Jeff has a long story to tell but he believes in keeping his promises. He promised Ford Motor Co that he would tell Consumerist.com his entire story if they didn’t take care of his warranty repair to his satisfaction. They didn’t, so here it is. Jeff writes:
Below I detail a problem I encountered with my 2005 F-150 pickup and what I thought were covered damages and repairs under the initial warranty or the ExtraCARE extended coverage.
Basically, my truck was making a pinging noise pretty much from the outset of purchase, the original dealer said it was normal, only to find out later that it was not and was going to be a very expensive repair.
Here is the letter Jeff sent to Ford:
This documents the events surrounding the engine noise problem experienced with our 2005 Ford F-150. We purchased the truck in April 2005. The truck was new and only had 5 miles on it. I purchased the ExtraCARE for four years/100,000 miles.
I also received free routine maintenance for the first 30,000 miles from the dealer, Koons Sterling Ford in Sterling, VA. I brought the vehicle in every 5,000 miles approximately for this service. Early on, the engine developed a pinging noise. I asked the mechanic and service manager at Koons about this and they said this was the normal sound of the fuel injectors. Since the truck ran fine otherwise, I took them at their word as this truck was more up to date than my previous 1993 Ford F-150. I never experienced any other mechanical problems with the truck and it ran fine, albeit with the pinging noise.
After the 30,000 mile free maintenance was up, I started taking the truck to Jiffy Lube – first the one in Leesburg, VA then the one in Ashburn, VA. I started going to the one in Ashburn because they had the newer equipment which could service the automatic transmission fluid. All during this approximately 28,000 miles nothing changed in how the truck performed or in how it sounded. The “fuel injector” ping was still there.
This changed when I drove my truck near a friend one day and he mentioned that we probably had a lifter problem. I said the noise was attributable to the fuel injectors. He advised that if that was so, why didn’t all fuel injected Ford trucks make this sound? I realized he was right as I have never heard another vehicle make this sound, truck or otherwise. I made an appointment at Jerry’s Ford in Leesburg to have them look into the noise. If the noise was truly fuel injectors, they would know about it and tell me so. I advised that no other performance problem was being experienced, just the noise.
They advised that the problem stemmed from the camshaft position sensor. The said it would have to be replaced. They did so, but the problem persisted. They continued to work on the truck, and we (the dealership and I) agreed that the extended warranty covered us. This was the last week of February/first week of March 2007. A week later they still had not found the actual cause of the problem, but had continued to tear the engine down looking for it. In the meantime, since this was covered by the ExtraCARE and Jerry’s had agreed, I had rented a rental car, and Jerry’s even called Enterprise car rental to alert them to me having ExtraCARE maintenance plan work being performed and that the plan would pick up a portion of the rental car. They said it would pay for 10 days at approximately $28 per day.
On March 7 2007, the service employee at Jerry’s called me to alert me to the problem stemming from the use of an aftermarket oil filter. I reiterated that the problem predated the use of aftermarket filters, and that the true problem had to be caused by something else. They pointed me to a service bulletin (attachment bm3.jpg) which stated that the use of low quality aftermarket oil filters can cause pinging and would result in damage not covered by a warranty. This bulletin did not state what brand or which service, such as Jiffy Lube, might be suspect. This service bulletin also does NOT cover the actual engine installed in my truck. Please see attachment bo3.jpg, my buyer’s order, for detail of my vehicle. At this point they stated that the maintenance plan probably would not cover this repair. I once again alerted them to the fact that this noise predated the use of aftermarket oil filters. They checked their Ford records from our maintenance visits to Koons, but nothing of this detail was recorded on our records from that time period.
I started investigating my rights under the warranty, consumer protection services, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and what the proper procedure would be if a dispute continued. Jerry’s said a Ford inspector would visit on Thursday, 08 March 2007 to see the truck and make a determination of my case. Initially, Jerry’s said there was not enough debris from the filter in the oil to have caused the pinging. I again reiterated that the pinging predated the use of aftermarket oil filters. At this point, their tact with me changed and they pretty much ignored anything further I had to say concerning the condition which predated the use of aftermarket oil filters.
I received word late on Thursday, 08 March 2007, that my warranty claim was denied and that there would be a hefty bill for the repairs. The engine could be put back together for $2800, the cylinder head could be replaced for $6200, or an entire new engine could be installed for $7800. I chose the second option, giving them the benefit of the doubt that something had to be done to rectify the problem. I authorized Jerry’s to perform the work and they stated that the truck could probably be finished on Monday, 12 March 2007.
