thank you preppy pyro! i didnt meant to sound disloyal, but i agree that ford has problems that could be fixed!

IF ITS MAN MADE ITS GUNNA BREAK! but like you said, when a toyota or honda breaks, they address it quicker and with less hassle than ive experienced with my couple of ford problems....


now that i got all that off my chest, i could go on all day about my buddies 265k mile 89 bronco that was used and abused & that 302 AND aod made it that long before any problems, my 22 year old f150 thats never left me stranded, or the several 300 sixes ive heard about that were run out of oil, and ran 50k + miles with no problems.....

like i said in my first post, i love the products, just not the greedy clowns in the customer service dept

 

Wow, they went THAT far without oil?

(I know what you meant, and dearly loved the 300 in my '78 F100 stepside which I bought new)...

And I agree with Red Ford Truck's points...a BUNCH. Working with customer service all the way through the organization would go a long way. In their early days, this was one of Saturn's claims to fame (yeah, they broke a lot, but the dealers were really nice to you when you came in).

Quality and Customer Service together is, I think, the whole answer.

George

 

That's pretty much how I feel about our Toyota. It did break down once, the water pump bearing went out at 58,000, 2000 miles from the warranty end.

It was fixed no questions asked in less than 24 hours. I was shocked at how fast they got it done.

If it wasn't for me not really liking the styling of the newer Toyotas and that you can get a late model Explorer loaded for dirt cheap, I wouldn't look anywhere else for a car or SUV.

Mike

 

Never had any customer service problems in 31 years of Ford ownership so all of that is kind of lost on me. Actually never had any problems that required hiring a mechanic, come to think of it, just simple stuff like brake jobs and starter or alternator replacement (knock on wood). Truth is that Toyota and Honda haven't had such a sterling record for 20+ years. Maybe those of you in the more temperate regions didn't notice it but up here in Big Snow Country we did, and it wasn't all that long ago that any Japanese vehicle was a rust bucket in short order. Not to mention Toyota's various cam and engine problems. The point of this is perception and Toyota and Honda have done a fantastic job winning this battle. Look closely at a Toyota or Honda ad next time you see one on TV and really focus on their message. That is exactly the same message Ford now needs to send out. And if Ford's customer service truly sucks (again, I wouldn't know), they had damn well better get that fixed!

 

My 2000 has taken 2 engines to get to 100,000 miles.

The other medic at our firehouse had his 06 5.4 rebuilt at around 30-40K because of an injector failure. It was a 2-3 month job.

I see customer service problems all the time with our work vehicles. Try 2 months for a new 6.4 diesel when it failed in our ambulance. Then when we got it back, it has a new clunk/rattle in the front end, the air horns didn't work, and the dome light (which is actually a big deal to us) would sometimes work and sometimes not.

So not only did it take forever to get our $140K vehicle back, it came back with new problems. Our vehicle service dept fixed the air horns, so that cost the taxpayer even more $$$ out of pocket. Who knows when/if the clunking will ever get fixed or the dome light.

I haven't even gotten into the 6.0s we have.

Now I don't live in "big snow country" but I do live where we throw a lot of salt and I haven't seen any more foreign vehicles rusting than the domestics. I know that my 2000 has more rust than our 2002 Toyota. I know my 1994 F150 was rusting in the same place that almost every other one rusted and my 1987 Ranger had plently of rusted through body panels.

Now my friend's 1990 Corola SR5 had little if any rust.

So I'll give you that the 70s era foreign cars may have rusted a little more than domestics, but from the 80s on, it's been just as bad for both sides.

So from my experience with Toyota and Ford, Toyota has been winning the perception battle with real substance. Ford should do the same thing. Don't only say, do.

Mike

 

Mike I remember the ambulance posts you made a few weeks ago. It's a shame that a series of $7000.00 engines would fail. Ford needs to get this diesel thing under control. I will counter with this.

Toyota is on it's 3rd generation of 1/2 ton trucks and still haven't really got it down yet. Whats the likelyhood that Toy or Honda will ever build a 3 ton chassis for ambulance or other commercial use? Given thier latest FUBAR on the Tundra, will it be any better than Ford? Honda can't even build a truck. Thier gutless wannabe gets what, 18 MPG's? My neighbor has one. His most proud feature is the built in ice bin with a factory drain hole!

I believe the 6.0's are crap from jump street. I believe the failure of your 6.4L is a fluke.

I grew up in Maine and still visit fairly regularly and all the import cars are rusting just as fast as anything else on the road.

The only that this topic has truely brought to light is that Toy and Honda customer service is outstanding and Ford's is inconsistant.

