For Cracked MIC Top Owners

[Nc211]

In my opinion, when you willingly buy a vehicle with a removable top, "leaks" are a risk you take. Has been that way since the dawn of automotive time. Ford's lawyers will easily defeat that argument with plenty of other examples from other manufacturers over the past several decades.

But defective materials (hard top cracks), well that might be a different story, and is the one area I could see extended warranties being issues as a result of a class action suit for the tops affected the most, which I believe is the MIC top only. I don't think the painted tops are impacted, or at least not yet? This is my whole point that I mentioned in another thread about just replacing the defective tops as they come in for warranty replacement with a painted top option. Or, at least give the car owner the option to select a painted top with the condition of signing a waiver of liability for the MIC top they had that was clearly defective.

End of the day, I think the arguments will be based upon reasonable assumptions of performance, emphasis on "reasonable". Is it reasonable to assume a removable top could develop leaks? Yes. I think it is reasonable to assume, based upon multiple removals over time with no way of knowing if the process was followed correctly by the owner as intended by the manufacturer.

Is it reasonable to assume the core components of the top should not disintegrate due to common weather elements over a certain amount of time? Yes, absolutely, that is a reasonable assumption to make. The MIC tops should not be cracking or otherwise be defective.

What will Ford do? Well, in my own opinion, like mentioned above, offer the owners a different (more dependable) version of the top (painted). Or replace the defective top with a new MIC if the customer elects to stay with the MIC in general, reset the warranty for the new top to say, 5 years / 60k miles, and call it a day. Or something along those lines.

Leaks? I don't think you've got a dog in that fight, unfortunately. But might motivate Ford to redesign or retrofit some seals.

Sponsored

 

[Nc211]

....further add to the "leaks" argument.... Sunroofs. You ask most mechanics the one option that drives them nuts the most, and sunroofs will be close to the top of that list, for the sole reason of hunting down a "leak", and at some point they all do. Either clogged drain line(s), or degraded seals because the car sat outside 24/7/365.

 

[2023bronco]

In my opinion, when you willingly buy a vehicle with a removable top, "leaks" are a risk you take. Has been that way since the dawn of automotive time. Ford's lawyers will easily defeat that argument with plenty of other examples from other manufacturers over the past several decades.

Yeah, I hadn't even heard about the hard top and soft top leakage issue. On the other hand, the cracked MIC top debacle is all over the internet. So, I thought it made sense to make that class action law firm aware of it and ask them to expand the scope of their investigation.

I'm getting ready to call Ford to have my replacement MIC top replaced for the same cracking around the windows as the first. Still under warranty, for now.

 

[jrollo7]

The AI answer for a class action lawsuit on a $5,000 product (#itsallaboutthelegalfees)

Class action lawsuit payouts for a $5,000 product can vary widely, but are often in the range of $20 to $500 per person, according to Tribeca Lawsuit Loans. The final payout amount depends on several factors, including the specific details of the case, the number of people affected, and the terms of the settlement agreement. In some cases, payouts can be significantly higher, even reaching $1,000 or more, especially in consumer fraud or antitrust cases.

Ah, what does a Ford know?!

 

[Strizzo]

I just dropped mine off last week for the snake skin texture/honecomb showing through and delamination on the rear section. We'll see how it turns out.

I seriously doubt ford ever allows any swap to anything but another MIC top, even if warranty would pay for the cost of the MIC top and you offered to pay the difference to get a painted top or modular top, but one can dream.

as for why people would buy a convertible vehicle and put a hard top on it... some people would have bought a non-convertible over a convertible version if it were offered. honestly i like my bronco but i probably would have bought a us version of the ford everest raptor if they had decided to bring that over and call it a bronco, over the current bronco if i had my choice.

 

[Fordified1]

QUIET!?

After having Tinnitus for 28 years there is NOTHING quiet in my life anymore. But,....I also don't hear "squeaks", "rattles", "weird noises", nor I hear the wife bitching. The high pitched whistle in my ears, combined with a bad "wind storm" background you can get used to (no other choice), but squeaks/rattles in my vehicle would drive me nuts.

I got lucky maybe. mine is quiet, doesn’t have squeaks or rattles or wind noise, but it’s only 1 1/2 years old. I’m just giving you the personal reasons why I did not want the Bronco soft top, because that’s what we wanted at first until we drove one for a week with the soft top lol. And I really dislike how they look folded back whether it’s partially or fully and this is just a personal visual thing for me. If the Bronco top could fold up nice and neat like it does on our ‘15 Mustang convertible and was quiet as that same vehicle, I would have a soft top all day.

 

[Danielsand]

I got lucky maybe. mine is quiet, doesn’t have squeaks or rattles or wind noise, but it’s only 1 1/2 years old. I’m just giving you the personal reasons why I did not want the Bronco soft top, because that’s what we wanted at first until we drove one for a week with the soft top lol. And I really dislike how they look folded back whether it’s partially or fully and this is just a personal visual thing for me. If the Bronco top could fold up nice and neat like it does on our ‘15 Mustang convertible and was quiet as that same vehicle, I would have a soft top all day.

I totally agree regarding looks when folded back. I never do it (stupid, right?). I don't think I'll ever take it off completely either (more stupid). But,....I like that I CAN if I want to, and I like the way it looks with soft top installed. I had MANY Wranglers (between me and the wife, I think seven), and all were soft tops. I don't remember ever taking the top off. But hey,...I'm an old weirdo. I had an old generation Eddie Bauer, and I took the top off one time. I never put it back again (took it to landfill when I got tired of moving it around)! Bronco was garaged, and I used it in AZ to go wheeling/shooting in the desert (never got really dirty inside).

