The Bronco owners have been asking for it for years. Now, Ford has finally listened to their pleas and come up with a warranty plan that includes repairs for damages sustained by the vehicles during off-roading.
No matter how you look at it, the Ford Bronco is an off-roader. The high ground clearance, the approach and departure angles, and the two lock differentials are just some of the characteristics that the sixth generation comes with. All these make owners try the Bronco off the tarmac, because the vehicle just screams adventure. Even Ford has been advertising it like a vehicle that was designed for off-roading. But until now, the warranty automatically turned invalid once the Bronco set wheels off the tarmac.
Now Ford has just revealed the new Bronco Trail App. It contains around 1,200 curated off-road trail maps, that drivers can filter by location, difficulty, or length. The maps locate points of interest and places where drivers can see fantastic scenery. All of the maps and images can be accessed offline.
And with the app, Ford launches the new Protect Off-Road Use Option. The program provides extended warranty coverage for both the Bronco and Bronco Sport. If the vehicles sustain minor windshield or paint chips, small dents in the bodywork, or damage to their wheels and tires, they will be able to fix the issue.
The warranty is valid during the factory three-year or 36,000-mile warranty period and includes three different protection plans. The first is TireCARE, which, as the name suggests, covers damage to wheels and tires. It does not apply if the damage is sustained at construction sites, vandalism, theft, or the normal wear and tear.
The second protection plan, DentCare, covers dents in the bodywork which are no larger than 4 inches (10.1 centimeters), and are not the result of vandalism.
There is also the WindshieldCARE, which covers chips and cracks that are less than 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) in size. This is one of the most common damages that the Broncos sustain, due to the upright position of the windshield.
The protection plan does not include windshield replacement, though, nor damage caused by things like hail or vandalism. According to Bronco Nation, the windshield replacement costs can exceed $900, since the Advanced Driver Assistance System needs recalibration following the change.
Back in 2019, two owners of Ford Broncos complained about the carmaker denying coverage on broken axle welds after they had taken their vehicles off-road. The owners blamed the damage on the Trail Turn Assist, which, according to them, caused axle weld failure.
Ford explained back then, that the Broncos had undergone extensive modifications, using aftermarket parts, which made them more capable in the off-road, but rendered them ineligible for the warranty coverage.
Google News