After purchasing my 2004 F150 on 12/2/2006, it has been in the shop twice and needs to go in a third time, all for the same issues - engine knock and vibration. This last time it was in they had it for 3-days and said they could find nothing wrong. I am posting my letter to them here for comment. Please note that I am keeping their name secret at this point to see what their response is.


1/15/2007



Mr. Larry ****


Customer Relations Manager

******** Ford




RE: 2004 Ford F150

VIN#: *****************

Purchase Date: 12/2/2006



Dear Mr. ****,



Having been a loyal Ford customer for nearly 30-years I specifically chose the above vehicle over a similarly equipped and priced competing product. My dealings with Ford Motor Company, through both the products they manufacture and dealerships which represent them, have been pleasant and with a high level of confidence. However my recent dealings with ******** Ford have not been as pleasant as I had hoped, and my confidence in the dealership is slipping.



The issue centers on two problems with the vehicle that I brought to the attention of ******** Ford on December 6, 2006. I spoke with Pete ************ regarding an engine knock, and a vibration when driving. The mechanic (Bryan) listened to the knock and identified it as being related to the cam phaser on the right side of the motor. The parts were ordered and after a few days the vehicle was in the shop to be repaired.



Due to my work schedule it was late Friday before I could pick up the vehicle. I was told that the knock had been fixed, but that the vibration was likely tires, and that I should take it someplace like Les Schwab. (These are new tires at time of purchase put on by ******** Ford.)



Nevertheless, I go to Les Schwab and spend $50 to learn that the vibration is not caused by the tires. However, I do learn that the left rear corner of the truck bed bounces in sympathy with the vibration where the right rear corner does not. There is no indication of a bad shock and no wheel-bounce.



The engine knock remains and is audible from a cold start as well as after completely warming the engine. Again I bring the vehicle to ******** Ford (my 3rd trip from ********* to have these problems addressed), and Bryan again hears the knock I refer to. Arrangements are made to let the shop have the vehicle for a few days to diagnose and repair the problems. I return (4th trip from *********), and am given a loaner vehicle for this time and fully expected to have the issues resolved when I received the vehicle back. Unfortunately, such is not the case.



My wife received a call just before 7pm from Pete on Friday, December 29th 2006 saying that the vehicle is ready to be picked-up. She asks if the problems have been resolved, and Pete tells her that after 3-days they are unable to identify the cause either problem. Further, Pete tells her that I can either pick up the vehicle that night, or wait until the following Tuesday as ******** Ford will be closed until then. Pete also says that he is on his way out the door and I can leave him a message regarding when I want to get the vehicle. (If Pete is leaving, how will he know if I will get the vehicle that night or wait until Tuesday? Does ******** have someone monitor the voice mails of their employees when they are not there?) Once again I make arrangements to drive from ********* to retrieve the vehicle, which is still not repaired, late on a Friday night.



******** Ford knew I was coming (the cashier had the key), and I took the vehicle home. The following morning I see something hanging down under the rear of the vehicle. I crawl under and see a long rubber tube from the left side of the differential hanging near the ground. I called to inform ******** Ford of the problem and was told that it is just a vent hose, that I can fix it myself, and “we’re sorry for the inconvenience.”



At this point I am quite frustrated with ******** Ford’s inability to properly diagnose and repair either the engine knock or the vibration. Further, the fact that the vehicle wasn’t completely and properly reassembled prior to being returned to me has my confidence in ******** Ford slipping significantly.



I therefore took the vehicle to another Ford dealership in the hope that they would be more skilled at diagnosing and resolving these issues. After explaining the issues to the service manager and leaving the vehicle with them for just a few hours, they have identified the vibration as being a driveline issue (TSB 04-25-8), and said that the engine knock is likely “spark-knock”, perhaps caused by the old style plugs still being in place.



If that is true, then the plugs should be replaced under the original warranty (since they are the cause of the problem) and the engine thoroughly checked for damage and the appropriate action taken. If the plugs are absolutely not the problem, then ******** Ford should be competent enough to properly diagnose and repair the engine knock under the original warranty and in good faith. The same is true of the vibration.

It is still possible for ******** Ford to turn this circumstance into a positive experience. All it will take is for ******** Ford to properly diagnose and properly repair the vehicle I purchased from you in good faith and under warranty. It is my sincere hope that you are of the same mind, and that no further escalation of this matter will be necessary. I look forward to working with you to satisfactorily resolve this matter.




Sincerely,



******** ******

Unless there is some compelling reason not to send the letter it will be mailed out tomorrow.


Anon E. Mouse

 

Well, that sucks. Hopefully you get it resolved. And just to let you know, you are not allowed to reveal the name of the dealership. They are not here to defend theirselves so you could be lying. You probably aren't but we can't allow everyone to come on here and talk badly about businesses. If we did then this website would be full of stories. Thanks for your co-operation.

-Matt

 

Sorry to hear about your problem, dealer issues like this can be very frustrating. Sound like the second dealership is at least a bit more competent than the first. Keep fighting the good fight and keep us updated.

 

What engine do you have?
Vibrations/shake can be caused by tire problems that may not show up in balancing, like belt separation. The tires must be checked for roundness. A different kind of shake, like a fast shudder, can be caused by driveline problems. Sometimes a two-piece driveshaft will be out of phase and can be corrected by taking it loose and turning it 180 degrees. There are many other possible causes for a shake in the truck not related to the engine. Raise the hood and run the engine to see if it visibly shakes - it probably doesn't.
Also, Ford stated with my 2007 that the tires may give some symptoms until fully warmed up, because they are 'high-performance' tires - on a base XL! This means the tires will 'flat-spot' in cold weather and take several miles to correct. I hope they get the engine right for you, but you may have to figure out the vibration for yourself.

 

No problem. I'm not here for that.

 

How did the truck sound when you bought it compared to now?

 

There is a TSB to isolate engine knocking to the failing component. Wondered if they fiollowed it?

 

Gentlemen,

As these things tend to go, my frustration is with the lack of care and concern for the issues I'm having with the vehicle expressed by the dealer. In short, their response amounts to simply saying "beats me" and puts the ball back in my court. The dealer is over 40-miles from my home and making transportation arraingements is not an insignificant issue for us, especially due to my working a split-shift. I don't believe that "I dunno" is an appropriate response to these issues. The letter will go into the mail today and we'll see what the response is. I really do not enjoy this sort of stuff, but will escalate the issue if I must.

The main reason I posted the letter was to perhaps get some dispassionate feedback on on the content and tone of it. It was not for the purpose of beating-up on an entity not available to mount a defense. However, that was not made clear in my original post.

Question: When such an issue between a customer and a dealer is escalated to the Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center, how seriously does Ford take these things?

Anon