I then started to gather information on how to best challenge this maintenance plan denial. I called Ford ESP (Extended Service Plan) after talking to Jerry’s service manager. The service manager advised this was going to be the best route to challenge the denial. I gave them all of the pertinent information, having to spell out in great detail where I purchased the truck and where I was getting it serviced. The representative of Ford ESP I spoke with was quite unfamiliar with the concept of going to different dealers. She did recommend that in order to get a favorable decision I should go to different Ford dealers in the area. I advised that the maintenance plan does not require that, since I had been dealing with an authorized Ford dealership and maintenance shop. She also did not know or understand what a “Jiffy Lube” was. I did not explain this to her further, but asked to speak to someone else who might be able to change the warranty denial for me.
I was connected to the technical manager, “Bill”. I gave him the full history and waited to find out what Ford ESP could do for me. He advised that they had not seen the inspection report yet, but that the failure of an oil filter which caused the damage would not be covered under the warranty. I reiterated to him that the noise was preexisting, explaining again about how I alerted the original dealership’s service department to it. Bill advised that he had no evidence or documentation to back this up. He also stated that even Ford Motorcraft oil filters, had they been used and failed, would also invalidate any warranty claim for repair of damage. He said there was nothing else he could do for me. He gave me the phone number of an arbitration service. I continued to have to rent a rental car, but now completely out of pocket for the entire expense, until the truck is done. Ford ESP also stated that the inspection records and photos were the property of Ford and I would not be receiving a copy of it.
I called the Ford Customer Center in Dearborn, MI on Friday, 16 March 2007. After a lot of pleasant conversation, questions, answers, and being on hold, Ford informed me their guideline was to support the dealership and side with them. They stick behind the idea that an aftermarket oil filter was the culprit. They said if I wanted to get the inspection report I would have to talk to the dealership; the dealership said I would have to talk to Ford ESP. The answer from Ford ESP is stated above.
I also submitted my information to the Dispute Settlement Board to no avail. Based on this information, Ford is blaming an aftermarket oil filter even when the problem predated the use of aftermarket (i.e., Jiffy Lube) filters. Ford is not standing behind even the products they recommend and use. The failure of these replaceable parts could possibly damage warranty covered parts, which would invalidate the warranty. This could mean one of several things: this is a convenient excuse for voiding customer’s maintenance plans; Ford has no faith in even their own filters; Ford maintenance itself uses aftermarket filters of a questionable brand.
This also begs the question of whether or not Ford officially applied for a waiver to the tie-in sales prohibition of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Invalidating a warranty based on a claim such as this should create evidence which could be used against the aftermarket manufacturer or the service company (Jiffy Lube). Ford’s unwillingness to part with this information tends to make me think there is something wrong with even their filters, or they have simply found an easy scapegoat for invalidating customer’s warranties.
My intention all along has been to maintain the truck so it will last as long as possible, performing the service for which it was designed. I believe I have done everything practically possible to this end. I availed myself of the maintenance offered by Koons for the first 30,000 miles. While I notified them of the noise, they informed me it was “normal” and just the “fuel injectors”. Since they were being held up by Ford as the local experts, I believed them and took them at their word. Obviously, now I know they were wrong, lying, or incompetent. If they were improperly trained or too inexperienced to diagnose problems, shame on them. If they were lying to me, that is fraud. My vehicle was brand new, under warranty and they were choosing to not address a concern brought to them by a customer.
I respectfully request repayment of $5698.37 to cover that amount of the attached work order (wo10f3, wo2of3, wo3of3 jpgs) and remaining portion of the rental car expense. I have also provided a copy of the rental receipt (rental.jpg) and a copy of my title (title.jpg) and registration of the vehicle to show I own it (registration2.jpg).
Should you not consider this request deserving of a refund, I will be posting all of this information online (e.g., Consumerist.com) for others use in consideration of your products. A positive response can also be posted to show how well you take care of your long-term and repeat customers.
I have been a Ford truck owner since 1993 and truly enjoy the vehicles. I want to stay with the Ford brand for future truck needs. Your positive response to this request will go a long way to ensuring just that. Thank you in advance for your prompt and professional attention to my request.
Sincerely,
John Y.
