Question "Fail-Safe Engine"

[02SilverStroke]

Doesn't Ford have a "fail-safe" feature in their engines so that if the engine overheats, it will stop? My son has a 2006 Explorer, 4.0 V6. He bought it in 2008 from a Lexus dealer and purchased an extended warranty through Lexus. He has had several repairs made, and the warranty covered them with no problems. However, yesterday the Explorer overheated and he had to have it towed to the Ford dealer who has done all the previous repairs. They told him today that it needs a new engine and the warranty won't pay for it. He has about 60,000 miles on it and the warranty is supposed to go to 125,000 miles. Supposedly Lexus is trying to deny the warranty because a radiator hose was leaking, causing the problem. My main question is this - if the engine is supposed to stop when it overheats, is there a way to get it started again?

 

[BIG JOE]

Was the hose leaking.. ahead of time ? Or did it blow out.. causing it to over heat ? Did it Lock up ?

On Edit.. Sorry I didn't answer your main question.

Some engines have a "Fail Safe" engine shut down.. some don't, Year to Year. If it does, you should be able to erase the shutdown code. Or the shop should be able to Reset it... either way.

 

[02SilverStroke]

I figured there would be a way to "unlock" it. Just got off the phone with my son, and he said they told him that when it happened, the engine was screwed up. The dealer is a well known Ford dealer in the Dallas area and, as I noted earlier, is familiar with his vehicle. We're trying to find another place that can fix it for less than the $5600 estimate that he has received.

 

[02Oilburner]

How does the Lexus dealer know the radiator hose was leaking? Did they see it was leaking? If so they should have fixed it. Sounds like Lexus owes you a engine!

 

[dpantazis]

i feel your pain. i am surprised that the insurance won't cover it.

i dont think the overheat shut off it would work like you think.

the engine cooling is dependant on the engine running- water pump, fan, etc.. so shutting off the engine would cook it instead of cooling it off.

remember these cars and trucks are designed to operate in ALL environments from alaska to south florida in the same configuration.

good luck!

dp

 

[dpantazis]

i feel your pain. i am surprised that the insurance won't cover it.

i dont think the overheat shut off it would work like you think.

the engine cooling is dependant on the engine running- water pump, fan, etc.. so shutting off the engine would cook it instead of cooling it off.

remember these cars and trucks are designed to operate in ALL environments from alaska to south florida in the same configuration.

good luck!

dp

 

[powerboatr]

if i read it right
the overheat protection is a feature that turns off fuel to selected cylinders so they just pump air and aid it keeping the engine from mild overheating...and its the engine light comes on you should pull over and stop post haste.
then the other cyl go dead the cold ones come back on line
its by no means a fail safe to stop engine damage from overheating, its designed to get your attention so you have a safe time to pull off the road
did he drive far after the engine temp went north?

i would query how they knew a hose was leaking beforehand etc.
sorry this is no real hard and fast help

 

[02SilverStroke]

I don't know how far he drove when it happened, but I know it wasn't far. I just talked to him and he said that hose wasn't leaking, but it burst. Supposedly the Lexus warranty doesn't cover hoses, therefore they're not paying for it. He bought the Explorer from Sewell Lexus in Dallas, and they, along with the entire Sewell group, are supposedly known for good customer service, with the top guy, Carl Sewell even writing a book about customer service. Evidently not in this case.

 

[02Oilburner]

Carl Sewell

This is the guy you need to get in touch with. I had a problem a year or 2 ago with my insurance co. I was rear ended by a kid that had the same insurance co as I did. Ford wanted $6000 to replace bed, tail gate and paint it. Insurance wanted to total my 2002 f250 cc lariat and give me $6000. I said F@%# you fix my truck! The accident was not my fault. Anyway I told to insurance guy I was going to send a letter to the CEO, that same afternoon he changed his tune and had a appointment setup with ford to fix my truck and a new f250 diesel rental waiting for me. Id try that and see what happens. Good Luck!!

 

[02SilverStroke]

Good idea!!!! It's always better to talk to the top guy.