Recent service—bummed by news

[BroncoBrian]

Just had our 22 BS BB in for service. 19k miles, no towing, no off-road, light normal driving and they mentioned my rear shocks are leaking and recommend to replace them. Anyone else experience this? Does warranty cover this?

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[BroncoBrian]

@Ford Motor Company

 

[cprcubed]

Just my opinion, shocks can wear out, but a leak at 19k is defective and should be covered under warranty. Cheers!

 

[CLR]

Just had mine in the shop yesterday for oil and tire rotation, and the shocks were noted as leaking. Only 7k miles on mine, also with no off road or hard use. I’m quite disappointed. The service rep said they weren’t leaking enough to qualify for replacement, but of course they shouldn’t be leaking at all!

 

[RSH]

I would say the the shocks are covered by the 3 year 36k warranty if they are leaking.
Some companies including Ford use the term sweating for shocks that may weep oil/fluid and deem the shocks as good since they are not leaking enough for replacement.

 

[Mark S.]

Just had mine in the shop yesterday for oil and tire rotation, and the shocks were noted as leaking. Only 7k miles on mine, also with no off road or hard use. I’m quite disappointed. The service rep said they weren’t leaking enough to qualify for replacement, but of course they shouldn’t be leaking at all!

https://www.monroe.com/technical-resources/servicegrams/weepage-vs-leakage-shocks-struts.html

 

[CLR]

https://www.monroe.com/technical-resources/servicegrams/weepage-vs-leakage-shocks-struts.html

In that case, perhaps the dealer should not have called it out. The shocks were flagged as a potential issue in their inspection- the only item not marked as “green” on the list.

 

[The Rinzler]

In that case, perhaps the dealer should not have called it out. The shocks were flagged as a potential issue in their inspection- the only item not marked as “green” on the list.

Yeah, careful of shops trying to sell.

 

[Robins21]

Yeah, careful of shops trying to sell.

That is when you ask to see it.

 

[Martinjv71]

Just had our 22 BS BB in for service. 19k miles, no towing, no off-road, light normal driving and they mentioned my rear shocks are leaking and recommend to replace them. Anyone else experience this? Does warranty cover this?

These are not shocks that are specially made by Ford for the Bronco Sport. Sounds like a supplier issue and they should cover it. If they are defective then the entire production lot will be recalled even if they were put on various vehicles.

 

[RSH]

Here is an earlier thread about blown shocks.
The Op in that thread had their shocks replaced under warranty.
https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/threads/rear-shocks.6545/

 

[sajohnson]

I would say the the shocks are covered by the 3 year 36k warranty if they are leaking.
Some companies including Ford use the term sweating for shocks that may weep oil/fluid and deem the shocks as good since they are not leaking enough for replacement.

Good point about 'weeping'.

If it is very slight, and the shocks/struts are working well, then there is no need to replace them.

Of course whether dampers are 'leaking' or 'weeping' is subjective, and when the replacement would be covered under warranty the dealer service dept may be inclined to minimize the severity.

 

[sajohnson]

https://www.monroe.com/technical-resources/servicegrams/weepage-vs-leakage-shocks-struts.html

Very helpful.

 

[BourbonRunner]

Gonna preface it by saying that is a relatively low mileage for shocks to wear out but most certainly not unheard of. I've replaced wheel bearings on a VW at 8K and shocks at 20K miles-- well before I raced it. They should have both lasted around 35-40K with normal usage.

Most of your suspension components especially shocks are wear items. If your roads are especially pockmarked like in the Northeast and Mid West you'll wear them out twice as fast as in the Sunshine Belt. If your alignment is off, you'll wear out control arms, bushings, shocks, etc.

If the dealer is saying replacement time and they're not specifically excluded, that should be a bumper to bumper warranty claim and cost you nothing. Nothing to worry about. Probably is just a manufacturer defect. It happens.

******

That being said: In the future, do your best to avoid hitting pot holes and other road hazards best you can, avoid cornering hard, and mind your load to extend the life of your suspension.

You'd be surprised when you add up the weights of you and your family plus your stuff to go away for the weekend. The payloads on the 3 and 4 cylinder Bronco Sport is just around 1100lbs. Figure the average American family of two adults, 2 kids plus a dog is around halfway there before you add in camping gear, luggage, etc. If you add light bars, roof awnings, etc that goes into the payload too. Rolling down the road loaded down at the top of the limit of the shocks and hitting bumps is going to work them out, making them operate at much higher temps and testing their limits. I

With that in mind, most shock/strut combos in CUVs and SUVs are smaller diameter and softer than heavier truck shocks that will give a more "car-like" ride at the sacrifice of load capacity.

Lastly, if the dealer says it isn't under warranty and Ford won't step in, keep an eye on the shocks and then look to do an OEM+ replacement that will handle heavier loads when the time comes.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

I’m going to call BS. I gave my 2006 Escape to my Stepson. He took it in for some work. They told him the back shocks were leaking and shot and probably original. Except I replaced them about 5 years/20k miles or less ago. No way they were shot. Rusty yes, shot, not a chance.

They would say the same thing for front struts. You can generally tell when your shocks are bad. Mark’s article is spot on (no pun intended). It seems to be common practice to say they are bad.

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