Ford - Known fault in seals

Ellih90

We purchased a Ford Fiesta (65 plate) 3 years ago this September and took out the extended warranty they offered us for 3 years (expires Sept 2024). We have recently noticed lots of water in the driver side rear footwell and boot so booked the car in at the garage. When checking in the woman said “we probably won’t be able to do the water on the warranty as it doesn’t cover water leaks.” To which I replied “That’s fine but there is no leak visible it must be coming in from underneath or something as there’s nowhere else that’s wet, none of the seats etc.” She replied along the lines of “yes that’s a seal problem, it’s a known fault where the seal is broken and water gets into the boot and the footwell.” So she knew exactly what I was talking about and referred to this as a known fault. I have done some research and this has been a known fault for some time so my position is they have sold us a car with a known fault, offered us extended warranty and now won’t cover said known fault in that package. Can a retailer sell a car with a known fault???

flashg67

A known fault doesn't always mean it will happen to every car though. Have you checked the warranty to see if water ingress is excluded? A seal failing is likely to come under wear and tear anyway on a 9 year old car?

Stateofart

It'll be coming through the door seals (there are patches covering holes in the metal they use in manufacturing) or leaves blocking the vents at the top of the bonnet.  Both would unlikely be warranty on a 9 year old car.  Most manufacturers say a car has reached the end of it's life at 10 years these days.