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In Desperate Need of Help with 2014 Fusion - Both Car and Dealership Issues


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Be aware -- this is long, but I need to get the whole thing out there. I'm sorry in advance for its length.
This is adapted from an e-mail that I first sent to the dealership's owner and didn't receive a response. I have tried to contact a few Ford Executives, to no avail, either, and this is a further adaptation of that e-mail.
The CSM at Ford says that dealerships are independently owned, obviously, so she can't do anything. Ford Credit said to call the company that does lease inspections; that company told me to call Ford. Ford said they can't evaluate anything. I called credit again and was given the same spiel about independent dealerships; I contacted Ford Service on Twitter and was told "we can only add it to the record." Well, who CAN do something in extenuating circumstances? There has to be someone, somewhere.
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I have been a customer of *** Ford (I'll wait to call out the dealership by name until later) for a little over three years since I moved back to New York in June 2013, until last month. That is where the necessity for this e-mail arises. Please forgive me for the length of this e-mail, but I feel it is necessary for me to lay out all the facts to fully-explain what has happened. After Ford Credit told me I have to speak with the dealership and Ford Service on Twitter said the same, as did my Ford CSM, the fact still remains that the dealership refuses to speak with me, and that is why I am turning to you for help. Thank you in advance for reading this complicated matter and helping me.
At the time I moved back to New York, I had a 2012 Ford Fusion SEL AWD, and I had the car serviced there through the end of my lease, which was up in May 2014. I shopped around when it was time to buy my next vehicle, and I decided on *** Ford based on recommendations and a few other factors. I had to special order a 2014 Fusion Titanium AWD because I could not find one anywhere without black leather. I had to wait three months for my vehicle to arrive, and as such, I extended the lease on my 2012 as the build on my 2014 progressed.
I took possession of my 2014 Fusion on July 18, 2014. However, within four weeks of delivery of the vehicle, I knew something was wrong with it, beginning with its fuel consumption. I notified my salesman, *** ***** (whom I understand left the dealership some time ago) about my concerns, and he advised me to drive the car a little longer than a month, and if the problems persisted, I could bring it in. I still have these e-mails from August 2014.
Despite an obvious break-in period with a new vehicle, I knew that after driving less than 600 miles, I shouldn't need to put in 5 or 6 tanks of gas, considering that the gas mileage on the car is 22/25/31, so even at the low end, my tank should yield 385 miles, and I was getting nowhere near that. I contacted the dealership, and I was told to simply "drive it more." I first brought the car in for service in September 2014, and I have experienced nothing but headaches and troubles since then.