 

[GoHawks63]

I got lucky maybe. mine is quiet, doesn’t have squeaks or rattles or wind noise, but it’s only 1 1/2 years old. I’m just giving you the personal reasons why I did not want the Bronco soft top, because that’s what we wanted at first until we drove one for a week with the soft top lol. And I really dislike how they look folded back whether it’s partially or fully and this is just a personal visual thing for me. If the Bronco top could fold up nice and neat like it does on our ‘15 Mustang convertible and was quiet as that same vehicle, I would have a soft top all day.

The Bronco being a "convertible" wasn't the main reason why I got a Bronco. I definitely wanted a hardtop given the Michigan winters and while I have only had mine for six months, I have not had ANY wind or leaking issues. I've removed the front panels once and will probably do that on occasion, but I think it'll be rare when I take all of it off.

Besides, I have another convertible if I want topless driving.

 

[Fordified1]

I totally agree regarding looks when folded back. I never do it (stupid, right?). I don't think I'll ever take it off completely either (more stupid). But,....I like that I CAN if I want to, and I like the way it looks with soft top installed. I had MANY Wranglers (between me and the wife, I think seven), and all were soft tops. I don't remember ever taking the top off. But hey,...I'm an old weirdo. I had an old generation Eddie Bauer, and I took the top off one time. I never put it back again (took it to landfill when I got tired of moving it around)! Bronco was garaged, and I used it in AZ to go wheeling/shooting in the desert (never got really dirty inside).

We’ve had three CJ’s a TJ and a JT. JT hard top. The rest were soft tops and it’s like driving a tent down the road lol but they all spent their life with just a bikini top mostly.
We liked the gladiator a lot more than any other Jeep and actually thought about keeping it and letting the dealership keep the bronco. When we went to drive the bronco for the first time we used a decibel meter sitting on the console, on the way there we had a strong gusty crosswind. The Gladiator was quiet but you had to fight the wheel in that cross-wind. The bronco was equally quiet (exact same DB reading) and I could drive it with two fingers in that same crosswind so we were sold, and traded in the Gladiator for a pretty good loss actually. I do miss the bed every now and then, and the manual Transfer Case for worry free flat-Towing. We have flat towed our bronco more miles than we have actually driven it.

 

[Danielsand]

We’ve had three CJ’s a TJ and a JT. JT hard top. The rest were soft tops and it’s like driving a tent down the road lol but they all spent their life with just a bikini top mostly.
We liked the gladiator a lot more than any other Jeep and actually thought about keeping it and letting the dealership keep the bronco. When we went to drive the bronco for the first time we used a decibel meter sitting on the console, on the way there we had a strong gusty crosswind. The Gladiator was quiet but you had to fight the wheel in that cross-wind. The bronco was equally quiet (exact same DB reading) and I could drive it with two fingers in that same crosswind so we were sold, and traded in the Gladiator for a pretty good loss actually. I do miss the bed every now and then, and the manual Transfer Case for worry free flat-Towing. We have flat towed our bronco more miles than we have actually driven it.

We have eleven vehicles (i won't bore you with the list), and I posted before how we ended up with OBX (the only Bronco on the lot at the time). Wife declared that she would like to have another Wrangler (we still have the Cherokee) and the dealer has a nice Sahara on the lot. We went there for her to drive it. After the drive she asked me what I think about it, and I replied: "You'll need couple of Red Cross stickers on the doors, and it'll look almost like a field ambulance we had in Kosovo). Sahara was white, with white hard top. Then I conned her into driving the OBX. In less than a mile she exclaimed: "This is bitching!" I wrote the check.

 

[Umichigan1]

Or,.....you ditch the "MIC" top, buy a soft one on this forum, and be happy. I have a hard time understanding the logic behind buying a convertible vehicle and putting a hard top on it. On the top of that,....I am comfortably retired lawyer.

If you live in a cold climate, hard top is the way to go.

 

[Nc211]

Yeah, I hadn't even heard about the hard top and soft top leakage issue. On the other hand, the cracked MIC top debacle is all over the internet. So, I thought it made sense to make that class action law firm aware of it and ask them to expand the scope of their investigation.

I'm getting ready to call Ford to have my replacement MIC top replaced for the same cracking around the windows as the first. Still under warranty, for now.

I'm curious, when the MIC gets replaced, what is the warranty coverage for replacement top? For those who have a cracked MIC and wait until the last day of their 3/36 warranty to have it replaced, does the new one not have a warranty anymore? Is there a basic 1 year warranty on it (I assume the same for all new parts)?

 

[Ducati1098]

I'm curious, when the MIC gets replaced, what is the warranty coverage for replacement top? For those who have a cracked MIC and wait until the last day of their 3/36 warranty to have it replaced, does the new one not have a warranty anymore? Is there a basic 1 year warranty on it (I assume the same for all new parts)?

There is no extension if you do it on the last day of your 3/36 bumper to bumper warranty. If it fails 1 week later, it's no longer covered. Ford can decided to goodwill or participate in a repair anytime outside of warranty if they want, but they don't always do that.

Parts warranty only applies to a part that you purchased.

 

[Rspayde]

You get the 10$ Amazon gift card and a nice letter (suitable for framing). Oh, (if you are lucky), you might get a post card from Bahamas where the lawyer is taking a year off work.

That would be generous. It'll probably be a $10 Ford gift card that cannot be used on parts or in combination with any discount codes.

 

[buzzcutt2]

There is no extension if you do it on the last day of your 3/36 bumper to bumper warranty. If it fails 1 week later, it's no longer covered. Ford can decided to goodwill or participate in a repair anytime outside of warranty if they want, but they don't always do that.

Parts warranty only applies to a part that you purchased.

Can confirm...I waited until the end of 3/36, the replacement showed cracks within weeks, Ford said they would replace it once more but that it would be the last. The most recent top started showing cracks within weeks...solid quality!

Sponsored