Sta-bar Disconnect WARNING : FORD NOT COVERING KNOWN ISSUE IF YOUR VEHICLE IS MODIFIED

[kodiakisland]

Same.

You get out to air down your tires anyway, what’s another 90 seconds unbolting your own swaybar ?

Mine came off about 20K miles ago and I haven’t missed it.

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[SS Bronco]

Just curious if you know what failed. The electric’s or hydraulic parts of the swaybar. Have had both systems fail at different times.

 

[Felix808]

Heck at this point I would try a couple of things like unplugging it, disconnect the battery, Forscan code clear & see if any of that helps

I would be curious if you could delete the SBD from the software altogether

 

[billybong420]

I know, but what am i supposed to do, sue them ? dealership or ford ?

find a better dealer, we used to be that "i am sorry you have a cold air filter, your powertrain warranty is void" but things changed thankfully and it depends on the dealership, noone is saying that if your modifications made your stock vehicle implode it should be covered but just because you modified it doesnt mean it is void. did you lift it or do something that a reasonable person would associate this with the sway bar not working?

 

[mpeugeot]

Find someone with FDRS to pull the codes and really find out what is causing the problem. If you can walk in the door with the information as to what the failure is and how the suspension lift wasn't a possible cause, they have a much tougher time denying a warranty claim.

 

[GoTigersGoBronco]

Every automaker is required to have a dispute resolution program for warranty issues. If a third party has not rendered a decision in that process, you are not finished with a warranty fight.

 

[bikesandguitars]

Okay. Pretend I’m Ford’s lawyer. Here’s my argument.

The anti sway bar disconnect will add an extra few inches of wheel articulation when disconnected. It was engineered to release and connect on level surfaces under the exact stresses and geometries afforded by the factory suspension. The user intentionally changed those stressors and geometry when they lifted the vehicle. They used non-OES/OEM parts that are not specifically approved by Ford to work with the Sta-bar system.

How can you argue against that?

There are manual sway bar disconnects made for this exact reason.

 

[mpeugeot]

Okay. Pretend I’m Ford’s lawyer. Here’s my argument.

The anti sway bar disconnect will add an extra few inches of wheel articulation when disconnected. It was engineered to release and connect on level surfaces under the exact stresses and geometries afforded by the factory suspension. The user intentionally changed those stressors and geometry when they lifted the vehicle. They used non-OES/OEM parts that are not specifically approved by Ford to work with the Sta-bar system.

How can you argue against that?

There are manual sway bar disconnects made for this exact reason.

True, if and only if these stressors caused a mechanical failure, but let's say that a sensor failed in the unit or some other electrical malfunction? That certainly isn't the fault of suspension geometry or non-OEM parts installed on the vehicle. That's like trying to blame non-oem sparkplugs for a failure of the infotainment display.

 

[bikesandguitars]

True, if and only if these stressors caused a mechanical failure, but let's say that a sensor failed in the unit or some other electrical malfunction? That certainly isn't the fault of suspension geometry or non-OEM parts installed on the vehicle. That's like trying to blame non-oem sparkplugs for a failure of the infotainment display.

Sensors generally operate by heat, position, air flow, oxygen or radio signal. If one changes the position of the sensor, why should it be expected to work? Sensors are not some universally adaptable device. They’re precision units that require careful positioning and calibration.

Just playing devil’s advocate. But I’ve seen enough to know this is no-win situation from a litigation standpoint.

 

[Rydfree]

blame non-oem sparkplugs for a failure of the infotainment display.

Some cheaply made sparkplugs can generate RF that can cause electrical interference. I'd go with another argument

 

[cbrenthus]

Sensors generally operate by heat, position, air flow, oxygen or radio signal. If one changes the position of the sensor, why should it be expected to work? Sensors are not some universally adaptable device. They’re precision units that require careful positioning and calibration.

Just playing devil’s advocate. But I’ve seen enough to know this is no-win situation from a litigation standpoint.

And I think another thing that many people don't realize is that the intention of Magnuson Moss wasn't to allow people to throw a 12" lift and 50s on their SUV and then force the manufacturer to scientifically prove the lift and tires caused their transfer case to explode. The intention of MM was to prevent manufacturers from requiring OEM parts for maintenance because then they would have a monopoly on things like oil filters, brake pads, etc.

 

[mpeugeot]

Some cheaply made sparkplugs can generate RF that can cause electrical interference. I'd go with another argument

Property grounded and shielded electronics are immune to that kind of interference.

 

[Aonarch]

Okay. Pretend I’m Ford’s lawyer. Here’s my argument.

The anti sway bar disconnect will add an extra few inches of wheel articulation when disconnected. It was engineered to release and connect on level surfaces under the exact stresses and geometries afforded by the factory suspension. The user intentionally changed those stressors and geometry when they lifted the vehicle. They used non-OES/OEM parts that are not specifically approved by Ford to work with the Sta-bar system.

How can you argue against that?

There are manual sway bar disconnects made for this exact reason.

OP probably needs longer sway bar links.

But I can see 100% how Ford denied this. Lifting the suspension and keeping the factory end links, increases the pre-load on the sway bar.

 

[mpeugeot]

Sensors generally operate by heat, position, air flow, oxygen or radio signal. If one changes the position of the sensor, why should it be expected to work? Sensors are not some universally adaptable device. They’re precision units that require careful positioning and calibration.

Just playing devil’s advocate. But I’ve seen enough to know this is no-win situation from a litigation standpoint.

I understand, but just because you change one thing about a system, doesn't mean that it will cause failures across the system.

It's about being reasonable. For instance, if you increase the boost beyond the range of a manifold air pressure (MAP) sensor and it fails, well, that's obviously going to have potential downstream implications... However, if you increase the boost within the specification of the MAP sensor, then any problem caused by a failure of the MAP sensor should be warranty work.

The same goes for just about anything else with warranty coverage, if the part fails within it's design specifications, it should be covered. The question is what actually caused the failure... If it was because of excessive forces on the swaybar disconnect system due to modifications, then that's the price you pay to play... If it was due to some material defect in the part and within its expected performance despite the fact that it was in a non-stock configuration, that's on the provider of the warranty.

It could be fairly argued that Ford accepted such liability for non-stock configurations by boldly printing "lift me baby" inside the wheel wells.

 

[swooshdave]

Okay. Pretend I’m Ford’s lawyer. Here’s my argument.

The anti sway bar disconnect will add an extra few inches of wheel articulation when disconnected. It was engineered to release and connect on level surfaces under the exact stresses and geometries afforded by the factory suspension. The user intentionally changed those stressors and geometry when they lifted the vehicle. They used non-OES/OEM parts that are not specifically approved by Ford to work with the Sta-bar system.

How can you argue against that?

There are manual sway bar disconnects made for this exact reason.

Exhibit A:

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