Compensation from Ford for hybrid defects

[MLowe05]

It’s a Ford, not a Porsche or Audi … their margins are not there for that kind of service because their customers aren’t paying $660 for custom seat belt colors. You can bet the people dropping $90k on Lightnings won’t be too pleased with their dealer experience if they are accustomed to that of Audi and Porsche. My Porsche dealer took a group of us out for a nice drive in their loaners and then treated us to a private lunch at a steakhouse with swag bags. That’s NEVER gonna happen at a Ford dealer.

Last time I needed a loaner I drove a brand new Macan for 3 weeks and put 1000 miles on it and had all kinds of fun with it.

These customer experiences build brand loyalty. Despite many negative Ford experiences I remain a fan but keep my expectations low. I mean, have you been inside a Hyundai (or Kia) dealership???

Our Porsche dealer was really hit or miss with loaners. For a couple of minor issues we got a Panamera Hybrid and a Cayenne. But then once we had a serious issue that required our Porsche to be towed and they were like no loaners available. I guess that was a quirk of such a low volume manufacturer. The Porsche itself was brilliant, the dealerships were not so great.

Our Mercedes dealer kept a fleet (at least in pre-covid times) of 200 loaner cars. Always treated top notch there.

Low expectations for Ford. It's taken every ounce of willpower I have not to buy a Macan during this 11 month wait, but I swore I was taking a break - hopefully permanently - from expensive German vehicles. We sold our Porsche and Mercedes in 2021.

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[MostlySafeBear]

I would love to know what country the wiring harness is made ? That OEM supplier needs to be out of business. It's pretty much a $245 battery cable!

No idea how true it is, but I've read in other threads on this forum that the defective harnesses are sourced from an OEM in Ukraine. Considering that they are currently being invaded by Russia and are in a state of active war, I am more than willing to not complain too loudly.

 

[uga]

I have one of the hybrids with the faulty wiring harness. Mine died after 2500 miles. The dealership had it for 67 days. At least 30 days of that seems to be the dealer not pinpointing the problem even though I told them to look at the wiring harness the day it was towed in, and then Ford being unable to provide an updated wiring harness for a couple of weeks after it was ordered by the dealer.

I reached out to Ford customer care afterward because I no longer have confidence Ford stands behind its products. I escalated twice after being told there's nothing they can do, or suggesting my only remedy would be to lemon law the truck. Finally a supervisor said they can offer me an extended warranty. I asked what the terms of the warranty would be and they sent me a brochure with all the different warranty options. I asked again which one they were offering and they said the full extended warranty. I emailed them and said I accept the full extended warranty eight years and 150,000 miles. A couple weeks later a warranty shows up on my Ford pass. 5 years and 75,000 miles. No explanation of the difference.

On the one hand, Ford didn't have to compensate me at all. Unless they wanted to demonstrate they do stand behind their products. But the way they dealt with this certainly soured me on Ford.

My advice to anyone who's Maverick is at the dealer for an extended period of time for one of these defects is to be the squeaky wheel. Be persistent and escalate. The low level representatives have no authority to offer compensation. Ask for the issue to be escalated. Ask for a supervisor. Try to pin them down because in my experience they were slippery little eels.

We had the same issue. Called around to many dealers to see who had experience with this issue. Found a great one, dealer fixed the faulty connector in approx. 3 to 4 hours while we waited.

This fix makes the most sense since it has not been confirmed if harnesses are still being manufactured the same way with the same problem.

 

[MLowe05]

Latest build I've seen with this issue was a July built truck. So I am not confident this is resolved on the recently assembled units.

 

[KevCuRaoi]

We had the same issue. Called around to many dealers to see who had experience with this issue. Found a great one, dealer fixed the faulty connector in approx. 3 to 4 hours while we waited.

This fix makes the most sense since it has not been confirmed if harnesses are still being manufactured the same way with the same problem.

I think that is the key. Find a dealership that is willing to research the problem. No need for 67 days on this repair.

And last I checked, the advice on Ford hotline was that either repair (if possible) or replacement of the harness was acceptable.

Ford would certainly pay for a loaner....but is one available @ the dealership in question??
Loaners are in short supply. Dealership might not have one of their own available. And the car rental places used to play nice and offer loaners for what Ford would cover...but that usually isn't the case anymore.

