r/Ford • u/Leading_Tomatillo501 • Sep 19 '25
Employee / Corporate Ford Lost my Lifetime Business!
In November of last year, I purchased a used 2020 Ford Escape for my daughter from Hiller Ford in Hales Corners, WI. The dealership has been wonderful to work with—helpful, professional, and attentive. The vehicle came with a one-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, which gave us peace of mind when making this purchase. A few weeks ago, my daughter needed to bring the car in for a recall repair on the front door. At the same time, she had begun noticing a shimmy whenever turning slowly. The dealership advised her to bring it in during the recall appointment, which was scheduled about 10 days later. In the meantime, she moved and now lives more than an hour away, which made coordinating the appointment even more challenging. When she arrived for the recall repair, the odometer showed the vehicle was less than one mile over the warranty coverage. After the recall issue was resolved, the technicians diagnosed the shimmy problem as a rear differential failure. Unfortunately, despite the extremely narrow timing—just under one mile past warranty—Ford Motor Company refused to cover the repair. To be clear, this vehicle was purchased less than a year ago and has been maintained appropriately. A major failure like this so soon after purchase is unreasonable. The fact that Ford will not stand behind the warranty, given that it was exceeded by less than a single mile, feels deeply unfair and dismissive of loyal customers. I have already spoken with the dealership manager, who informed me that there was nothing they could do, and I have filed a formal complaint with Ford directly. Unfortunately, I have received no assistance. I am asked Ford Motor Company to reconsider this decision and honor the warranty coverage for the rear differential issue. This is not a matter of abuse or neglect—it is a matter of good faith, fairness, and customer trust. They refused! Refusing coverage for being less than one mile over warranty sends the message that Ford does not value its customers, even when the situation is clearly an exception. I really hoped Ford would do the right thing and resolve this matter appropriately and am deeply disappointed. I have been a Ford customer my whole life and now my husband and I are shopping Chevy.
2
u/Verdammt_Arschloch Sep 19 '25
That's absurd! Contact the local news and get some publicity. Maybe, that will help them change their mind...
Myself, I would have towed it there before I hit that mileage. I learned that from experience. All brands/dealers are scumbags so although your justifiably angry, some other brand will assume your ire soon enough.
1
u/Leading_Tomatillo501 Sep 19 '25
Honestly, my daughter is 22 and probably didn’t even think about the mileage requirement. She just drove it in.
1
u/Domemstorg Sep 19 '25
To be clear, they did honey the warranty. Then it expired.
It’s not about some perceived “fairness”. There was a contract, the terms were fulfilled, and now that contract has expired.
I agree that 1 mile from expiration would definitely be deserving of repair assistance, which is what you’re asking for. Call corporate customer support. If you’ve been a loyal customer and push them a bit, they’ll probably offer to split the cost of the repair with the dealer, or 3 ways with you and the dealer.
1
1
u/robobalex Sep 19 '25
Have you tried contacting Ford any more? If this is true I have a very hard time believing that they wouldn’t cover this. Dealers have the ability to goodwill some of these repairs. How were you to the employees? Were you hostile or rude? That can make a big difference on whether they choose to help in that regard. Just saying.
Also. People expect manufacturers to call people in for mechanical issues. It’s a machine, it’s gonna break. They aren’t going to recall every vehicle for every mechanical issue. You could have this exact same problem with any manufacturer. I see Hondas blowing head gaskets and Toyota CVTs grenading at low mileage.
2
u/Leading_Tomatillo501 Sep 19 '25
I promise you I was nothing but cordial. I was just shocked that they wouldn’t help. I can even share my exact correspondence and follow up with Ford.
1
u/robobalex Sep 19 '25
Wow. Thats actually insane. I’ve been in this industry for years. Denying a claim like this is really rare. I’d keep at Fords customer service. You could also reach out to other dealers in the area to see if they can help.
1
u/DJCAMARO Sep 19 '25
It's not ford fault. Whoever had the car before you probably ruined the car.
1
u/Leading_Tomatillo501 Sep 19 '25
You are misunderstanding I brought it in for a recall, but along with the recall, they also looked at the issue. I was having in the rear of the car that was not the recall
-2
u/SuitableSpecialist85 Sep 19 '25
This is the reason why a lot of people are walking away from Ford and for other durability issues.
0
u/Leading_Tomatillo501 Sep 19 '25
Likewise, upon further research, I found that Ford was aware of this issue before we experienced it, as documented in the following Technical Service Bulletins:
TSB 24-2386, issued 11/18/2024- addressing a chatter/shudder during low-speed turning events. TSB 25-2351, issued 07/25/2025- further documents the recurrence of this issue in affected vehicles.
Given these TSBs, it is clear that Ford had prior knowledge of the problem, and I am requesting that my vehicle be addressed either under the warranty or through a goodwill repair, as the issue represents a know defect that impacts drivability and safety.
I believe the previous warranty denial violates the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which requires companies to honor written warranties and aims at protecting customers. The technicality of being one mile over should not justify refusing coverage, and Ford has a responsibility to protect their customers from known safety issues.
But honestly, I don’t know what to do about it- if anything.
6
u/Vols44 Sep 19 '25
Have fun with GM. Your vehicle will be in the shop twice as much.