LAS VEGAS — Ford Motor Company is taking a big step forward this week, announcing a new 24-month, unlimited mileage warranty on genuine Ford parts.
Ford made announcement at AAPEX on Wednesday.
“It applies to all Ford Genuine Parts as well as Ford Motorcraft,” Jay Davis, general sales manager for Ford customer service, told press conference attendees.
The new warranty provides unlimited mileage coverage for 24 months from time of purchase or installation. Ford will also now reimburse fleets and independent repair facilities up to $150 in labor coverage.
One note Davis made in the press conference is that this warranty does not affect or change the current three-year warranties on some systems like powertrain.
Ford continues a No Commercial Exceptions policy as a commitment to fleet customers.
“We have told our dealers. This was effective Oct 1. But we wanted to let it all soak in with the dealers, socialize it well with them and we view the AAPEX venue to be the perfect place to make the more formal announcement,” Toney says. “We do expect to get a very positive response based on the response we’ve gotten from our dealers and Ford authorized distributors and people that are familiar with the business.”
Ford’s part warranty provides customers towing reimbursement for repairs completed at any Ford or Lincoln Dealership. The warranty also provides Independent Repair Facilities the ability to complete repairs for customers by securing parts from a dealership or Ford Authorized Distributor, according to information from the company.
“The distribution strength we have at Ford is a big part of our offering,” Davis says, referencing the 300-plus authorized Ford distributors. “We are ready to serve all of the channels.”
Dealers and independent shops that purchase parts from dealerships or authorized Ford distributors don’t have to do anything to put the new warranty into effect for their customers.
“The dealers are all excited to communicate with the customers that that coverage is available. We know that it’s going to provide a higher quality of service. We know that when original equipment service parts are installed on an original equipment vehicles, that we improve the overall ownership experience,” Toney explains. “What we ant to do is provide greater piece of mind for our customers so that when they buy one of our parts they know that we’re standing behind it and we’re going to provide the coverage that is as good as anybody in the industry. And we know that’s going to lead to customer retention and high levels of satisfaction”
Ford’s previous service parts warranty was 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever occurred first, and labor was covered if the part was installed by a Ford or Lincoln dealership. Labor was not covered on parts sold over-the-counter to a fleet or installer.
Under the new warranty, Ford dealers will be reimbursed for all labor, and independent shops will be reimbursed for up to $150 of labor. Toney adds that the No Commercial Exceptions continues.
“Many times in some instances depending on the usage and how the vehicle is used there are limitations on the warranty. We’re saying we’re not going to get into that and we’re just going to cover if you buy a Ford part or Lincoln part you will get this warranty coverage,” he says. “We just want to be consistent in offering this extended warranty. This is part of one of the things we wanted to do is make sure we were more comprehensive.”
Read more about the Ford warranty following the company’s press conference this week at AAPEX.
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