[contact info redacted]I worked through Ford’s Customer Relationship center, their Dispute Settlement Board and the BBB. Getting no satisfaction, I am now writing Consumerist. The above information was sent via EECB (Thank you Consumerist for this information!) to several high level managers and members of the board of directors for which I could come up with names. I ferreted out the most probable names of the e-mail addresses and sent the above letter. I starting getting a few delivery failures right away and kept track of those. I also received immediate responses from a few people at Ford who have since moved on to other duties within the company and do not handle these areas. I also started to get phone calls from a local Ford rep who wanted to quickly offer me a one time Goodwill payment of ½ of the repair costs. I stated that was not good enough and told her to check with her superiors over the weekend for a better offer. I reiterated that this would not go away and I would definitely make a stink of this on the Internet.
The next week I also started to receive phonecalls from Detroit from Ford’s headquarters and executive offices. I thought this was directly related to the other phonecalls. Apparently, when you send an EECB to a large company and to several people, you might get independent responses that do not know about each other. Detroit called to say they were standing behind their inspectors and were going to offer me nothing. I do not know why they felt compelled to call me to say this. I again reiterated that this was unacceptable and I and the issue were not going away quietly. I thought that was over then. I started receiving calls again while I was out of the office with several voicemails being left by Detroit. I thought they had changed their mind when they said they had an “exciting offer” for me. The offer was for the X-Plan to purchase a new vehicle at a low cost. This just goes to show how out of touch Ford is with their truck buying customers.
I have since received a check for half of the repair costs from the original Ford rep. It came through one of the local dealers with no stipulations about keeping quiet if I cashed it. I cashed it and am now making good on my promise to write this up for all to read on your site.
I feel Ford still owes me for the other half of the repair work and the cost of the rental car. This totals $3567. The rental car alone was almost $900.
At this point I think it is fair to say I will not be doing business with any of the Koons dealerships or the Jerry’s dealerships in the Washington, DC area, nor buying any more Ford products. They are dead to me. However, if they choose to respond to this posting in a positive fashion (e.g., money) I would be willing to write you with a positive update.
As an aside, it was very interesting to find out what the Better Business Bureau can, and cannot, do for you. Their response to my complaint letter said that since the mileage on my truck at the time was outside the initial warranty, they could not help me at all. Good to know what the scope of your interest is, BBB.
Thanks a lot for all you do for all of us consumers. It really helps.
Also, here are the email addresses of Ford executives which did NOT receive a delivery error:
Lbooth@Ford.com
Dleclair@ford.com
Bfowler@Ford.com
Pdaniel@ford.com
Dhazel@ford.com
Eford@ford.com
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I’ve had a 1996 Honda Civic LX for 2 years and haven’t had to fix one thing on the car.
@jhurley03: My 1996 Infiniti G20 has lasted almost 325,000 miles so far with two repairs not part of regular maintenance:
-Vehicle Speed Sensor
-Radiator
Had I not spent $400.00-500.00 a year in regular maintenance, you can be assured that the number of failed items would be far higher.
However, that does not mean every Infiniti is bulletproof. I’ve driven very reliable Fords and craptacular Audis – the point of this article is not that Fords are bad or anything else is good, but that getting the proper documentation when you have an unresolved problem of any kind is paramount in getting the best customer service.
Shouldn’t have cashed the check; that’s going to hurt you down the road.
@pat_trick:
Yeah, very bad move. Then to post all over the internet the exact details, including the fact that the OP knew that the check was offered as a full settlement based on the phone conversation. Nail in the coffin.
This is the problem with american cars. Ford could build the best car in the universe and price it $10,000 under their competitors and it still wouldn’t sell as long as their customer relations/service still sucks.
Back in the 80′s-90′s my brother and grandfather bought a couple of fords with some of those metallic paint jobs, you know the metallic blues & grays which began to peel after a year of standard use. Ford spent 2 years blameing my brother/grandfather for ruining the paint job and claiming it wasn’t under warentee, before they issued a recall because of the peeling paint.
Compare that to companies like Nissan who issued a recall on a van we used to own (fire hazzard), nissan purchased the van back at the current blue book price, Gave us a rental car for a month, and sent my parents another $500.00 check to purchase another vehicle from them.
American companies used to take pride & stand behind their product. These days it looks like they simply can’t afford to do the “right thing” as it’s too expensive so they hide behind the consumer and place the blame there.
It’s really a shame Ford hasn’t learned their lesson.
[www.nhtsa.dot.gov]
A good site to see if there are technical service bulletind (tsb) that may be relevant to your situation. You may also leave a complaint there of your own.
