Good will coverage is actually a possibility for those that spend a lot of money at the dealership. So if you get all your maintenance done at the dealer, you have a much better shot at this if you are beyond the 3yr/36K mile warranty. I guess making a big enough stink about it to corporate works occasionally as well.
Of course, the end result is you are still inconvenienced by the dealer having to do the work, and they install another prone-to-failure OEM part. Have fun dealing with the same issue down the road
