Done with Ford

[Snakebitten]

Funny how many trucks Ford sells even though they are..... garbage?

These threads often have a hard time with levity.

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[air2mag]

It’s more than this forum that has a problem with levity these days

 

[darioa]

I wish I were not one of those who would post in this forum, but I have been having an inordinate number of problems with my 2021 Powerboost King Ranch. The truck has been in the shop for over 4 months since I bought it in June 2021 for different issues. Once a software issue took 6 weeks to solve and I got a new screen. In another I got a new computer. I've gone through most of the recalls (a few did not affect me). My latest is a starter/alternator that needs to be replaced and the truck has been at the dealer for 2 full months now, waiting for the part.

Since I really like all the tech and the capabilities of the F150, I keep telling my wife that we should have fixed most of the bugs when the last bug fix was done. And then we have another problem.

I have asked Ford for a buyback but they said that since it's been more than one year since I bought the truck, the request was denied. My wife does not want to drive it and is afraid we'll get stranded in the middle of nowhere when we go camping and towing a trailer. The truck has been totally dead 3 times already.

I'd be happy if Ford gave me a new truck in exchange because I like the tech, the towing capability, the built-in generator, all of which are better than the competition, in my opinion. However, bad reliability, poor turning diameter, poorly trained service dealers (I've only used two and I had to tell both what the solution for some software issues was thanks to this forum), makes me think twice about continuing with Ford.

We'll see what Ford decides to do once and if my truck gets fixed. I'm paying a loan, taxes, and insurance for a $75K truck I don't have and I'm running out of patience.

 

[air2mag]

I think the biggest problem with Ford is the lack of training for the service techs. Before I retired I worked for a major airline. They would have never thought of bringing on a new fleet type without first training and certifying the mechanics. With all the new tech in these trucks you can’t expect all the service technicians to pick this up on their own. I think a lot of these issues could be resolved in one visit if there had been proper training BEFORE the trucks were delivered.

 

[Calson]

This is one of the reasons why the states' lemon laws are so important. Often the best solution is a "do over" with a completely new truck.

I avoid as much as possible buying the first months of new production of a new model or generation as there are often teething problems that need to be worked out by the manufacturer. With motor vehicles becoming increasingly complex there are many more points of failure.

I sold my diesel pickup as I had so many problems with the firmware and sensors for the emissions controls. It would often go into limp mode and that meant trying to merge with freeway traffic at 55 mph, decidedly dangerous.

A friend had ongoing problems with his Jaguar sedan's that were the result of malfunctions in the security system that would shut down the engine in the middle of the highway. He used the lemon law to have his car replaced with a brand new one that was also one model year newer as well.

 

[powerboatr]

The average person can only tolerate so much. Spending a lot of time and money with service depts, to ensure that your truck is even drivable, weighs on that tolerance. I don't blame people from trading and walking away. It's just too bad that it's gotten to this level of disappointment for many owners.

SERVICE department shenanigans tend to piss off even the best leveled people in short order
i have had REALLY BAD service departments and REALLY GREAT service departments.
really bad one was mike davidson ford in jacksonville florida. they had to repaint over 1/2 of my 1992 f250 becasue stevie wonder was in touch up booth to fix hood where the truck driver accidentally scratched a chain across it. Stevie chose to not mask off rest of truck, so i had dove grey silver all over my nice mid body red and of course all the window chrome
horrible, dealer blamed me for the overspray... and stood firm on not fixing it.
truck then went through an open door at the showroom right in the middle of lots of customers. IT go fixed then

BEST service...here in texas. both the dealers i use are very good
Texas country Ford may be the smallest. but they are johnny on the spot about getting things down with no issues and even call you days later to make sure you are happy...YES CALL not email

if FORD would crack down on less than grad A dealers with crappy service...i bet more folks would have a better customer experience.

 

[tbinmd]

It's always funny when somebody starts some ranting thread about Ford, lobs a grenade into the room and never returns to the scene of the crime.

 

[oneinch]

Knock on wood the OP has soaked up all the bad mojo. My truck has been just fine so far. Things happen though.

 

[26 Speedster]

In 1977 I had an F 100 brand new that truck wandered, changed lanes it ha d problem. I took it back and they rotated thee tires, then did a front end alignment, the Service Manage tood me that i did not know how to drive a tuck! The dealer finally sent me a loaner and picked up the truck. Well Well Well the service Manager called me at Work, called into the office for the call where Norm Bitched me out! That truck was unsafe for the road I endangered his employee (with excessive profanity) it should have been towed! The steering box was falling out. They put a new steering box in , Two weeks later I got a recall letter from Ford.
Look these things are man made, some have issues some run forever but the Dealers are the face that you get to see, They need to have ratings posted where you walk in, the dealers with poor ratings need to go away. They need that incentive to preform, not just SalesI wouldn't have gotten rid of my '22 if I had more confidence in the dealers.

 

[Tomzz]

My first experience with Ford, 2022 F150 Powerboost.

From the first couple weeks of owning the new truck is was making a nasty grinding noise from the transmission turns out it was delivered low on transmission fluid and was topped up at dealer, may or may not have suffered damage due to this. Then a couple months later during a hot summer trip I lost pretty much all coolant and overheated the engine due to a defective heat exchanger on the exhaust. Then Couple months after that started getting a service soon notification on the dash randomly, tuck wouldn't go into electric drive when this was happening. After few months ford figured in may me a starter and alternator issue and parts were not available anywhere in North America. Then the next issue was the truck started lunging forward and making a loud bang sound when stopped at a red light, pretty scary. I since have traded the lemon for another Ford non hybrid and I’m out just over $10k. If there are issues with this brand new truck I am also done with Ford.

 

[HeadBanger]

It's always funny when somebody starts some ranting thread about Ford, lobs a grenade into the room and never returns to the scene of the crime.

Good point.. Guess the OP bailed..

 

[Snakebitten]

Well he did say that he was done.

 

[richardrocks]

There was a comment here or in another thread about how just because a vehicle costs $80k doesn’t mean that you should expect “better engineering” / fewer problems — quite the contrary, considering the level of tech and features. My last truly bulletproof, zero hassle car was a $13k 2002 Civic.

That said, at these prices, I think people mean to say that when there are issues, there’s a higher expectation for access to parts (prioritize repairs vs production), competent mechanics, friendly service, and so on. I can’t even imagine being without a car for weeks or more especially without a loaner… it’s completely outrageous. And when dealers say they don’t have loaners and there’s an entire lot of new / used inventory to put into service, nobody buys that. Ford, of course, should compensate dealers adequately for their use.

When I had problems with my Subaru, I always always always got a loaner. It’s smart marketing, too, to get customers in the latest models.

And yes, it is totally reasonable to bail on a brand if you’re taking it in every month and not being offered a completely hassle free buyback / trade.

 

[Graygoose2021]

Cost shouldn't relate to issues or not. I agree, it stinks to PAY $80K and have issues, but doesn't make the guy any less important that bought a $40K truck and have issues too.
Made by humans and machines...nothing will ever be perfect, no matter the cost.

I've heard horror stories of people buying $700K new homes and have issues.

 

[air2mag]

I’m with you on the loaner. My wife has driven a Lexus for years. She always gets a loaner. She took her car in last week to get some hail damage fixed and the car detailed. She had a loaner the whole week. Heck, she can get a loaner if they just do an oil change!

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