Warranty and Towing Issues...I

Hi!

I'm having a bunch of issues related to brakes, and in fact the 2016 TRD Off Road won't start. I stated in an earlier post that I'm getting "Brake Override Malfunction See Dealer" warning message.

I tried a bunch of stuff but I'm really not much of a mechanic.

I am in warranty which includes towing to nearest dealer (125 mi), but a friend has warned me that rodent damage to wiring would not be covered in either warranty or for the tow. Now, I don't see any rodent damage but I have heard it can be an issue.

Gotta get the truck fixed anyway...

Anyone know if it is rodent damage would it be covered for the repair and tow?

 

No rodent damage won’t be covered by the warranty. But insurance will cover it if you have comprehensive. Towing might also be covered if you have roadside assistance.

 

They wont know until they get it in and open it up.
Rodent damage ended up being the culprit with my truck , so the dealer facilitated coverage thru my insurance company. Almost $2k in damages covered including tow and rental.
All I paid was the $200 deductible.

 

Do anything with the rear brake lights recently?

 

Why did your friend make the rodent comment??

 

Had some squirrels take up residence in the engine compartment of my wife's Ford Fiesta a couple of years back. Little bastards chewed up the main wiring harness and a few other things. Tow, repair, and rental car were covered by insurance under comprehensive. Dealer worked with Geico claims adjuster and all I owed was the $250 deductible. It's amazing what those critters will chew on in there.

That said, and shocking as this realization may be, some dealership service departments are less than honorable. Make sure they actually show you evidence that it's rodents before you start the claims process and not just trying to get you to do a direct customer payment for something that would be covered by the warranty but pay them less to do the repair. Our Ford dealer took pictures of the nest material and the food they were storing as well as the chew marks on the wiring.

 

My insurance sent an adjuster to the dealership to confirm before anything further happened. So any damage will get inspected before insurance approves the claim. All I did was sign paperwork authorizing repairs to be completed , the dealer got the ball rolling and dealt with everything else.

 

Yup Geico did the same for us. The service manager took the pics so we could see he wasn't trying to BS us and to advise us to contact our insurance company. I hated the car but the dealership service dept. was decent.

 

The Hartford paid for my rodent damage (minus the deductible) which was covered under my comprehensive coverage. I called them first to make sure. The dealer took pictures to show the adjuster.

 

Are you a two foot driver

 

Thanks for all the replies,
Let's see:

• Didn't do anything with brake lights.
• I stayed for a few days on a ranch where rodent damage has happened.

• I don't "two foot drive". I drove stick for so many years so I just don't do that.

Again, Thanks!

 

I would suggest removing any modifications to the truck before going to the dealer if you are suspecting it should be under warranty.

 

Had this once, it was a faulty connection with my Ultragauge, unplugged it cleaned the connectors BAM fixed! Check your OB2D port, hopefully you can replicate my issue and you have something plugged in! Unplug it if you do! If you don't.... yea I got nothing.

 

Thanks,all. No mods on the truck at all...

 

+1 Testimony validating little rodent fuckers chewing up wires...had a 2017 Taco they did it to... they didn't even bother to cover up their tracks on the plastic engine block logo cover...