My car was in twice in September 2014 alone. Among the initial problems were items such as extremely poor fuel mileage, and I am not saying that the mileage was a few MPGs off the EPA estimates. When I first mentioned it to Mr. ****** in August 2014, the car had 592 miles on it, and I was already on my 5th or 6th tank of gas. My 2012 Fusion was rated at 25 MPG on the highway, and I always got 26-28 MPG; prior to that, I had a 1996 Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 with nearly 200,000 miles on it, and that got better gas mileage than my 2014 Fusion gets. The dealership did verify it got 16.3 MPG in January 2015 on the highway, but this was deemed "normal" despite it being just over half of the 31 MPG rating for the car. I have taken extensive photographs of the fuel gauge and gas receipts to track this in the past two years. Numerous times, I have driven between 10 and 30 miles and used 1/4 of a tank; I do not get any more than 270-300 miles out of a 17.5-gallon tank when I should be getting 450-531 miles. This is unacceptable. I bought this car when I was promised that my fuel efficiency would increase, not be cut in half.
Two of the earliest photos from when I started to track my gas consumption show this very easily and simply:
It keeps giving me some gibberish about an image extension that isn't proper grammar, so here is the link to my album with most of my pictures, though it's not fully updated. Please refer to these when I note the mileage for my descriptions:
August 18, 2014
592.6
September 4, 2014
768.8
Despite the computer registering 21 MPG, I drove a mere 176 miles and used 3/4 of a tank of gas or 13.125 gallons; at 21 MPG, the most I should have used was just over 8 gallons of gas. This was also all highway driving, so I will not even get in to those semantics.
Over time, the gas mileage became even worse. The dealer once recorded getting no more than 16 MPG as I mentioned, I would routinely get 13 MPG, or I've even driven as little as 10 miles and used 1/4 of a tank.
Here, I drove 20 miles and used more than 1/8 of a tank, and then in a total of 31 miles, I used more than 1/4 of a tank:
1582.8; 1602.3; 1613.8
The computer on the car has constantly registered nothing near 20 MPG, and if you do the math, you will see it is even lower (please remember that gas was nearly, if not over, $4 a gallon at this time, so I wasn't necessarily filling the tank). That is 164 miles and 3/4 of a tank used; your eyes are not tricking you:
3322.8; 3384.5; 3387.6...through 3486.3.
Other issues have included (but are not limited to these):
  • Although the navigation navigates in miles, everything else on it is as if it is in England. Traffic incidents are in km, the terms are British terms such as "exit slip ramp" and "broken down lorry." I have brought the car in to have this reprogrammed three times, twice overnight, and it has not been rectified.
  • The car rumbles heavily should I turn on the a/c system or the rear defroster. I was also told this is "normal" but in 18 years of driving, I have never driven another car that has done this.
  • One day, the trunk popped open when I pulled out of a parking space. I pulled over to close it, and the car shook so violently, I had to clamp down on the steering wheel to hold it steady. It was almost starting to smoke, so I turned it off. I waited 20 minutes and tried to turn it back on, but the engine would not turn over. I nearly flooded the engine via push-button start to force it, and I was luckily in Port Chester (down the road from the dealership) and drove it down the road at 20MPH while it was still shaking. I left it at the dealership and said that it had to be looked at first thing in the morning. I was told there was nothing wrong with it.
  • The front windshield fogging up and not being able to clear it no matter what I do -- windshield wipers, defroster, anything. It can be 70 degrees and sunny or 30 degrees. It is not weather related. This is not mild fog, either. Note that it was 65 degrees.

