Ford
reviews and complaints

I am writing this email under extreme frustration regarding my experience with my local dealership and service department. In 2012 I purchased a Ford F-150 from Keith Hawthorne Ford in Charlotte, NC. I purchased the 5 year service plan with my vehicle. A couple of years later Keith Hawthorne moved to Belmont, NC and the dealership changed names to Performance Ford. I continued to use Performance for my 5 year service plan. In January of 2017 the dealership changed names once again to Felix Sabates Ford.

For the past 30 days my truck has made a loud rattling sound for 2 -3 seconds when I start it first thing in the morning. I did some research and found a TSB report stating the issue is common for the F-150 from 2011 – 2015. In addition, I have an issue with my truck occasionally getting stuck in 1st gear and also skipping directly to 5th gear when accelerating from a stoplight. I called the dealership where I purchased my truck which is now Felix Sabates Ford. They looked up the VIN and said there was a recall for an Electrical Vacuum Pump. I did not think this would solve my issues but thought it was a good step in the door for me to explain my problem with the service team. I called on 7/12/17 to schedule the appointment and they said the part was in stock so they scheduled an appointment to come in the next day on 7/13/17 at 2:00. I showed up at 2:00 for my appointment was assigned to Mario Sabates in the Service Department. I told him the issues I was having with my truck and he called in a senior technician named “Chris”. Chris said that he knew exactly what I was talking about and he has seen this multiple times. However, Chris and Mario said it was not covered under my warranty. I purchased my vehicle in October of 2012 so I am under 5 years but I have 64k miles. I proceeded with them fixing the recalled vacuum pump and went to the waiting room. 1 hour later, Mario came into the waiting room and told me that they did not have the part? What? I was told the day prior that they had the part and why do you make me wait 1 hour before telling me this?

Mario apologized and told me he would get the part in the next day, 7/14/17 and promised to call me first thing in the morning. At noon the next day, I had not heard from Mario so I called the Service Department. Apparently, Mario was off that day. What? I asked the person on the phone if anyone would have called me if I did not call and he said no, Mario was the only one who knew. I was told to come to the service department and they would fit me in that afternoon. On my way to the dealership, my truck got stuck in first gear and the check engine light came on. When I checked in to replace the vacuum pump I told them that my check engine light was on as well and that needed to be checked out. After waiting for 2 hours I was told my truck was good to go. I asked about the check engine light and “Chris” same guy as before told me he did not see the check engine light on. He said he would run it though the machine to see the issue but that is an extra fee. He said due to all my troubles that he would do it for free. Chris determined that there was an electrical issue with the transmission. At this point, I got the service Manager, Gabriel Castaneda involved. He apologized for my troubles and removed me from working with Mario and set me up with a new service advisor named Mark Fangman. Gabriel also told me that the TSB report problem I listed above was covered by my lifetime powertrain warranty. He also said that the electrical transmission issue would likely be covered as well. Good thing I asked as Mario told me the day prior my warranty was no good. We arranged for my truck to be dropped off the afternoon of Tuesday, 7/18/17 and I planned to leave it there until Friday, 7/21 while they fixed the issues.

I received a call the next day on 7/19 from Mark Fangman telling me that the warranty was through Keith Hawthorne and the warranty company would not approve until it was transferred under the name of Felix Sabates. Of course it was in Keith Hawthorne’s name as that was the name of the dealership when I purchased the truck. Everyone I had worked with in the service department was aware of this. Why this was not addressed prior to me dropping off the car is crazy. I called Keith Hawthorne Ford, now in Belmont, NC and the service manager “Jim” agreed to transfer to Felix Sabates. Jim said for Felix Sabates to call it in and when the warranty company called Keith Hawthrone he would transfer. I informed Mark Fangman at Felix Sabates. Another day passed before Mark called me to inform that Keith Hawthrone needs to call the warranty company. I left a couple of messages with Keith Hawthrone before I decided to take it in my own hands and call the warranty company myself. The warranty company said that they received a call from Mark Fangman at Felix Sabates and was informed that the rattling noise in the engine lasted 30 – 40 seconds. Confused by this information, warranty company said that does not sound like the issue on the TSB report as the noise should only be 2 – 3 seconds. The warranty company then said the person at Felix Sabates began yelling at him and then hung up the phone. What? This is not how anyone should conduct business and represent their company. I called Mark Fangman and he said he handed the phone to one of the technicians to help answer the warranty company questions and he was the one who hung up. At this point, I was furious so I came into the office to speak with the manager, Gabriel Castaneda. He apologized but said I need to get the warranty transferred over to them. The next morning on 7/22/17 I called Keith Hawthrone with the warranty info and they transferred it to Felix Sabates. Why on earth both dealerships could not just communicate with one another and work this out is beyond me. They both represent Ford and I had already given my authorization to transfer. This is a poor representation on Ford.

