I never said I didnt like my truck, I love it. But the dealer could and should be more helpful to those that do have problems because there are plenty of problems. Now I for one have spent countless hours at the dealership wasting time, Ive spent atleast 5 days there, all day waiting for something they said would take an hour. Its BS and until you have experienced that you cannot tell me anything.

Im not expecting perfection out of my truck, but asking for a truck that runs and stops is not being unreasonable! Mine was in for complete brake system failure with only 3000miles. Now your telling me that its not big deal and calling me a whiner because my brake system failed?! Thats a major concern. So dont talk to me until you wise up a bit.

 

I sympathise with all those who have problem with their vehicle. I hate it too when I have trouble with my vehicles. And I am sure everyone here in the forum will listen to your problem and try to advise, help in any way we can.
But to me, the truth of the mater is that, for your one broken vehicle, I have two Fords that are running strong - not one bit of problem. So, while you say that quality for Ford sucks, I say they are the epitome of quality.
There are so many different means of quality control - there is ISO which requires that there should be processes and then there is six sigma, which measures the process itself and not just make sure that there is a process. It actually measure the quality of process. General Electric and Motorola are two companies that comes to my mind that uses Six Sigma. Even Six Sigma defines that there should be only one defect in one million final product. That is not 100% either - it is more like 99.999%. Well, Ford may not be at Six Sigma level, but the point here is that out of the 500,000 or whatever vehicle they produce, there is bound to be a defective unit.
Now, whether Ford Dealer is treating you right or not, that's a whole another story.

 

My dealership doesn't have a large number coming to their service department. They sell all Ford/Mercury products and the whole MOPAR line and they don't have any greater number of F150 problems (as a percentage of sales) than they do any of the other products. The actual raw number will be greater simply because they sell more of them.

 

Hey Powerman88 (Does crotch chop to Sarge.) Thats not called for and this post was not to have other posters bash eachother for making a statement or sharing an opinion. As I stated in a later post I will buy another FORD when I get this one figured out and in 3 years when I look for a replacement truck it will be a FORD. I am not a kid and I am not whining. Just because it hasnt happened to you doesnt mean there are not defective units out there. This post was started to express and OPINION because this is after all a free state and this is what this web site is all about. And if you were paying attention to everything else everyone has posted in this thread IT IS THE DEALERS RESPONSABILITY TO KEEP THE CUSTOMER INFORMED AND TO WORK WITH THE CUSTOMER AND FORD TO MAKE IT RIGHT. Like I have stated this to me is a major concern becuase I am driving around in a Focus while my BRAND NEW truck is having a cam replaced. Sorry that I have offended you, and you took it as a personal attack. All this was post was to bring up the fact that there is a definiate lack of appriciation on the dealers part after the sale. I will say it again I Love this and the other 3 FORD trucks I have owned and when I get this one back I will continue to love it with or hopefully without anymore major problems. Powerman88 it was a cheap atack and we are supposed to be here to help eachother when there are problems not throw stabs at eachother. I did my research when FORD bought back my SD and the F-150 is #1 in a lot of areas and i think its a great truck even sitting in the shop right now. I Just had 2 bad experiences in a row. Just have a little bit of a sour taste. I know that the folks in the 6.0 forums were a little nicer than some of the things written in this post. Lets get back to the reason we are all apart of the best site on the web... help and support.

Thanks, Sarge

 

Sorry Sarge, but neither does GM. I had a 2002 Chevy Avalanche with the 5.3 L Vortec. Loved the truck, but at 6K miles the engine would knock like hell at startup for the first 2 minutes when the temperature was below 45 degrees. It is a common symptom among GM trucks, called "piston slap" and was so loud you could hear it a half a block away until it finally warmed up. GM said "there is no problem" and will not fix it. By 23 K miles, I had enough and sold it. I have the 04 F 150 (base XL), and am fairly satisfied, but if you read this forum, it has its share of problems as well. If this doesn't work out or develops a problem Ford won't fix, it is history also. Next up will be a Tundra. It is a damn shame the US manufacturers are treating customers so badly. It is the customer service (or lack of it) that is driving so many of us to the foreign manufacturers. I've had more than 25 new cars and trucks over the past 40 years and far and away, the foreign manufacturers treat the customer better than any US manufacturer's dealer. It's time they treat the customer with respect and fix the problems, not try to convice us "there is no problem".