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  • The transmission has been jumping and bucking for nearly a year, but every time I mention it, I am told it is "normal" yet again. I am 99% certain it is not normal for a transmission to drop when accelerating on a highway or when entering one or for a car to go nowhere when depressing a gas pedal after going from reverse to drive. It's also not normal for the transmission to slam between gears when either accelerating or decelerating normally, when my foot isn't even on the gas pedal, and have my head bang into the headrest. I have had the car suddenly rev up to 4,000 RPMs while decelerating and get stuck there while starting to shake, and my foot was on the brake pedal, not the gas. The car then got stuck at 4,000 RPMs. The car is continually at 2,000 RPMs when in park and not moving. I have mentioned heavy idling several times as well. The car audibly makes noise when idling, and a car with less than 24,000 miles shouldn't do that, but then again, when I mentioned it back at 3,000 miles it probably should not have done that either. I can no longer make it up hills, small hills, but the service department doesn't seem to think this is an issue.
  • I had the car serviced for a broken strut, which broke at about 21,000 miles, but I was told I needed to wait for a loaner, and I was hearing the noise earlier, but I was in the process of moving. Either way, a strut SHOULD NOT break anywhere near this early, if it breaks. The broken strut is also the reason for this e-mail/complaint now. Please see below.
The amount of times that I have needed to bring the car in for service far exceeds what is reasonable for a new car:
Purchased July 18, 2014
  • September 4, 2014
  • September 12, 2014
  • November 29, 2014
  • January 2, 2015
  • January 5, 2015
  • January 19-20, 2015
  • January 29-30, 2015
  • February 18, 2015
  • June 18-19, 2015
  • July 13, 2015
  • August 13, 2015
I know there must be some missing here, because I did not go six months without service.
  • February 2-3, 2016
  • March 16, 2016
  • July 21 - 28, 2016
The car has only 24,450 miles on it as of today, August 17, 2016.
I was informed by my building that there is a limit to the number of guest/overnight passes we are allowed in a year, and I only have one remaining. I have not had anyone stay overnight, and I have used my allotment entirely on loaner/rental cars because of my car being out of service. That is ridiculous. Should I have to bring my car in overnight one more time, I will have to use my last one for the entire year, I don't know where I am supposed to park a loaner, because they will boot and/or tow a car without a permit, and White Plains does not allow on-street overnight parking. Either way, this is a major inconvenience to me, because I am unable to have guests at my own apartment because of issues with my car.
I queried *** Ford about terminating my lease due to all my issues, and I went to the sales area with a letter I received from Ford Credit. The letter very clearly stated that I could pay either the amount of my remaining payments (11 payments times $347.89 a month -- note that I just made another payment, so it is now 10 payments) or the payments plus my residual value to purchase the car. Another thing the document stated was that the dealer and I could stipulate to a Fair Market Value (FMV) and agree upon that. If the agreed upon FMV was less than the buyout price of the remaining payments plus the residual, I would be responsible for the difference. The problem is that *** Ford offered me a measly $17,000 for my car. How can my car be worth $3,400 less now what it is supposed to be worth in one year? I also honestly think the $17,000 value is incredibly low and honestly an insult. I also believe that no one should try to make money on this car, and it needs to just go back to Ford. I have looked for comparable vehicles, and there are almost no vehicles nationwide with my color leather. Finding one with the same features and that leather is impossible as well. The comparable vehicles I found were along the lines of these, but *** Ford simply did not care (I can provide the links to them if necessary):
  • a Fusion with nearly three times the mileage of mine, no navigation, no blind spot system, and no sunroof. It already had two owners as well, and it was selling for just about $18,000.
  • One with less mileage, blind spot, navigation, and park assist but no sunroof -- $24,788.
  • One in a lower-priced market, no additional options from a base Titanium except for wheels (original MSRP was $3,000 less than mine). 4,000 more miles than my car, but priced at $22,888.
  • A Fusion with 75,000 miles, 50,000 more miles than mine and absolutely no options above the base Titanium trim for $17,586 in Ohio. My car is still under warranty, too.
  • A Fusion located in Pottstown, PA with black interior and the same options except for a heated steering wheel with similar mileage selling for $22,994.
  • A base Titanium Fusion with 75,000 miles selling for $16,000.
  • A base Titanium in rural Western Massachusetts with 34,300+ miles for $22,000.
  • Local SEs with no options selling for $16,000 and $17,000 locally.
  • An SE with double the mileage for $20,000 and a 2013 with more than double the mileage for $20,000 locally.
  • An SE with no options locally $18,999.
  • A base Titanium with 25,500 miles for $22,000 locally.
