am looking at the repair procedure for this part and there IS a tool requirement for seating the seal correctly ( I haven't receive a response to this inquiry).

Today is day 46 that my truck has been in the shop. This service department has reached out to me exactly 3 times to provide an update unsolicited.

I feel that I have been overly patient and understanding. Maybe I am just venting here, but holy hell this feels ridiculous. I just want my truck back, repaired correctly, and in working order. My experience with this service department has been miserable. The lack of communication has been astounding. In fact, the first time I went in person to the dealer, the service advisor was smug, arrogant, and even stated to me that if I wasn't satisfied with the info he was providing I was free to take my vehicle and get it taken care of somewhere else. I almost wish I did, though at that point my feeling was that since it was already there, at least it was in the queue.

Just looking for some thoughts. A little background, I've been an aircraft mechanic for the last 23 years. I've never been much into wrenching on cars/trucks, but I have extensive mechanical and troubleshooting experience.

In the end, as long as I get my truck back and everything is good, I'll be okay, BUT I can't help but feel that there is some measure of accountability on the part of this service department that needs to be addressed.