Gabriel told me that it will take 24 to 48 hours for an adjustor to come out and approve the repairs. I told Gabriel that I needed a loaner car as it had already been 4 days since I left my truck with them. He informed me he was out but could get me one next week. The adjustor came at 3:00 on 7/25. I received a call the next day on 7/26 that the repairs were approved and covered by warranty. I was also told there was a loaner car for me. Great because for the last week my wife had been driving me to work with our 11 month son which we had to wake up each morning to ride with us.

I received a call at noon today, 7/31. I’m expecting good news that my truck is fixed. Nope…. I received news that one cannot even make up. I was informed that there was a break in over the weekend and all 4 wheels were stolen and my truck was sitting on blocks. How does this happen in a secure lot? I’ll tell you… The lot was not secure at all and this is unacceptable! I asked if they saw anything on the cameras. Gabriel said they do not have cameras in operation in the back of the lot. I noticed half of the lot has barbed wire but there was a large section backing up to an apartment complex with nothing but a wooden fence. I was told that there was an electric wire on the fence but it was not turned on. I have included pictures of my truck on blocks and you can see the fence behind it. How is this considered secure? This is pure negligence of this dealership. Notice my rotor sitting on a concrete block. I replaced my front rotors 30 days ago and expressed my concern for issues with the undercarriage and alignment. I was told that they will inspect but from appearance everything looks fine. Of course they are going to say this. What about the calipers as well? There are so many things that could be wrong.

In addition I am driving with my family form NC to FL and will be pulling our 30 ft camper this Friday. If my truck is not fixed before this time we will have big problems.

I am writing this to express my disgust with this entire process and would like a direct phone call to discuss this matter more. Call me directly at [protected] and ask for Preston (PT) Harbin

I cosigner on a car with daughter, 2014 Focus. It kept having transmission problems so she took it back to Kelly Ford for the lemon buy back. They were supposed to clear that loan to zero and she bought a new Focus. What they really did was tack the negative equity to the new loan instead and extended her payments a couple of years. This put her in a bind so she, did a voluntary repo and was told that once sold she would be responsible for balance. She was ok with that. However, I am willing to bet that Kelly Ford did NOT take a loss of several thousand when the sold it. Blue book $12000 they say sold for $9000 and the negative equity also needs to be deducted from the balance. I am disgusted with Kelly Fford for taking advantage of a young girl. I'm on my 4th Ford since 2003 but may have to rethink next vehicle. Her name is Susanna Knight-Leaf and I am Pamela Harris. Their collection people are threatening litigation and should have never been sent to collections because of the balance dispute and my daughter has been keeping in contact with someone there about this whole mess... Problem is nobody will help resolve this mess THEY created. The dispute is not that she owes, the dispute is the amount.

Purchases 2013 Ford Fusion at Liberty Ford Brunswick. Motorcraft Battery clearly says it has a 3 year 100 month prorated battery. Dealer says its not true because its the OEM battery and the battery is not included in the extended warrenty we purchased.

I had to have the car so I replaced it with a different brand battery. It clearly shows a 12/14 production date and warrenty.

I took my 2013 Ford Explorer Sport to the dealership to have them fix the A/C not working, TPMS sensor failure, and a pully/belt squeal. The vehicle has a 100, 000 mile on it and Ford service reported that the rear suspension bushings needed to be replaced. I was charge for all the work plus a 4 wheel aliment. The vehicle was driven to Montana from Michigan a week later. With 15, 000 miles on the new tires, the tires were wore past the wear marks (bald) on the outside of the rear tires (left and right). The vehicle was taken immediately to a tire shop which I had to put on a new set of tires. Thankfully, a Ford Dealership in Billings, MT was able to correct the alignment were the TOE was 7 times over the maximum number out of specification. We I returned from the trip, I spoke with Lasco Ford and they were rude and obviously trying to talk around the poor workmanship. They stated the at the bushings settled in the suspension which I told them that I would have to be told that the vehicle needs to return for another 4 wheel alignment. They blamed it on camber. The 4 wheel alignment report from Ford in Billings shows it was TOE. I even showed them pictures of the tires worn and you can see the rubber folding over. Complete incompetence between the service manager and head technician. I'm include pictures of the worn tire and a side by side picture of the worn rear tire and front tire.