  • One with more than 50,000 miles in Boston for $23,995.
  • There were also several more for $23,000 and $24,900.
  • One without a blindspot system and double the mileage for $22,900; one with 32,000 miles for $23,782.
As you can see, the vehicles that I found were all priced significantly higher than $17,000. I fully understand that dealerships are businesses and they are looking to make money, but I also wish that all parties involved would recognize that my situation is one of extenuating circumstances for a car plagued with problems. The dealership told me that Ford Corporate is in charge of lease terminations, while the Ford CSM told me the dealership is the one to handle it. The contact at the dealership, ***** *******, told me that he was calling Ford Credit/Corporate, but as it turns out, I was told that he never called anyone. He even made a photocopy of an e-mail I was sent by a prior CSM last year stating that I could get out of my lease, but then the CSM changed his mind two days later. Again, this has been a game of cat and mouse played with me over time with this car.
The point is that I really don't see how $17,000 is the number if all these other Titaniums are selling at such a significant premium to that and much closer to my buy-out amount, if not over. Again, there are so many cars that have less features and as much as 3x the mileage, if not more than that, which are at least $20,000. Even a 2013 was $20,000. SEs are selling for $19,000+, so how can my car only be worth $17,000? I honestly don't see what the problem is/was for the dealership in stipulating to an agreed upon FMV as it is a matter of paperwork and no more. Then, the car goes back to Ford, and the matter is finished. Then, no one has to worry about anything anymore or dealing with me.
The reason why my car was in for service this time was a broken right front strut, which broke at about 21,000 miles. I was told I needed to wait for a loaner, and I was hearing the noise earlier, but I was in the process of moving. Either way, a strut SHOULD NOT break anywhere near this early, if it breaks. However, on top of all of this, while *** Ford had my car for a week this time for a broken strut. Aside from that, *** Ford damaged my car while it was in their possession. While the dealership acknowledges one part of the damage, they refuse to admit to one part of the damage and will not do anything about it, despite my providing them with evidence. I also believe the strut was either not repaired at all or improperly repaired. The same noise has returned (it came back just 2 days after getting my car back), and the car now also clicks when turning the wheel both ways.
When I made my appointment for Thursday, July 21, 2016, I had to wait more than two weeks from the day I called in, because no loaner vehicles were available, and I needed one to get to and from work. The day I arrived, there were none available, despite being told I needed to wait until that day for one. I had to wait over an hour for the service department to coordinate with Enterprise, and by the time I got to Enterprise, got a car, and got home, it was nearly 3 hours. I was unable to go to work that day because of all of this; I work over an hour away. This is unacceptable.
I called for a status update on my car at 1:30 PM, and I was told it was not yet ready. When I still had yet to hear back at 3:30 PM, I called again, and to my surprise, I was informed that my car hadn't even been brought in yet and would not be looked at that day. I ask: what was the point of a) making an appointment and b) bringing it in for service that day? I also would not be able to come back the next day, because I would have to leave work by 3:30 PM, as summer Friday traffic is especially bad. That would even further inconvenience me to come in on Saturday and change my plans for the weekend.
On Friday, I was informed that, while nothing was found wrong with my transmission (surprise, surprise, though I know it has been getting worse lately), there was a broken strut. I was told the part would be ordered and should be in on Saturday, Monday at the latest. By Tuesday, no one had called me about my car. I needed some things from it, so I went to get them after work. I noticed that my car had yet to even be inspected, one of the things that it was there for, but instead, it was just baking in the sun as it had been for days; at this point I was without my car for six days, this time.
As I walked around my car, to my shock, horror, and surprised, my car was damaged. I take very good care of my car, despite its issues, and I would never leave a car with any body damage, especially since it is leased, and I would be financially responsible for it. On the passenger side of the car, I noticed a gash in the outside rearview mirror, and the integrated turn signal was also damaged. Please note that this mirror was folded in, and the driver's side mirror was not. *** Ford claimed it wasn't fresh, but if this damage was old, then water and dirt would be stuck in the cracks of the turn signal; there would be haze or a moisture inside the turn signal as well, since it had rained both before my car was there and while it was there. There were no signs of any of that, as you can clearly see. This side of the car was also packed in very close to other cars on that side. (It is making the pictures of the damage very small, but if you need larger ones, please ask.)
