The 2015 Ford Mustang, bro! It has Line Lock and Track Apps for ripping sick burnouts at your next track day, bro! It's designed specifically for smoking your bitch-ass Camaro-driving friends at the drag strip, bro! But please note that engaging in such behavior will, in fact, void your warranty.
After seeing Ford tout the new Line Lock burnout control feature on the new Mustang — a feature the automaker said is aimed specifically at owners who take their cars to the track — our pals at Motor Authority asked if engaging in said track shenanigans will void the car's warranty.
The answer? Yes. Yes it will, if you use the feature in an "actual race," Ford told Motor Authority. It's totally fine to use on private property, or if you and your pals are just screwing around somewhere, but don't expect the full warranty coverage if burnout control is used in a sanctioned competition of some kind.
I'll let them take it from here:
But what, exactly, is racing? Brian Cotter, global Mustang communications coordinator, wrote via email, "If you are using this feature in an actual race (ex. at a drag strip vs. your neighbor's Camaro) this would create a problem from a warranty standpoint."
Cotter further explained, "[T]here is nothing wrong with testing the capabilities of the Mustang in a non-race environment. You could, for instance, test your quarter-mile time on a closed-course. This would be permissible because you aren't competing against any other car OR against a predetermined time, etc."
It's certainly not uncommon for a manufacturer to avoid a warranty claim if a part is damaged in a competitive racing event, although it could vary from dealer to dealer. Just about every car forum (well, forums for fun cars, anyway) on the Internet has addressed this issue at least once.
"Do I void my warranty if I track my car?", people always ask. Yeah, maybe. What your dealer doesn't know won't hurt him, right?
But like the infamous Nissan GT-R launch control debacle, it's kind of ridiculous for a manufacturer to say a feature is designed specifically for track use (or to exploit the car's full performance) and then try to dodge a warranty claim when owners use that feature as it was intended. Is the car made for the track or not, Ford? If it is, shouldn't the warranty back that up?
Anyway, the point is this: If you use Line Lock on your Mustang in an actual competitive drag race, you smoke your warranty as well as your tires. Womp womp.