My 2005 Mustang had an odd problem about six weeks ago, coolant boiling over out of the top of the filler tank but the temp gauge on the dash was reading normal. Took it to Long-Lewis Ford in Hoover, AL where they said the thermostat needed to be replaced & the cooling system flushed / refilled. $550 later, I was back on the road or so I thought. First trip out of town two weeks later & it does the same thing again, limped over to another Ford shop I'd used before in Cartersville, GA. They said there was air trapped in the cooling system & replaced the plastic filler tank - $250. And I had to rent a car to get back from GA & drive until it was ready, another $200 in cost. At the end of my second trip out of town since that repair a week ago this past Thursday, it did the same thing again. Got it back over to Long-Lewis. When I finally got a status on the vehicle this past Thursday they told me that their service tech was basically stumped & had sent the previous repair records to some department at Ford corporate for guidance / analysis. On Saturday morning, I called them back & was told that the information they got back from Ford was a set of instructions to do the same things that had already been done. So they had to resubmit their request, what a crock of crap. Today I called Ford corporate & had them look up the records for all of this, asked them to provide me with a rental until they could figure it out & fix it as it's already been in their shop for 10 days. Was told no help would be provided. Oh yeah & another Ford shop that I took it to for service about two months ago managed to have one of their mechanics back another vehicle into the front end of mine causing enough damage they had to replace the front bumper & headlight. That dealership did provide me with a vehicle while they had the body shop make the repairs. But as I told the lady I spoke with in their customer service department earlier, this will be my very last trip to a Ford dealer for any type of service or repairs. I'm done.

I've a motorhome mounted on an E450 Super Duty cut away. Local Ford dealers like Corwin Ford in Nampa, Idaho are refusing to provide service, even oil changes and mileage based checkups.

I've owned a lot of Ford products over the years and this refusal makes me wonder what the heck is going on. The service writers told me they don't have space! They had serviced my vehicle so this is a new policy.

Can you provide a list of Ford dealers in the Boise, Idaho area who will service a E450 hosting an RV?
How would Ford directed recall maintenance be done?

on 7/29 our 2015 Cmax check engine light came on and the vehicle went into "limp mode" We attempted to call the dealership where we bought this vehicle (it was our 2nd CMax) assuming we would be treated as a loyal customer. First we were told they would call back - after an hour no call back. so called and was put on hold (Freeport, IL Fairway Ford). Finally, the service mgr. Cody said "there was nothing he could do - he repeated this 3 times! The earliest he could get us in we Tuesday 8/1 at 3 PM.
We called Alphorn Ford in Monroe WI. They got us in IMMEDIATELY AND FIXED IT. We were told that our vehicle at 38K miles was out of warranty so we paid full price. After returning home we learned that multiple other Ford vehicles have had the same issue (throttle issue) and recalled but not the CMax - hmm makes me wonder why this specific vehicle has not had the recall.
Customer service at Alphorn was superb! Customer service at Fairway Ford was unacceptable!

Hello,

I still didn't recive my money back and each time I submit my situation for Middle East they close the case without telling me why and each time I open it, the case since 2015 and until now no repond and being ignored !
I want my case to reach USA since Middle East ignore it !

This is my email and will send you all emails that been contacted.
[protected]@hotmail.com

Please email me back asap !

Thanks

I have a 2010 Ford Edge with 36786 miles and the PTU went out.We had a strange smell but no oil leak. It went out suddenly. We paid $1900 to have it repaired on July 27, 2017. . It is frustrating because this is a common issue and Ford is not working towards resolving this issue. A vehicle with such low mileage should not require this type of repair. There is no preventive maintenance that can be done and no way to resolve the issue prior to it going out. I called customer service and asked for my case to be escalated but evidently since it is no longer under warranty I am very frustrated with Ford and that they are not addressing this issue with the consumer.

I recently took my car to a Ford dealership in Lillington NC with a Ford warranty and was told that that they couldn't use it. I needed an oil change and was told that because I didn't purchase the car from them they couldn't use my warranty. He said he could talk to his manager but they lose money that way. If it is a Ford warranty it should be able to use anywhere. Thanks to Crossroad Ford in Sanford for being a customer friendly business

I purchased a brand new 2016 Ford Fusion in St. Louis Missouri in April of 2016. Literally a week later I moved out of the state and started having problems with my breaks. I've went into the ford dealership in Dallas, TX multiple times and they always tell me I have to drop it off and allow for the specialist to schedule it in for them to look at. The problem with that is he's taking on too many tasks and he wouldn't be able to see my car for 3-4 days. I can't wait to have someone look at my vehicle and not have a loaner car the same day. I have went into the dealership way before my 12 month 18, 000 mile warranty. This is ridiculous that I have to pay for brakes that were given to me faulty to begin with. If I knew ford would be this unprofessional I would have just went to Chevy. I need to speak with someone on this issue because this is NOT fair to me at all.