 

It just must be the Ford dealerships in my area, but if I call and make an appointment for anything they are more than happy to check anything I think may not be right. I have not had any major issues (knock on wood), but I'm certain if I did there wouldn't be a fight put up by the local dealerships that others on here seem to be experiencing. I have owned vehicles from all different manufacturers (ford, chevy. dodge, toyota, nissan, etc.), and Ford does as good of a job as any in terms of service for me...

The last truck I had was an 02 Silverado, and it's tranny went out at 18k miles, and again at 31k miles. The service was fine for it too, but no way was I sticking with it to see if it'd go out again at 40something miles. Should I have expected it to be fine after it was fixed the first time..sure-was it? NO. After the second time? It seemed fine, but why risk it. Point? I've had vehicles that just seemed problem prone, and others (92 F150 w/I6 300) that never had a single thing wrong with them (136k miles - 1 alternator, that's it).

No car/truck is perfect, but when you find a good one...hang on to it.

 

based on experience i would rather deal with a ford dealer than a toyota dealer. ford at least gets the work done for the most part, toyota drags there feet and hesitates. very stingy company.

 

Like I said I am not in anyway ready to give up the truck that i have just bought... not yet. I am giving the dealer the chance to make it right because I love the truck I bought. I am sure that if the dealer had treated me right and addressed my concern and didnt act like I was lying about having a problem then maybe this thread would not have been started. I will not buy a Chevy been there with the tranny failures, I wont buy a forein truck or even a Dodge. I think and the J-D power FACTS posetd above prove that Ford builts a damn good truck.. but remeber those facts are initial quality facts and has nothing to say about the way a customer is treated in the service drive. Thats all I am upset about. I think that given my circumstance I may fell that I should have been treated a little differently especially after just have my previous truck bought back.

I WILL STAT THIS... I LOVE MY 06 F150, FOR THE SHORT TIME THAT I HAD IT, AND I WILL BUY ANOTHER FORD WHEN IT IS TIME FOR REPLACEMENT.

Sarge

 

All these difficulties are perfectly reflected in the fact that both Gm and Ford are each going to be laying off 30,000 employees and closing 9 or 10 plants each in the forthcoming months. Meanwhile, Toyota is poised to become the nations largest automaker and Honda is getting up there also. This also jibes with the fact that if you check consumer reports Toyota and Honda are at the top of the charts and where is GM? The same place they've always been-at the bottom(along with Volkswagen). These ratings come from millions of people that take the time to tell how happy or un-happy they are with their vehicle. They got to the bottom the old fashion way-they earned it. For years I listened to GM reps say that the quality difference is only a "perception". What a load of bull. The real problem is their paying assembly line workers too much and have been for years and health care costs alone add $1500 dollars to the price of a car. All that money has to come from somewhere-they take it out of the quality of the car cause it cant come from anywhere else!!! I used to buy American, but then I had the experience like the folks above and it's Toyota for me and have never had a single problem since. It really galls me to see people make excuses for them-there is no excuse other than mismanagement. American automakers focus on "How can we get them to buy it?' What trick or advertising gimmick will work? That's how they measure success. The Japanese figured out if they give a quality car then success will follow-wow-what a novel idea? Here's something to think about; In Japan, if an assembly line worker slacks off or doesnt do a good job the union disciplines him, not management. In this country the union would work overtime to protect a laggard. In Japan, they are so committed to building good cars that that the employees frequently prefer to spend their vacations at work. Sure it sounds sick, but who would you want to build your car? I'll take a devoted fanatic anyday. There was a time when Gm built the best cars in the world; that was when we were the only smart ones and the rest of the world was just a bunch of idiots. Well now they have caught us and we are on our way to being the idiots. I dont know what will become of the American auto industry, but they will get my money if and when they get it right.

 

AMEN.AMEN,AMEN. it doesnt matter if you spent $40 on the truck if you only get 233 miles out of it. Ford needs to get off their butt and make it right. i dont think you rebuild that you buy it back. is there not a so many mile backout option or something. i know the state of alabama gives you 3 days to change your mind i'm not sure about in your case.
Brother i feel for you. i still like ford everything breaks but fords do tend to go alittle longer than 200 miles before they break ouuucccccchhhhhh!!!!!!!