 

[Hoagus]

Some people's expectations are seriously out of touch with reality around here.

They had his truck for 67 days. That’s ridiculous. They could have crimped a new lug on it in an hour.

 

[Mango Cat]

At least 30 days of that seems to be the dealer not pinpointing the problem even though I told them to look at the wiring harness the day it was towed in

If your service manager is anything like service managers I have encountered in the past, 27 of those 30 days was him specifically directing his mechanics to work on anything but your vehicle and run any diagnostic other than the one you suggested because you suggested it (and thereby insulted his experience in HIS job). And, every single time one of those service managers told me to go have a cookie and watch Oprah in their lounge while waiting for the shuttle to take me to work (but not home from work or back to get my vehicle) was the last time they had the privilege of working on MY vehicle.

Warranty service is a hard thing to deal with, if you have any options do investigate them and try to get service from the dealerships that intend to build their reputation and continue to sell Ford's for many years into the future. A shop that knows it is going to shut down in the next few months or weeks is the worst.

 

[Old Ranchero]

They had his truck for 67 days. That’s ridiculous. They could have crimped a new lug on it in an hour.

That's your opinion, but you don't know all the circumstances. Some of it is very likely beyond the control of the dealer Service department. Or Maybe you just don't care and want someone to blame? Current personal example, I've been waiting 3 weeks for my electrician to come do a small job they quoted over a year ago before we were ready to act on it. I had the quote updated to reflect current materials pricing and their schedule. I have used them before and always good experience. Turns out they were 3 weeks out on scheduling because 2 of their 3 electricians were out: 1 had Paternity leave for a new baby and the other was in quarantine due to COVID. Then the office gal in charge of scheduling went out sick for a week before she answered 1 simple follow up question- then has been out ever since. I'm not even on their schedule yet at this point as everything got pushed back. This is the new normal. Stuff takes longer than it used to.

 

[MLowe05]

run any diagnostic other than the one you suggested because you suggested it (and thereby insulted his experience in HIS job).

I agree with this and have dealt with service managers like this as well. The problem is that their experience and/or knowledge is often extremely limited.

 

[glohworm]

67 days is totally unacceptable. My truck sits dead in front of my place since 8/26. Until an approved fix of the harness or a replacement altogether, it'll sit here rather than on the dealer's lot. Looking forward to seeing a recall issued from Ford. If not, I wonder if a class action lawsuit would stir the pot a bit. Just my .02.

 

[Chris_G]

67 days is totally unacceptable. My truck sits dead in front of my place since 8/26. Until an approved fix of the harness or a replacement altogether, it'll sit here rather than on the dealer's lot. Looking forward to seeing a recall issued from Ford. If not, I wonder if a class action lawsuit would stir the pot a bit. Just my .02.

I have this feeling that a repair made with forum input, may be the best repair, at least now.

 

[Mango Cat]

their experience and/or knowledge is often extremely limited.

I think the bigger problem is that they enjoy their job as a source of power over others (maybe worked for bad managers themselves for too long) rather than as an opportunity to serve their customers with a job well done.

 

[Hoagus]

That's your opinion, but you don't know all the circumstances. Some of it is very likely beyond the control of the dealer Service department. Or Maybe you just don't care and want someone to blame? Current personal example, I've been waiting 3 weeks for my electrician to come do a small job they quoted over a year ago before we were ready to act on it. I had the quote updated to reflect current materials pricing and their schedule. I have used them before and always good experience. Turns out they were 3 weeks out on scheduling because 2 of their 3 electricians were out: 1 had Paternity leave for a new baby and the other was in quarantine due to COVID. Then the office gal in charge of scheduling went out sick for a week before she answered 1 simple follow up question- then has been out ever since. I'm not even on their schedule yet at this point as everything got pushed back. This is the new normal. Stuff takes longer than it used to.

Nah… cable crimp. One hour tops. No excuses.

 

[Old Ranchero]

Nah… cable crimp. One hour tops. No excuses.

looks like a great business opportunity for you. Just set yourself up as the go-to person for 1 hour tops, no excuse fixes on every vehicle repair and cut Ford out of it altogether.

 

[NJBob]

If you were unhappy, you certainly could have lemon law'd the truck but you did not. And now you're upset with Ford because they only gave you a free 75k warranty instead of 150k?

True but they said 150k only offers 75 k. Words mean nothing.

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