Also, have someone run an Oasis on your VIN. (Try asking at one of the Ford truck web sites, a lot of parts guys or techs are on there who will accomodate you). Oasis is the record system of all dealer work done on your truck, including warrantee claims, maintencance work, and “concerns” which are complaints you have about your vehicle that are recorded as a diagnosed problem or NPF, or no problem found.
Cheap aftermarket filters can damage your engine (there’s one brand in particular that has a really bad reputation), but if Ford says that one installed by Jiffylube is the culprit (which apparently is not true), then they should provide you with that documentation so you can file a claim with Jiffylube. JMO.
I’m sitting here trying to figure out how an aftermarket oil filter could even remotely cause a problem requiring a new cylinder head – it defies all logic. Of course the OP knows this the filters didn’t do it. It potentially could result in a valve train issue e.g. noisy lifter if the filter failed and allowed dirty oil to circulate, but that wouldn’t require a new head. In short, they’re giving the OP a bunch of bull.
Judging from the description of the problem and from the camshaft sensor the shop tried first, it is clear the original symptom was pinging due to pre-ignition. The camshaft sensor communicates the mechanical position of the valves and pistons to the powertrain control module (a.k.a. the computer) which regulates timing. Most engines also have a knock sensor which tells the computer the engine is pinging and that the computer should adjust timing of the spark to avoid the ping/knock. So, most likely the original cause was either the cam sensor, knock sensor, the computer, the wiring between the sensors and the computer or too low of octane fuel for the engine. I think your pickup should run fine on 87 octane fuel, but check the manual to make sure.
Preignition/ping over an extended amount of time can do very nasty things to the pistons, the head and sparkplugs. Severe cases over time can burn metal pits, even holes in the pistons and/or heads and burn away spark plug electrodes very quickly.
I don’t have anything else to add – I’m not part of the “blame the OP crowd”, so my suggestion is to go to your state’s attorney general’s office and see what they can do.
There are two problems here, the first is how liable is the first dealership for their incompetence in not diagnosing the problem AND for failing to record the customer’s complaint in the service records – they are supposed to do that.
The second is failing to honor either warranty under the bogus excuse about the oil filter. I’d like to see them try to defend that bull in court.
Unfortunately, the OP will probably have to go to civil court on this.
One thing I would have considered once they declined the warranty, I would have them put all the parts in the back of the truck and had it towed to a good independent mechanic to look things over and validate what the dealer had claimed. In short, get a second opinion. I tend to be very frugal and very suspicious of dealerships. If your independent mechanic doubts the story you got from Ford, you have the parts available to prove any legal claim vs. Ford.
The independent could probably fix the head, reasemble and reinstall the engine for much less than the dealer shop could. It is very possible that they could find a used, low-mileage replacement engine at a automotive recycler, save the money it would cost to fix and reassemble the old one and install the used one for far less than the $6200.
My 2002 Ford Ranger was supposed to be a super simple, super cheap vehicle to operate. And it has been, for me. But it wasn’t such a great investment for Ford. The truck only cost me $13,000, and in it’s measly 36,000 mi warranty period I ran up $5700 in repair bills. It’s run like a top since then, but it took 2 transmissions, 2 clutches, an additional 3rd gear, a near seatbelt harness(SCARY), two new rear view mirror pods, a new fuel pump, a new fan clutch, etc.
If I had not had that work done, this thing would be in the junk yard with the 100k it has on it now.
sorry John… I vowed never to buy American as I watched Mom’s Suburban go in for repair after repair, transmission, an axle thing, random shut down of electrical system and car while driving…meanwhile, Dad’s 93 lexus had nary a complaint, and is in fact still driving this day, with 178,000 miles on it. Repairs: replaced power window regulators, 150 dollars each (did labor myself), replaced hood and trunk struts (200 dollars, again a DIY). And oil changes. Things change, but my sweet baby never will.
GO GERMAN! They do it better.
@boxjockey68:
That may be true, but your $5000 Ford repair would have been at $15000 German repair.
@boxjockey68: If you are talking VW diesel I have to agree…
I want clarification if the guy is hearing a literal ping sound from the engine or if he’s hearing the sound of pre-detonation. When my old man was first teaching me about the finer points of auto repair he kept referring to predetonation as pinging, it confused me because it doesn’t sound like a ping. Knock is a much better term.
However, I really don’t see how a defective oil filter can cause either problem unless unfiltered oil left deposits in the combustion chamber that increased the compression ratio. The second the dealer said “we wouldn’t even cover this if a Motorcraft filter failed” you know he’s full of crap. Motorcraft is FoMoCo’s parts brand covering everything from oil filters to windshield wiper blades. If they won’t even cover a Motorcraft filter then tell me, what the heck else am I supposed to use? Engines kinda require an oil filter. That being said I absolutely HATE the Motorcraft filters I buy for my F250 Diesel. They have no means to grip them other than a strap wrench when you change the oil.