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As you can see, the plastic is not cracked or missing any pieces, but it is simply "spiderwebbed." No one at Ford, Ford Credit, anywhere, can tell me if this is chargeable/beyond "normal wear and tear." I am dumbfounded as to how NO ONE can have this answer for me! This is where the issue of "legal action" came up, because the dealer is refusing to fix this and the other two items below, claiming that they did not cause it, and I am going to have to pay for it come lease-end, which is ridiculous, seeing how my car was wedged in between other cars and there for EIGHT DAYS!
Again, it is very obvious that the damage was fresh. As I continued over to the driver's side of the car, I noticed a very large gash/scratch running a large length of the front wheelwell:
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****As even MORE evidence that these were fresh and done at the dealership, the one above, by the wheelwell, did mostly wash away when I washed the car, but the basic marking of a scratch is still inherent. It is just not as white. So if it didn't happen at the dealership, then I'm sure it would have washed away in the heavy rain that occurred while it was there. But the dealership didn't think of that, did they?
There were also other scratches by the wheel well on the passenger side. Isn't it obvious that they are fresh?:
post-55976-0-11157800-1471468910_thumb.jpg
I entrusted my car with the dealership, and it was damaged while in the dealership's custody, care, and control. First, I expect much better than this. Second, if my vehicle is damaged, I, just as any other customer would expect, would presume that it would be repaired before it is returned to me. I finally received a status update on my car late on Wednesday that it would be ready early on Thursday. When I asked *** ***** what took so long, he skirted around my question. I again asked him what took so long, and he avoided it. I said that the car had been there for a week, and replacing a strut is as simple as removing the wheel, replacing the strut, and putting the wheel back on, so was there something else going on? I also noticed when I was taking things out of my car, that the odometer was only 1.5 miles higher than when I had dropped it off, so I'm not really sure how the transmission was "tested" by barely driving it around the block.
This has, sadly, continually been my service experience with *** Ford.
When I returned late on Thursday afternoon, I expected my car to be fixed. It was not. The body was still damaged. I expected maybe it would be washed after it was subjected to the elements for so long, and I was inconvenienced. It was filthy. I pointed the damage out to ******, the service manager, and he took pictures. He tried to discourage me from taking my own pictures, and I'm sorry, but I need to protect myself, especially after all the runaround I've been given (and that is in addition to what I have put in this e-mail). ****** said he would call me in the morning.
When I got into the car, to my chagrin, I saw EVEN MORE damage. If this is the way that *** Ford does business and returns cars to customers, everyone at the dealership really should be ashamed of themselves. I did not point this out earlier because I did not notice it until I sat in the car. I tried to point it out to ****** or someone else in the service department, but they had left immediately after looking at my car, I presume, because I could not find anyone.
I saw dirty, filthy handprints on the side of my interior next to where the inspection sticker was placed. This is disgusting, degrading, and beyond unacceptable. This is definitely beyond "normal wear and tear" and something I would get charged for at my lease disposition. Either way, why on EARTH should I have to drive around like this?
(I do apologize that the pictures were taken in a garage. I do not have the memory card with the other pictures with me, and I had to take them indoors. Please see other pictures here, since I took them with a flash and at varying angles: https://www.flickr.com/gp/130322192@N05/fvCM42.)
As you can VERY clearly see, these photos were taken on the lot when I went to take things from my car just two days before, as it is dated. There are NO handprints whatsoever:
(again, it's making them very tiny, but you should be able to see the dirt)
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Compared to:
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I am appalled that my car was returned to me this way. That plus the fact that I was unable to reach ****** on Friday or Saturday after I was returned my car, and the following Monday I was PROMISED that he would return my call in 20 minutes at 9:10 AM, but when he did not, I was left nothing but appalled. I'm sorry I only bought one vehicle from *** Ford, unlike others, and I'm sorry that it was only a $36,500 car and purchased with an x-plan and not as expensive as others. I'm also sorry I've brought it in upwards of 15 times for problems, but I'm a customer, too, just like everyone else. I drive this car every day, and I know it has issues. I have been through so much money wasting gas on this car, so much time wasted on service appointments, and now I have to deal with this? I had to clean the interior myself, because *** Ford refused to even speak with me for two weeks. When I finally did speak with ******, it was only because I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

