Ford ESP and The CDF Drum

[Jeff1024]

While wasting time on Reddit last night I ran into a post on /r/F150 about a F150 owner who had a Ford ESP Claim for work on the 10R80 denied. Obviously I only have one side of the story, but from what I could tell his truck was past the factory powertrain warranty, he had a CDF Drum failure and Ford Denied the claim saying the CDF drum was not a covered part under the Ford Powertrain ESP.

I - like everyone else with a 10 speed in a 2021 - 2023 model year truck - am just waiting for a CDF issue to pop up.

Curious what others have experienced. I did note the poster on Reddit had ESP Powertrain only not the full ESP PremiumCare.

Have people seen the CDF Drum covered under an ESP plan or is everyone getting them replaced under factory powertrain and those past that 5year/60k are paying out of pocket?

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[Buyer2021]

I did note the poster on Reddit had ESP Powertrain only not the full ESP PremiumCare.

Hmmm, just FYI / FWIW this is a verbatim clip from my Ford ESP contract*** ....

5A. COVERED ITEMS - “PowertrainCARE"​

If You elected PowertrainCARE, the following items are covered Coverages.​

>​

>​

Transmission - Transmission case and all internal parts including​

torque converter and transfer case (all internal parts), seals, gaskets​

and transmission control module.​

Given ^that^ methinks there's something else / not disclosed going on with this alleged CDF drum claim denial situation.

*** My Ford ESP contract is for PremiumCARE coverage, but the contract document includes the text describing all levels of care.

 

[Jeff1024]

That makes sense. There were some additional posts in the reddit thread about the denied coverage being due to the Posters original plan. Sounds like they had some aftermarket coverage but not a full Powertrain ESP.

Ford also loves to play games with wording like "all lubricated parts" or "not including seals or gaskets". Wasn't sure if that was the case here b/c the CDF drum technically is not a lubricated part.

As an example, Ford tried to deny a ESP claim on the sunroof leaking in my 2015 b/c while the roof is covered the rubber seal around it is not.

I'll continue to hope my CDF drum stays in place, but if it does decide to move around at least I know the coverage should be there.

 

[Dougoo]

I had a 2019 Ranger with 91k on it and the Ford esp. My transmission was replaced, no problem at all

 

[js312]

For the record, later build 2022s and all 2023s should have been built with the updated parts. The cutoff was August 15, 2022.

 

[JayRay]

Mine was covered under the ESP, but I do have the PremiumCare. I was at about 79,000 miles when they did it. Ended up getting a complete rebuild at 90,000 due to it getting stuck in second gear when cold. That was also under the ESP. The service manager said they see a lot of transmissions about 6 months after the CDF repair and find additional issues in the transmission.

 

[Stic-o]

Which why I specifically bought a '23 after already replacing the 10R80 in my Ranger.

 

[Jeff1024]

For the record, later build 2022s and all 2023s should have been built with the updated parts. The cutoff was August 15, 2022.

Thats good to know, I thought the cutoff was 2023+.

I have a very early 2022 build, so we shall see what happens I guess, but good to know its covered under the ESP should I get lucky and need a rebuild.

 

[JayRay]

The catch with is that with transmission things, the tech has to experience it in person before they can get warranty approval. The most obvious sign of issues with the CDF is when you start to see the RPMs randomly spike while traveling down the interstate. I’d see it go from 1.9 to 2.2 and then back to 1.9. Usually happened when going up hill, but my gears and speed didn’t change. I also didn’t hear the change in RPM, just saw it on the dash.

 

[skibusiati]

I read the same Reddit post and was starting worry too. I have premium care ESP, but from rereading that thread a few times OP had powertrain care “wrap” which sounds like it’s an extended warranty for parts that complement the powertrain. So his original factory powertrain warranty had expired and the “wrap” plan he was talked into adding on when he bought it (used) didn’t actually cover any powertrain failures. Or at least that’s what I took away from it. The Ford tech who was helping him out sort of inferred that bushing would be covered under ESP but would be nice to hear a definitive answer from someone at ford.

 

[Litand951]

That makes sense. There were some additional posts in the reddit thread about the denied coverage being due to the Posters original plan. Sounds like they had some aftermarket coverage but not a full Powertrain ESP.

Ford also loves to play games with wording like "all lubricated parts" or "not including seals or gaskets". Wasn't sure if that was the case here b/c the CDF drum technically is not a lubricated part.

As an example, Ford tried to deny a ESP claim on the sunroof leaking in my 2015 b/c while the roof is covered the rubber seal around it is not.

I'll continue to hope my CDF drum stays in place, but if it does decide to move around at least I know the coverage should be there.









I'll continue to hope my CDF drum stays in place, but if it does decide to move around at least I know the coverage should be there. By the way, if anyone’s looking for some downtime while waiting for service, you might want to check out some of the best case opening sites for fun and quick entertainment.

That makes sense. It’s always tricky navigating the fine print on these warranties. Ford definitely has a habit of getting creative with wording—“all lubricated parts” sounds comprehensive until you realize seals and gaskets are excluded.


It’s good that you’re keeping track of the coverage specifics for your CDF drum. Hopefully it holds up, but at least you’re prepared if it does start causing issues. Keeping documentation and knowing exactly what your plan covers can save a lot of headache down the line.

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