I had brought my car in for a diagnostic of the reason why my car would not start. So, my first complaint is the fact that once the car was done I didn't get a call for a while and the diagnostic had been done. My second issue is that yes I did let the car sit there for a while because I was trying to get the money to pay for the diagnostic. Then I was going to get it towed somewhere because I couldn't afford to get it fixed. It is a 2013 Ford Fusion and I should not be having as much problems as I am. Anyways, I received a call from Joe from Ford of Fredericksburg, Va. He stated that because the car had been sitting for that long, I have to pay $1500.00 If I had known there was a fee then I would not have let it stay there . I had a hard time coming up with the money for diagnostic . Joe told me that Another guy said that he tried to call me multiple times and sent me text messages . I never received not one call from anyone until the day that Joe called me. I think it is unfair that first of all he would say things that is not true. I have a sick son and grandmother, I always have my phone with me. The way I want to get this issue resolved is to remove the $1500.00 holding fee so that I can pay the diagnostic and get my car fixed. I feel that if they would have told me about the charge I would have never let it sit that long.

Thank you in advance,

We purchased a used vehicle and was shown a clean car fax, later we discovered thru our Farmers auto insurance company that the car had been in an accident, repaired and sold at an auto auction with the announcement of "frame damage" prior to our purchase.We brought this matter to the attention of the general sales manager over a month ago, we are very upset with the dealers continued denial of any responsibility, and our patience has run out forcing us to contact a lawyer to force Sunland Ford to now buy the vehicle back(we did offer them a settlement amount which went unanswered).California has a disclosure law, and even though the repairs and auction history doesn't show up on car fax it is in the data bank thru another reporting agency, Red Mountain.The dealer is liable and they have not taken their responsibility serious

I have emailed the CEO twice with no response from him, which is outlandish, but I am pasting my email to him to whomever will receive this to let you know how dissatisfied I am not with my local dealer but rather the decision-making at the corporate office. Long story short, my Ford Edge which is just about 2 years old and only has approximately 35, 000 miles on it, was making a funny noise. It was time for an oil change, so I took it in on May 30. 2 months ago! I may get the car back tomorrow, but we shall see. Ford should have provided a completely new engine but instead, some penny pinching decision maker decided that just a few major parts were needed. My entire engine had to be taken apart and rebuilt. I have zero confidence in the car that I am about to get back and less confidence in Ford Motor. You guys have tremendously let me down.

Here is the email sent (twice) to Mr. Hackett, who I know is new in his role, but maybe someone can help him discover how to answer emails!

Dear Mr. Hackett:

I am sorry to bother you, but I am writing to express my extreme displeasure and disappointment regarding Ford's decision on servicing my 2015 Ford Edge.

Not that it matters, but I am a Ford Shareholder and have been for many years. My wife and I have owned an Explorer, and I grew up riding in many Ford cars that my parents owned.

On May 30, I brought my car in for routine maintenance (oil change) at the 35, 000 mile mark. I heard a strange noise and asked my service rep to listen. No check engine light or service light ever came on. One part was replaced (tension belt, perhaps?), but that did not fix the problem. The guys in maintenance felt that a new engine was needed (bearings and metal shards were all over the inside). They took pictures after taking part of the engine apart, and the Ford manufacturer wanted further pictures, which they supplied.

Here is the email I received from Clermont (Florida) Ford service department (De'Al Alford) just a short time ago:

MR RATH:

FORD IS SENDING US A SHORT BLOCK AND A NEW CYLINDER HEAD FOR YOUR VEHICLE THE SHORT BLOCK IS THE BODY OF THE ENGINE AND

ONCE THE OLD BLOCK IS COMPLETE APPART WE HAVE TO SEND BACK WHAT WAS FOUND AND CAUSE OF THE ENGINE KNOCK.WE ADVISED FORD WE WANTED A NEW COMPLETE MOTOR BUT THEY ONLY AUTHORIZED A SHORT BLOCK AND NEW CYLINDER HEAD. (Typos are not mine.)