 

After speaking with ******, however, he still refused to claim responsibility for the damage, that is where I am left now. I explained to him that I am going to have to spend well over $2,000 getting the car repaired. This is ridiculous. I am not sure why this was done to my car, but more importantly why my car was left/returned to me like this. In my opinion, this is actionable since *** Ford refuses to do anything or claim responsibility, especially combined with the fact that time and time again, I am told nothing is wrong with my car. ***** claimed that it is not *** Ford’s responsibility, but I beg to differ. The car was in *** Ford’s custody for eight days, and the dealership should be responsible. My CSM, ********* ****, said that the dealership now refuses to have any further contact with me, and I am not allowed to ever bring the vehicle in for service there again. I am beyond words for this. That is supposedly because I told ****** that my last step would have to be legal action if he was not going to be reasonable and accept responsibility, especially since I had pictures of the car so close to the other cars.

 

Add in to all of this that the SAME NOISE that I had when my strut broke is back AGAIN, and there is a new clicking noise on the left side of my car when I am in reverse and turn the wheel to the left. But, it's not like I was able to get ahold of anyone in service and voice my concerns or that I'll be listened to, anyway, because I'll be told "that's normal" once again. I made an appointment with another dealership, but that is not until September 1, and it is only 60 miles away from my workplace – just a small inconvenience to me, no big deal.

 

I have attempted to contact Ford Credit to see what will be chargeable at the end of my lease, and seemingly, no one can give me an answer. How is it that, at such a large company, no one knows anything? I had a very simple question based on the guidelines for normal wear and tear to see if something like the damage to the mirror or the fender would be “beyond reasonable wear and tear” and no one, absolutely no one knows. I called Ford Credit yesterday, and the person I spoke to directed me to the inspection company. The inspection company said, as I suspected, that they simply inspect the cars and report back to Ford, and I must call Ford. I called Ford AGAIN after that, and I spoke to someone who was sympathetic to my situation, but she was not in end-of-terms, and that department was closed. I was directed to call them this morning, and the person I spoke to was downright rude. The person I spoke to told me that she is “not an appraiser, and how is she supposed to know anything?” All I wanted to know if something like the damage to my mirror is chargeable. I do not want to have any surprises 10 months down the road, nor should I be responsible for something I did not do. If I am going to take action against *** Ford, it must be now. However, I should not have to go through all of this just because of the negligence of the dealership.

 

I would be forever gracious if I could just turn in the car right now, free in clear, and walk away. That would be my best-case scenario.

 

Is there anything anyone at all can do to help me?

 

As you can see, I have been given the runaround in every way possible, and this has become more than my worst nightmare. I just need some help and some answers, and I am hoping that I [finally] have the right person.

 

Thank you very much for your time reading this.

 

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I gave up about halfway through, but it seems clear you have a vehicle with problems and a horrible dealership. Why did you keep going back to the same dealership? Ford can only go by what the dealership says about the vehicle. You can take your vehicle to any Ford dealer for warranty service. It also seems the $17K came from the dealer not from Ford. Dealers are independent businesses protected by state franchise laws.

 

The best advice I can give you is to talk to the dealership owner and if necessary file a BBB complaint. Ford won't be able to help with the damage, but if you still have warranty issues you could check with another dealer.

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Where about in New York are you? I ask because I have a friend who lives on Long Island who got his Edge from a dealer (around the same time as you got your Fusion actually) and they have been absolutely horrible.

I'm in White Plains, in Westchester.

Edited by ashleigh919
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I gave up about halfway through, but it seems clear you have a vehicle with problems and a horrible dealership. Why did you keep going back to the same dealership? Ford can only go by what the dealership says about the vehicle. You can take your vehicle to any Ford dealer for warranty service. It also seems the $17K came from the dealer not from Ford. Dealers are independent businesses protected by state franchise laws.

 

The best advice I can give you is to talk to the dealership owner and if necessary file a BBB complaint. Ford won't be able to help with the damage, but if you still have warranty issues you could check with another dealer.

I HAVE gone to more than one dealer, and the other one couldn't even fix my navigation. I'm limited by few dealerships in proximity to where I live and work as well as the traffic involved with getting to any dealership in the New York City area on a weekday. The service departments are mostly closed by 5, and many of them are not open on Saturdays. I already drive nearly 40 miles to work. I can't drive 30 miles in the other direction and then thirty miles back plus 40 miles to work after that. I've also taken a lot of time off of work dealing with this as it is, on top of the fact that I need to cross one if not two bridges to get to and from work, and you cannot do that in a loner or a rental. If you do, you get both chastised and dinged with excessive fees. I also am on a commuter plan or I have to use my EZ Pass a certain amount of times each month. Then I'm penalized for not hitting my minimum.