However, I do have to say, be a man, buy a drain pan and do your own oil changes. If you have a 4.6L V8 you just need a 16mm wrench, 5 qts of oil and a new Oil filter. That is for truck owners only. I’ll let car owners slide since nobody wants to work on a vehicle supported only by jackstands.
@MrEvil: I wouldn’t mind changing my own oil if I had an easy way of disposing the old oil.
@stopNgoBeau:
AutoZone (if you have one nearby) will take used oil.
Once I found that out, I stopped taking my cars to dealers and started changing my own oil again. Luckily I have an AZ nearby.
@MrEvil: i do the oil on my toyota solara w/o even jacking it – the casing bolt is only about 12″ in from the right front tire. easy peasy. ok, actually it’s a bit of a pain in the ass, but it saves me $20 (& i know it’s being done right).
only thing about dyi oil jobs – i know people who have had their warranties voided b/c of this. receipts proving purchase of supplies are supposed to cya, but if they’re giving you a hassle about the brand of filter you’re using, expect the same hassle (or worse) when they find out you did the work yourself.
Have had a FORD in my familys’ garage, for as far back as i can remember:
- dad had a ’56 or 57 Ford when i was a young kid.
– he bought a new Mustang fastback in ’67.
– Mom had a ’66 powder-blue Mustang power convertible
w/ Pony seats, a 289 V-8 and a ‘Cruise-O-Matic’
transmission (boy was i disappointed when i came
back from vacation one summer to find that it had
been traded for a piss-green ’73 Lincoln Marquis
Brougham [Brougham: apparently a british word for
'boat']).
– Dad bought a new ’69 Mach I Mustang – that he drove
off the showroom floor – and still has.
– in high school, i bought a ’59 Ranchero.
– Later, bought a beat-up ’66 Mustang that, after i
fixed it up, got hit and totaled after having it
on the road for less than 3 months.
– the end of my junior year in high school, bought a
red ’69 Mach I and drove the wheels off it through
college (over 265-thousand + miles).
– later, bought an ’82 Mustang from the California
Highway Patrol, which i drove for over
225-thousand miles.
– then i went off-the-reservation…and bought an ’86
Chevy S-10 pickup. Good truck till it hit
125-thousand. Then it aged like a asian hooker.
– a coworker offered to sell me his ’83 BMW 320i.
It is arguably the best car i’ve ever had (next to
my CHP Mustang). A JOY to drive, good sound
system, and though it had low horsepower compared
to my other cars, it had good torque, a
bullet-proof transmission, limited-slip
differential, and just hummed down the road – all
while getting 30 MPG.
3 years ago, purchased a new ’05 Toyota online and for some odd reason i can’t quite quantify, i don’t think i would go back to buying a new American-made car again.
The odometer on my ’91 Honda just turned to 213-thousand miles over the weekend.
Although it now needs new struts, it’s still getting me to work and back – while getting 38-42 MPG (depending on how i’m driving).
So sad to hear that Ford is NOT standing behind it’s “quality is job 1″ moniker that – now we realize is seemingly just another empty marketing slogan to sell people a product it doesn’t care to be proud of.
It’s odd – yet slightly funny to hear the word “Toyota” being mentioned in comparison, in the Ford commercials nowadays.
Bet ol’ Henry is busy turning over in his grave.
Not making any statement about Ford’s after market claims at all, but as a consumerist reader, why would you use Jiffy Lube?
[consumerist.com]
@SidusNare: If we all followed everything Consumerist posted, we wouldn’t be using almost any major national corporation.
It’s good to be knowledgable on the areas of bad customer service so that you can deal with it when it happens to you. However, banning certain chains will only lead to limiting your own options.
Save yourself some time and heartache. Contact a lawyer.
The only thing I can see you screwed up on is not keeping the inital pinging issue well documented. However even I would have probably done the same thing so I can’t fault you to much for doing that. We are all busy people and can’t document every little issue we have to deal with in our lives.