I have several concerns: Clearly there are major mechanical problems with this engine to have such damage at just 35k miles. Pulling the engine apart already and having to replace these major parts seems to me to be a band aid approach rather than a full solution. I have no desire to see whether or not this fix will work. I have been without my car for over two weeks already, and the parts will take another week to get in and then will take longer than that to replace everything.

Ultimately, I am not sure how this will affect the value of my car moving forward, not to mention whether or not this fix will be a permanent one moving forward.

In short, I trust the Ford brand which is why I bought the car in the first place. This decision to offer a partial, uncertain solution to a loyal customer leaves me bewildered and frustrated.

My hope is that you will pass this email along to someone who will offer a better solution than the current one being provided.

Thank you for listening, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

David N. Rath, Ed.D.

I purchased a brand new 2016 F150 XLT Extended Cab truck from Gray Daniels Ford in Brandon, MS. I have owned the truck for just over two months and already have chipped paint. There are at least three spots already developing on the truck. I took it to the dealership to get the issue reported and documented. I was told the chips were related to rock impacts. I own several other vehicles (Nissan Pathfinder & Chevy Malibu) which I use along the same travel routes and haven't had any issues with rock impacts causing the paint to chip over several years of ownership. I think the chipping issue is related to the aluminum body on the truck. I did not expect the dealership to re-paint the entire truck but knowing the fragility of the aluminum frame, I did expect some type of remedy to stop the paint from chipping further. I am very displeased at the moment and if this issue leads to a significant repair cost to stop the chipping I will seek other means of legal remedy from Ford and dealership. I love the associated gas mileage from the aluminum frame and other tech in the truck but it all could be completely offset by a huge bill to have the truck repainted. I hope that would someone at Ford would consider this request/complaint to have this issue addressed. As it stands I can not recommend this truck to any one in good faith.

6/29/2017 Date of Incident (Accident)
I was driving down the highway and was approaching my off exit (approx 30mph), used my right directional, started to turn the wheel to exit the highway, the steering wheel locked up, would not move, tried using 2 hands to pull on the steering wheel to get car to safety, the steering did not move an inch. Lost power steering - The car went straight into a highway sign and totaled my car. Airbag (drivers side only) deployed and I had burns on my face, and both my hands from trying to turn the steering wheel. I understand that there was some recalls on the 2011 and newer Taurus but nothing was done about the 2010 and older models. This needs to be investigated as this is a safety concern. I usually have my child in the car but that morning I did not. I am requesting a letter stating that the EPAS in 2010 Taurus SEL models can be effected by this manufacture defect as the 2011 and other Ford models have experienced.

I have a 2008 ford f350 6.4 diesel. I have had not but problem with this motor as you well know. I took it to a barber ford a ford dealer in exeter pa, to trade it in. The looked at it drove it around the parking lot after I told the it had a bad fuel injector. The were stomping on the gas. They gave it back leaking oil with a blown turbo. And refused to even make an offer on it.

I have a King Ranch with a 3.6 Eco Boost. There is a problem that has been documented by many like owners. My Ford Truck has a service bulletin. Not warrantable. The bulletin stated by Ford says. The job should take 9.2 hours. Elder Ford says, 9.2 is what they would charge if it was for Ford. Since I am a customer they take that 9.2 and times it by 1.7 which gets me to 15.64 hours for the job, or $600.00 more.

I was expecting around $1, 400 to $1, 600. Which would be $100 a hour plus parts. They say I should also change water pump and belts. For a Grand total of $3, 100.00

This should be a recall not a solution that I should be paying for.

Date of incident is today July 25, 2017. I purchased this vehicle on May 27, 2017 and as of yesterday when I took the vehicle to tomball ford for a cracked moon roof it had 1068 miles on it. It stays under our rev cover at all times unless we travel with our rv. The only reason I went to tomball ford was the service department I used when I had a 2014 f350 purchased from another ford dealer, they treated me well and took care of me. as I said above, my moon roof has a crack in it, I could find no damage that would have contributed to the crack but of course tomball ford did, liars and thieves today, must be under new management! I paid way to much money for the truck and (extended warranty, what a joke) for this not to be covered, just another way to stick it to the public.

I bought a 2014 explorer sport. Since the 5 months I habe had this vehicle I habe had too get tires, brakes, serpentine belt, tensioner pulley, and now a turbo. I also bought a extended warranty. Therefore the turbo is covered, but I am worried about the damage that is already done because of the bad turbo. I have tried multiple times to work things out with the dealership. The GM had been rude, vulgar, and unwilling to work things out. I don't think I should habe to lose the equity I have out into the vehicle. Interference on my behalf from ford would be very helpful.