 

It's a bad situation all around. What I do know is that I can neither drive this car any longer nor be responsible for damage that I clearly did not cause.

 

As for the dealership, they REFUSE to speak with me and only called me after two weeks WHEN I FILED A BBB COMPLAINT. That's already done. But the dealership has specifically asked that I do not contact them. That is why I am pleading for corporate help, hopefully to terminate my lease. This is a very special circumstance.

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I gave up about halfway through, but it seems clear you have a vehicle with problems and a horrible dealership. Why did you keep going back to the same dealership? Ford can only go by what the dealership says about the vehicle. You can take your vehicle to any Ford dealer for warranty service. It also seems the $17K came from the dealer not from Ford. Dealers are independent businesses protected by state franchise laws.

 

The best advice I can give you is to talk to the dealership owner and if necessary file a BBB complaint. Ford won't be able to help with the damage, but if you still have warranty issues you could check with another dealer.

 

 

The other thing that I forgot about as I was running out of work was that a lot of the dealers around here don't offer loaner cars at all.

 

For instance, the other dealer I've been to does not offer loaners at all. That would present a huge problem for me. I can't sit there all day, but also, what if they had my car for 8 days like the last dealership did? I have no other mode of transportation. I live alone; my parents live 1250 miles away. I need my car to get to work. Should I even think about taking the train, it's 4 trains, 2 hours each way, and $37 each day. It's just not feasible. That's aside from being trapped here on the weekends. I even asked either dealership for rides home once, and they refused.

 

But as for "warranty" service, they claim to not find things wrong, even though things like the transmission act up while on the phone with them. Regarding the violent shaking, I was told to "videotape it while happening." Yeah, okay, let me be more unsafe AND subject myself to a moving violation. That's smart.

 

I had a strut "repaired," but the same noise is back, plus a clicking noise. So can anyone fix this? I doubt it. No one I've been to yet has fixed anything on this car. I just want out!

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It was my understanding that I was entitled to a loaner if my car is under warranty? However, with all the trouble I've been through with this car, how could I not be given one, and considering all the days it's been out of service, and that I need to get to work, I do need one. I especially need one when I am stranded at a dealership with no way to get home. The last dealer refused to even drive me home or pick me up one time.

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Nope. The Ford warranty does not provide for loaner vehicles unless you also purchased the ESP (extended warranty). Some dealers will give you a loaner on their own but that's entirely up to the dealer.

 

As you've found out, dealers can be really good or really bad and there isn't much Ford is legally able to do about the bad ones.

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It was my understanding that I was entitled to a loaner if my car is under warranty? However, with all the trouble I've been through with this car, how could I not be given one, and considering all the days it's been out of service, and that I need to get to work, I do need one. I especially need one when I am stranded at a dealership with no way to get home. The last dealer refused to even drive me home or pick me up one time.

 

 

Have you heard of rental car companies before? Some of them will even pick you up from a dealership! It's pretty common for auto body shops to do this, their work usually takes multiple days and they don't maintain fleets of loaner cars. Even high end luxury car dealers run out of loaner cars and will use rental car companies.

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Have you heard of rental car companies before? Some of them will even pick you up from a dealership! It's pretty common for auto body shops to do this, their work usually takes multiple days and they don't maintain fleets of loaner cars. Even high end luxury car dealers run out of loaner cars and will use rental car companies.

 

Umm, yes. I had a car from Enterprise for 8 days when my car was just sitting at the dealership last month. But that doesn't matter. If the dealership refuses loaner cars, they won't pay for it. I'm not paying for a rental car when I already make a car payment every month, and this isn't my fault.

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Umm, yes. I had a car from Enterprise for 8 days when my car was just sitting at the dealership last month. But that doesn't matter. If the dealership refuses loaner cars, they won't pay for it. I'm not paying for a rental car when I already make a car payment every month, and this isn't my fault.

 

 

I've read just about everything you have posted and I'm on your side regarding this. If it were me, I'd be going to small claims court over it.

