Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting GRRRR.. Ford's lack of quality (heater switch)

Here's a story that might raise some eyebrows among you fellow Ford owners. In March, we bought a 2002 Hyundai Sonata to replace my wife's 91 Grand Am. The car comes with an incredible warranty, and for an additional $4.00 per month, we were able to extend the warranty to 10 years/100,000 miles bumper-to-bumper. When we bought the car, we were given a tour of the dealer's service area and introduced to the Hyundai service manager. We have already had a minor recall service done, and since then we've received numerous thank you cards and surveys from Hyundai and our dealer asking for our opinion of their performance. But the real kicker is the letter I recieved from Hyundai last week.

It seems that the company advertised the Sonata as being equipped with a 149 hp 4-cylinder. But they discovered later that the engine could only be rated at 138 hp. They apologised up and down for any "inconvenience" this error may have caused and then automatically extended our powertrain warranty to 12 years or 120,000 miles! I was floored. Even if the Sonata turns out to be a complete piece of garbage (which is far from the truth) it won't cost us anything but for routine maintenance as long as we own the car.

Can anyone imagine Ford doing something like this? I love my Contour to death or I wouldn't be posting on this site. But if the small problems with it get to be way out of hand, I'd be seriously tempted to dump it for a 5-speed 2003 Elantra and drive with a lot more piece of mind than I have now.

An extended powertrain warranty 12 years 120,000 miles is a good idea. Those parts are expensive.

Will the warranty cover electrical items like the fuel pump, radio, and headlights or does it cover the engine and transmission mechanical parts only? Does the warranty cover brakes and worn out suspension parts?

I was disappointed when my powertrain warranty did not cover head lights not working, a ignition module, and worn out inner tie rods & alignment. The rate was $60 per hour to diagnose the head light problem.

Originally posted by 7999:

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I was disappointed when my powertrain warranty did not cover head lights not working, a ignition module, and worn out inner tie rods & alignment. The rate was $60 per hour to diagnose the head light problem.

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You're joking right ?? A powertrain warranty is just that : a powertrain warranty. Nothing else !!!

I almost bought a extended warranty but then I read the fine print. Items that can wear out suspension parts, brakes, fuel pump, and most parts were not covered. I think a warranty should cover everything. If your car will not get you to where you want to go then it is not much good.

Originally posted by 7999:

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I almost bought a extended warranty but then I read the fine print. Items that can wear out suspension parts, brakes, fuel pump, and most parts were not covered. I think a warranty should cover everything. If your car will not get you to where you want to go then it is not much good.

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You have an official Ford ESP or some knock off cheap warranty?

Ford ESP also has different packages. They usually must be purchased before the car's original 3year/36,000 warranty expires.

I bought my Ford ESP Premium Care about 5 days before my warranty ran out. For this one, they list what it does not cover because the list is rather small. I have a $50 deductible.

In two months under ESP, I have had 2 (yes two) new transaxles put in and a new strut.

Our Sonata has a 10 year/100,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty that covers everything except normal wear items (brake pads, wiper blades, batteries, etc.) Hyundai just extended our powertrain warranty to 12 years/120,000 miles, which covers the engine and transmission against major failures, but does not cover things like oil filters or other consumable parts that are replaced regularly.

Come to think of it, everytime my Contour makes a new noise or something else stops working, I'm getting more and more tempted to chuck it for a 5-speed Elantra and live a stress-free life for the next 10 years. But what's the fun in that right?

Originally posted by dennym:

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Our Sonata has a 10 year/100,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty that covers everything except normal wear items (brake pads, wiper blades, batteries, etc.) Hyundai just extended our powertrain warranty to 12 years/120,000 miles, which covers the engine and transmission against major failures, but does not cover things like oil filters or other consumable parts that are replaced regularly.

Come to think of it, everytime my Contour makes a new noise or something else stops working, I'm getting more and more tempted to chuck it for a 5-speed Elantra and live a stress-free life for the next 10 years. But what's the fun in that right?

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But you fail to address the underlying fact that Hyundai is ghey.

Wow! Hyundai extended the warranty because they sold a car that didn't live up to it's horsepower standard that they advertised. And I can't even get Ford to reimburse me for a rental car because they took a week for "their" recall fix. That is simply amazing! Ghey are not, I'll take reliability ANYDAY over a company that refuses to fix or even acknowledge their customer service (and mechanical) faults. What a fantastic deal you got, dennym! Gotta love bumper to bumper!

Originally posted by MotorCity:

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You have an official Ford ESP or some knock off cheap warranty?

Ford ESP also has different packages. They usually must be purchased before the car's original 3year/36,000 warranty expires.

I bought my Ford ESP Premium Care about 5 days before my warranty ran out. For this one, they list what it does not cover because the list is rather small. I have a $50 deductible.

In two months under ESP, I have had 2 (yes two) new transaxles put in and a new strut.

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Yeppers, 70,000 miles and just had my rear struts replaces for $50.00 thanks to my extended warranty. I liked the price too bad thie service sucks. With the struts and the dash recall, I dropped my car off Thursday they said it would be done that day, they called me Friday to tell me I could pick it up Monday. Thats fine and dandy but they didn't offer me a rental car, I had to ask for it.

well, if u want a cheap car that has a warranty that will be used often after a few years, and have a not so great car then a hyundai is for you,,, i'd rather have my 'tour though due to the fact that i see a lotta hyundais with smoke pouring from their tailpipes,etc. plus contour has more power, rides better, handles better, looks better, is better, smells better, even taste better (stupid korean paint, can't hang with american paint).