 

silver you cant tell him nothing. what he says makes sence {to him!}. i dont think he realizes theres people that has small problems and never mention it never get it fixed. i dont no how many members are here driveing 04 - 05 but there has been alot of nicknakes-to major problems so we know that the toll can'nt be 99.9% taking poll dont work cause everyone doesnt reply. surves dont work neither.

true story: every time ford worked on my 05 {i was happy} i got a call a day or so later the lady asked if i was happy and if i wanted to do i surve well next day in the mail there it would be. this last time i said i wasnt because it should'nt have taken 2 days to change sparkplugs she asked if i wanted a surve i said yes, i still have'nt gotten it.

i noticed this guy has a thing for crotches.

 

That's because CR is a car magazine who gives more credence to the placement of cupholders and how low to the ground the vehicle is. The more cupholders and lower to the ground, the better they think! They haven't the slightest idea on what a truck should be. I am still right about Ford. The Ford F150 is rated the best for quality. Switching to a Toyota or Honda may make you "feel" good, but it won't increase quality.

 

I hear you there Powerman88. I don't know how many reports/reviews I've seen on trucks that mentioned how it drove too much like a truck...well, sorry but I can't work out of a Lexus RX330. I need the truck. So it won't corner like a BMW M5, or the new Z06. It also doesn't cost $80K, and SURPISE, it's not a car. If Honda made a true 150 size truck with a 1.8L 4 cylinder that got 35 mpg, and handled like an Accord it'd be ranked the BEST TRUCK EVER!!! by the consumer groups. Doesn't matter if it couldn't pull the smallest Uhaul, or was rated for no more that 500lbs cargo in the bed. They'd say the 1.8L was spirited and preppy, and that the 160HP it produces should be more than enough for anyone. The ergonomics inside the cab would of course be flawless (even though they don't take into account that some folks that drive these vehicles are over 6' tall). And on and on...

 

Way to go!! I think the same thing, only difference is it's year-round that I think it.

kudos

 

grock,

Same boat with the Avalanche. I'm basically a Ford man, but I did love the concept of the Avalanche. In early '03 I bought my wife a brand new '03 Trailblazer and myself a left over new '02 Av Z71. I keep the oil changed in all my vehicles and that's all I've done to the '03 TB. It has been PERFECT. OTOH, the Av would have the STRONGEST burning smell when in AWD or 4WD. Limited slip nor 4WD actually worked. Before the house next door was built, I was on the phone and missed my driveway by 5ft. Decided to sit there 'til off the phone. It was wet and when I tried to take off, I was stuck. Put it in 4WD and only the back rear tire spun. Had to get the TB to pull me 5ft. It also wouldn't go in reverse so I had to plan ahead when parking. Midgate leaked too. I was very patient 'cause a friend owned the dealership and I did the tax return. (Put food on my table I returned favor - main reason to switch to Chevy) I traded that '02 Av on an '04. I drive a lot of miles per year. I had 7600 miles on it and right at 20K on a Suburban lender. When I had my limit they didn't even quarrel with me, gave me every penney back and put it on the '04. I had the '04 2 months. I average 2K/month miles and had 420 miles on it when I got fed up with it. The brakes would just quit like the computer quit sending them a message to stop. I picked it up at the shop on Fri afternoon for a new intermediate and just coasted thru a stop light causing one he!! of a wreck. No one hit my Av but I was the cause. Had my '04 FX4 Screw that night.

I have had either extremely good service out of my Ford OR the probs with the Av were so bad, the little ticks and vibes of the Ford seem like a laughing matter.LOL!

I had a Toyota back in mid 90's and the engine blew at 64K. When new, the engine would die everytime AC was on. Dealer worked on it, then it ran funny. Called dealer well before 60K limit. They asked questions and I guess figured out my average miles and scheduled an app when they knew I'd be out of warranty. When I mentioned this, they assured me it would be OK since I called BEFORE warranty was out. Take it in to service at 62K, sorry outta warranty. Engine blew a month later. Toyota left me dangling. Toyota may build a PERFECT truck now or in the future. Me, I hold a grudge and will never buy a Toyota again.

Anything unfortunately is a crap shoot.

Brad