I have 34000 miles on my 21 BS First Edition Alignment issue

[Sandman]

I have 34000 miles on my BS FE. To it to dealer for alignment. No potholes or curb strikes. Dealer said vehicle was out of spec camber and toe. BS does not have adjustability to factory spec. Escape platform does but not BS. Service Manager said I could look for third party parts but Ford has nothing to correct toe out of adjustment. Kind of shocking! It’s supposed to share the Escape platform. There was a little chop wear on tires although I regularly rotate tires. So Ford what do I do now? Let my tires wear out prematurely?

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[jkernitzki]

I have 34000 miles on my BS FE. To it to dealer for alignment. No potholes or curb strikes. Dealer said vehicle was out of spec camber and toe. BS does not have adjustability to factory spec. Escape platform does but not BS. Service Manager said I could look for third party parts but Ford has nothing to correct toe out of adjustment. Kind of shocking! It’s supposed to share the Escape platform. There was a little chop wear on tires although I regularly rotate tires. So Ford what do I do now? Let my tires wear out prematurely?

You might want to check a reputable third-party tire & alignment shop in your area. They may (and often will) offer a better solution than the dealer's service department.

Although the Escape, Maverick, and Bronco Sport (as well as the Focus, Kuga, Fusion, Mondeo, and Lincoln Corsair) are all on the Ford C2 platform, that does not imply it's just a body & interior swap on a single chassis design. The C2 is a scalable vehicle architecture designed to underpin FWD and AWD vehicles of various types and sizes. Pertinent to your issue, wheelbase, track width, suspension components and clearances, etc. may be shared, but are different more often than not.

 

[thomasm23]

Do you have a lift kit installed?

 

[Sandman]

The 1.5 lift was factory installed.

 

[cprcubed]

Front, Rear or both? I could believe that the rear is non-adjustable, but not the front. For the rear, you could get something like SPC Performance 21-22 Ford Bronco Sport Camber Adjustable Rear Lower Control Arm - 5 Star Tuning to get camber within spec. You should be able to adjust the front camber and toe (if there are normal tie rods, you can adjust toe). Cheers!

 

[Bill G]

Had Firestone do (4) wheel alignment on my BL when I put on new tires (got tires @ Costco). No lift, but tires are 30” tall (235/70). They had no problem aligning to Ford specs, and for a little more than one alignment at Ford I got the “lifetime” alignment at Firestone. Everything’s been good and shortly I’ll be getting redone after 5,000 miles.

 

[Dude]

I have 34000 miles on my BS FE. To it to dealer for alignment. No potholes or curb strikes. Dealer said vehicle was out of spec camber and toe. BS does not have adjustability to factory spec. Escape platform does but not BS. Service Manager said I could look for third party parts but Ford has nothing to correct toe out of adjustment. Kind of shocking! It’s supposed to share the Escape platform. There was a little chop wear on tires although I regularly rotate tires. So Ford what do I do now? Let my tires wear out prematurely?

perhaps similar to this owner’s experience?

 

[NMhunter]

Back in 1980, I took a vehicle to 3 different alignment shops. They all quoted about the same price but listed different problems. I took it apart myself and fixed the problem with a $12 part.

 

[Dannyp56]

I guess these are throw away vehicles!

 

[Sandman]

Front, Rear or both? I could believe that the rear is non-adjustable, but not the front. For the rear, you could get something like SPC Performance 21-22 Ford Bronco Sport Camber Adjustable Rear Lower Control Arm - 5 Star Tuning to get camber within spec. You should be able to adjust the front camber and toe (if there are normal tie rods, you can adjust toe). Cheers!

Thanks for this information it’s perfect!

Front, Rear or both? I could believe that the rear is non-adjustable, but not the front. For the rear, you could get something like SPC Performance 21-22 Ford Bronco Sport Camber Adjustable Rear Lower Control Arm - 5 Star Tuning to get camber within spec. You should be able to adjust the front camber and toe (if there are normal tie rods, you can adjust toe). Cheers!

 

[Sandman]

I have 34000 miles on my BS FE. Took a Ford Dealer for alignment—no potholes or curb strikes. The dealer said the vehicle was out of spec camber and toe. BS does not have adjustability to the factory spec. The Service Manager said I could look for third-party parts, but Ford has nothing to correct the rear toe-out adjustment. Shocking! It’s supposed to share the Escape platform. There was a bit of chop wear on the tires, even though I regularly rotate them at Ford Dealer oil change intervals. So, Ford, what do I do now? Let my tires wear out prematurely?

I ordered the third-party rear control arm adjustable with a range of ±3 degrees. Took it to a non-Ford repair facility with an alignment machine. Their inspection revealed nothing wrong with the rear end, and the third-party rear control arm was not necessary. My issue is actually loose-worn front control arms. Well, that explains why my Wildpeak tires wore out too soon, and now my Discoverer AT4s are doing the same. How did the Ford technician miss two sets of worn/loose front control arms during oil changes and the 4-wheel alignment? The dealer deceived me. I contacted Ford Corporate regarding deceptive practices during my last Dealer visit. I have a complaint that is currently under review. Now I am out $150 for a useless 4-wheel alignment and $200 for the unnecessary rear control arm. A Ford extended warranty still covers my vehicle. I am angry that the Dealer in question operates this way, and I hope Ford does not condone such poor service.

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