I own a Ford truck. I no longer deal with any of the Koons dealerships in MD. Here’s why. I’ve been meticulous about maintaining it and the truck has been good to me. I bout it used and have had it for almost 5 years now. It still runs great. I took it into Koons for regular servicing about 3 years ago. At the time, I mentioned a strange noise that seemed to be coming from under the truck. I was told I had an exhaust leak. I gave them the go-ahed to fix it. When I picked truck up, it sounded fine for about a day and then the noise started again. To make a long story short, Koons would never admit that they never fixed the problem and I had no way to prove it. Sadly, it’s not just Koons. I detest dealing with car dealerships in general. A mechanic friend used to work at one of the dealerships and he says that overbilling and misdiagonosing is rampant. It’s all about the bottom line.
My family always had Fords when I was growing up, but I knew I would never buy one. I used to work at a gas station that was next to a party store and when I was ion college. The Ford plant was less than a mile away and all the workers used to come in on their breaks or on their way home. I’d watch a good portion of them go to the party store and buy their booze, then come to my gas station and buy cigarettes and rolling papers. Plenty of them were drunk or high a good portion of the day. That’s when I decided I wouldn’t buy a Ford. I know that most of the workers were hard working and sober, but it only takes one idiot on the line to screw up an entire car. Along with that, I had a lot of friends whose parents worked at Ford (I grew up outside of Detroit). They used to always say how buying American isn’t really buying American because as they would watch the parts come down the line, they’d see that most of them were made elsewhere in the world. So you were really buying a non-American made car that was assembled in the U.S.
And to think, I was actually considering stopping by that dealership this weekend in my search for a new car. Good to know, I’ll steer clear.
@Echodork: I had two really horrible experiences with Koons in Falls Church–one in sales, one in service.
Anywhere else has to be better. I got great service (both sales and service) at the Sheehy Nissan in Manassas and Malloy Mazda in Woodbridge.
I have a 2005 Ford Explorer. It has less than 20000 miles on because I only drive it to work and a little shopping. For everything else we use my husband’s truck.
In the time I’ve had it we’ve had the transmission repaired twice, the AC once, the door lock system once. We took it on a trip this weekend and when we accelerated to pass the check engine light would come on. So looks like it’s going in again.
It’s still under warranty and I got the top of the line extended warranty so hopefully that will keep me covered until I pay it off and can get rid of it.
I sent a letter to the CEO regarding the extensive repairs I’d had done. It got passed down to a CSR who basically told me, “You got it fixed, didn’t you? What more do you want?”
as soon as i got that amount of flack i would have sold/traded in the truck at another ford dealer. after all, that is a “normal” engine noise is it not?
maybe they would have a nice chevy, or a tundra on the used side.
When Congress “lends” Ford, GM, and Chrysler billions of taxpayer dollars, your sphincter will tighten, your blood pressure will skyrocket. At this point say your mantra and
thank God you weren’t driving a Pinto when it was rear ended and burst into flames. Consuming that Ford driver in a ball of flame.
2 words….TOYOTA TUNDRA!
I at first had some kind of reservation about buying a foreign car, but now that American car companies make shit products then when they break down tell you that you are SOL.
I now own a Lexus… much better service all the way around.
It would be interesting to know ultimately what resolve the issue and what the actual issue was.
Sue them! You seem to have more than enough support for your story. Your car is under warranty and nothing, repeat nothing, in their story supports their story of why they claim the oil filter caused a pinging sound.
If it truly is pinging or detonation an oil filter wouldn’t cause this. Unless they’re somehow saying that the oil filter wasn’t passing oil (became blocked and the bypass failed) there’s very little an oil filter could do wrong. (Yes, it could allow dirty oil back into the engine but it wouldn’t cause the symptoms you describe.
I’d seriously talk to an attorney on this one. It sounds like it would be an easy case to win. (And I’d second the motion to get the local media involved.)
One more thing: Ford–I’ve taken you off my shopping list for my next car.
By the way, cashing the check usually means acceptance of resolution.
I monitor several webpages on behalf of Ford and I hope you don’t mind me posting a comment here. I do not expect to change anyone’s mind but it is interesting that the complainant was denied further assistance by both the Dispute Settlement Board and the BBB. Is it possible there is more to this story than what was presented?”
@fomocona: So your job for Ford is to spread FUD (fear uncertainty doubt) when you guys fuck up instead of solving people’s problems? Sounds like an awesome gig.
Updates, since I tried emailing these people.
Went Through:
Lbooth@Ford.com
Bfowler@Ford.com
Eford@ford.com
Failed:
Dleclair@ford.com – 550 Invalid recipient
Pdaniel@ford.com – 550 Invalid recipient
Dhazel@ford.com – 550 Invalid recipient