 

Although I am on your side, the whole rental thing when people complain bugs the crap out of me. You are not entitled to a rental. If you paid for your vehicle in cash, you wouldn't have a car payment.. then the argument would be??

 

If your TV breaks, do you get a loaner? If your lawn mower breaks, do you get a loaner? If your fridge breaks, do you get a loaner?

 

It doesn't matter the cost of the item.. unless you buy an ESP which provides loaners, one isn't entitled to one from Ford.

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Exactly. Don't turn down the opportunity to purchase coverage that provides a loaner to save money the. Demand that you should get it for free.

 

That's like buying a burger, being asked if you'd like fries with that, saying no thank you, paying the bill then coming back 5 minutes later asking for free fries.

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I've read just about everything you have posted and I'm on your side regarding this. If it were me, I'd be going to small claims court over it.

 

Although I am on your side, the whole rental thing when people complain bugs the crap out of me. You are not entitled to a rental. If you paid for your vehicle in cash, you wouldn't have a car payment.. then the argument would be??

 

If your TV breaks, do you get a loaner? If your lawn mower breaks, do you get a loaner? If your fridge breaks, do you get a loaner?

 

It doesn't matter the cost of the item.. unless you buy an ESP which provides loaners, one isn't entitled to one from Ford.

 

 

I am going to small claims and have a court date.

 

I am 100% entitled to a rental. I was promised a rental. I was without my car for EIGHT DAYS this time alone, let alone the other times. I do not have access to any other car. I have no other way to get to work. This is not a TV or a lawn mower; I cannot lose my job if those break, so a comparison is ridiculous, especially since the ongoing loss can compound on a car.

 

I should have no reason on earth to buy any kind of extended service plan on a lease, during which the car will be under warranty. It's like flushing money down a toilet.

 

I'm not rich; I could never even think of buying a $10,000 car in cash, let alone a more expensive car.

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I am going to small claims and have a court date.

 

I am 100% entitled to a rental. I was promised a rental. I was without my car for EIGHT DAYS this time alone, let alone the other times. I do not have access to any other car. I have no other way to get to work. This is not a TV or a lawn mower; I cannot lose my job if those break, so a comparison is ridiculous, especially since the ongoing loss can compound on a car.

 

I should have no reason on earth to buy any kind of extended service plan on a lease, during which the car will be under warranty. It's like flushing money down a toilet.

 

I'm not rich; I could never even think of buying a $10,000 car in cash, let alone a more expensive car.

 

 

A comparison is not ridiculous.. You have a product.. that product has a warranty.. that warranty does not cover a loaner. It does NOT matter what the item is.. a product is a product. No where in any warranty paperwork does it state you are owed a loaner vehicle.

 

Black/White overrides ANY verbal agreement. Sorry but you are not entitled per every single document Ford provides to every owner. Now if your dealer promised you one, that's on them but Ford as in Ford the manufacturer.. Ford corporate.. does not OWE you a loaner.

 

I agree on a lease that an ESP is going to be a waste of money if you are turning it in before the warranty expires but on the flip side, Ford has some very basic warranties which you automatically get first day rental.

 

Example.. their cheapest warranty (again, I get it is a lease) is $325. That equates to about 7 days worth of rental coverage out of pocket.. and then you would still have free rental coverage for the remainder of the lease (36,000 miles).

 

Don't get angry with us.. we are stating the facts which are black and white. As I said, I'm on your side in regards to everything you stated except for the entitlement of a loaner which you are not. That's not to say Ford should goodwill you a loaner but that is at their discretion, not a requirement or obligation.

 

edited: Here it is straight from Ford:

 

"Ford and your dealer are not responsible for any time or income that you lose, any inconvenience you might be caused, the loss of your transportation or use of your vehicle, the cost of rental vehicles, fuel, telephone, travel, meals, or lodging, the loss of personal or commercial property, the loss of revenue, or for any other incidental or consequential damages you may have. "

Edited by blwnsmoke
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