Lack of Hybrid Technicians

[todd92]

No technicians? More or less the same powertrain from the Fusion hybrid which came out 15 years ago. Give me a break.

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[Phimosis]

Spin it how you wish… I get the franchiser/franchisee issues, but as the consumer purchasing a $30k paperweight, as it sits dead as a dorrnail, the product sucks when it can’t be serviced by local technicians.

As far as low-population….. Charleston SC is not a low pop area man.

You live in an entirely different world. There’s 3 Ford dealerships in your entire county (there’s 22 ford dealerships in the county I live in). 80% of the population where you live thinks that EV’s and hybrids are worse for the environment than gas powered cars and they see hybrids as a gateway drug to EV’s…. And to avoid them at all costs. Those attitudes and opinions are definitely going to skew the talent pool and negatively impact how many people are interested in getting the additional training for hybrid systems.

Where I live, 25% of new car sales are battery electric. 16% are hybrids. So over 40% of all new cars here have high voltage electrical systems. If you’re a mechanic where I live and you don’t have any training on high voltage electrical systems, your employment is going to be severely limited and you definitely will not be working for a new car dealership.

 

[DrumReaper]

As a Mav hybrid owner that is definitely disturbing to hear. Thankfully I’ve had zero issues with my 2024 Lariat Hybrid. Only two recalls (that also affected the eco boost mavericks) and a routine service so far in my nearly year of ownership. My local dealer I purchased from had no issues in doing the recalls and service so here’s hoping they keep trained techs on staff. Sorry about your troubles. It’s a shame a couple of bad dealer service departments are making you give up on the brand you’ve had a long time relationship with.

it’s not “just a few dealers”. My wife and I purchased a Mercedes GL350 with the AMG package…. My military discount applied. Service was spectacular, but it’s a Mercedes, and yes you pay for the premium service but it’s expected. No questions asked about a few minor interior quality finish issues we found either… they told us to bring it in and it was done mid day.

Ford…. Told me 3 times my military discount didn’t apply because I was “not in the military” by what they saw in ID.me. Even let them hold my CAC card, let them run their fingers over it to see that it was real and not a forgery… not good enough. I even emailed back-n-forth with the ID.me Contact service while at the dealership and days after, on 3 vehicles…. ford still didn’t honor it. I finally got in touch with Ford corporate and they said I’d need to email them a copy of orders… funny, they didn’t ask for that with the Raptor I bought in ‘17, either GT350R I purchased, the Ford edge I purchased in ‘18, the F150 work truck I purchased in ‘18, the 2 F150 crewcab platinums I purchased since 2012, the Boss 302 in ‘13, or the fusion hybrid I bought in ‘13.

Mercedes just gave me the discount after the same ID.me verification. So, it’s not just a dealership issue.

Don’t get me started on the crap paint and panel-gap issues on both GT350’s. Ford cares more about sticking to the green agenda and queer/woke crowd than taking care of hard-working Americans.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Maybe it's time to go back to Mercedes?
Just saying.

 

[DrumReaper]

Nah… gonna do some research and figure a secure replacement.

 

[CurtisB]

You live in an entirely different world. There’s 3 Ford dealerships in your entire county (there’s 22 ford dealerships in the county I live in). 80% of the population where you live thinks that EV’s and hybrids are worse for the environment than gas powered cars and they see hybrids as a gateway drug to EV’s…. And to avoid them at all costs. Those attitudes and opinions are definitely going to skew the talent pool and negatively impact how many people are interested in getting the additional training for hybrid systems.

Where I live, 25% of new car sales are battery electric. 16% are hybrids. So over 40% of all new cars here have high voltage electrical systems. If you’re a mechanic where I live and you don’t have any training on high voltage electrical systems, your employment is going to be severely limited and you definitely will not be working for a new car dealership.

You pretty much stated what I was going to say. I live in the OC (I'm familiar with your area by the way, beautiful area!) and driving around in my area are dozen's of hybrids from Toyota and Ford. Plus, I know of two independent certified Hybrid Mechanics I can take my Maverick to. Both are 15 minutes from my house. They specialize in Toyota's, but I called the one I told my Prius to and he said he is certified to work on a Hybrid so it would be a problem should the need arise.

And someone else mentioned Tesla. Yes, Tesla's are all over the place here in Calfiornia. All age groups have purchase them. The concept of no dealerships is what has sold most of the people I have talked to as to why they bought a Tesla.

 

[VrtualOtis]

Talking to a coworker with a hybrid Mazda, this is apparently a nationwide issue across all hybrid manufacturers. Even Toyota, who is probably the leader in the hybrid market, has a shortage of qualified hybrid techs.

So while I can understand your frustration, I wouldn't expect to find the grass greener by ditching Ford necessarily.

 

[Ozarkbeard]

it’s not “just a few dealers”. My wife and I purchased a Mercedes GL350 with the AMG package…. My military discount applied. Service was spectacular, but it’s a Mercedes, and yes you pay for the premium service but it’s expected. No questions asked about a few minor interior quality finish issues we found either… they told us to bring it in and it was done mid day.

Ford…. Told me 3 times my military discount didn’t apply because I was “not in the military” by what they saw in ID.me. Even let them hold my CAC card, let them run their fingers over it to see that it was real and not a forgery… not good enough. I even emailed back-n-forth with the ID.me Contact service while at the dealership and days after, on 3 vehicles…. ford still didn’t honor it. I finally got in touch with Ford corporate and they said I’d need to email them a copy of orders… funny, they didn’t ask for that with the Raptor I bought in ‘17, either GT350R I purchased, the Ford edge I purchased in ‘18, the F150 work truck I purchased in ‘18, the 2 F150 crewcab platinums I purchased since 2012, the Boss 302 in ‘13, or the fusion hybrid I bought in ‘13.

Mercedes just gave me the discount after the same ID.me verification. So, it’s not just a dealership issue.

Don’t get me started on the crap paint and panel-gap issues on both GT350’s. Ford cares more about sticking to the green agenda and queer/woke crowd than taking care of hard-working Americans.

 

[Ozarkbeard]

Keep your hateful political rant to yourself.

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