Tim

 

I totally agree that the 6.4 failure was a fluke. To be honest, I'm in love with the 08 SD. It's a 1.5 ton truck that drives like a Lincoln. But the customer service was atrocious. It's one thing to take 2 months to fix. It's another when it comes back with more problems. This has been the straw that broke the camel's back. Our next rig is a GM 4500. We buy one every 2 years, do the math on lost sales from us alone.

Now as far as Tundra goes, I know several people that love them. Really the only major issue I've heard of is the tailgate problem. The cam and transmission problems were handled quiet well IMO and I haven't heard anything about the tailgates in some time. Now for an ambulance, probably not in the near future as Toyota is primarily a car company IMO and will still focus there.

Mike

 

so i think to answer the origonal question we are mostly in agreeance

to any ford reps reading this...........

CUSTOMER SERVICE, CUSTOMER SERVICE, CUSTOMER SERVICE!

 

I hate to make this my first post, but so it goes.

My family drives all fords. My wife and I I had a civic. Great car. The thing only ever gave us 1 real issue- it had a coolant leak, leaked all the way out (memory serves me right), sitting in a fast food line with my baby (at the time) in it....a/c running. It still never completely overheated. Got a little coolant- drove it home- mid-summer. Rest of the time it ran like a top. Bought it used with over 100k. The engine comparment looked like a bunch of plastic junk crammed in a small hole that I couldn't work on. But it did it's job and did it top notch.
After I started hauling flatbed over the road, I saw enuff accidents, we wanted something bigger. ....Bought a used Toyota Sequia with 85k on it. Took it for service at Toyota of Ardmore. TOP NOTCH SERVICE. These guys got you in quick, they ran out to the truck to get it in. (when's the last time you saw that?)....fixed anything that fell under the factory issue - FREE. The thing still drives like new, interior is top notch, gets decent milage, body in great shape, everything is perfect. One down fall, some 'braking computer' crapped out - that cost allot.
Sadly, I'll be keeping my wife and kid in a Honda/Toyota....untill something proves me otherwise. I'm trying to get my mom to sell her 2 taurus and some other american junk she has, and buy a Toyota Highlander.
I'm guessing that Toyota isn't asking for a handout from the government. I read an article that they don't have private jets, don't pay unioun wages, and are making cuts in their racing department to survive the hard economic times. I'm guessing that Ford and the others problems go all the way thru. They need a change and bad. A real restructure from management to product. I hate to say this, but if I buy another truck for myself- as it stands- it will be a Tundra.

I love my grandpa's 64, it is a piece of family/American history, and has been a good truck- or he proably wouldn't have kept it. It has held up great and still runs great. But, what can you do now?

 

That is truly sad, fortunately for Ford the majority of the posters to this thread are not to your level of frustration or resignation with Ford Motor Company and many including myself will buy Ford again and in Wendell case and again and again etc..........

My hope when starting this thread was perhaps someone of vision and intelligence at Ford who is not a Suit but a true Car guy or girl will read these posts and perhaps get inspired to fix what ails the Ford Motor Company.

So perhaps it's time as has happened in the past for Ford to find a hero to bring them back to their past glory.

I know a little corny but I enjoy driving my 1979 Bronco and really I would like to one day be able to buy something new to drive that pleases me that much.

The 1979 Bronco recipe for success, Ford set out to build the best all round 4x4 period.

And without compromise the did, solid front axle, boxed front frame, bullet proof transfer case and "9" inch rear end, top comes off and people loved it.

Aside from the recent Mustang Ford has not pulled this feat off in a long time.

Rick.

 

I got FORD in my tummy who cares if it is a weird thing . IT'S ALL GOOD AS LONG AS IT'S FORD.

 

Oh no!....I'm glad to have not offended anyone with my opionion.
I definately would buy Ford again....if there were major changes. I much prefer to buy American and prefebly Ford. In the family there are 3 tarus, 1 exploder, 1 64 f100, and that's only between 3 households.
We are a Ford family, without even speaking it amongst us. But I have strayed and am glad I did. Sadly.

These guys need to get back to their roots and build a quality product again. I can see the differnce in our Sequia. Ford needs to go back to when they made a product people could count on, period. My grandfather was a hard working man....all the way to when he passed. He didn't waste money. He bought new and kept that 64 f100 for a reason. Ford needs to get to building a product again that is what it should be;
-the second largest single investment besides the house. (within reason).
-the product you count on all year round to get your wife/kids were their going, without fail.
-the product with a quality safety rating.

They need to make a product like they did back in the day, when that truck was what a working man depended on day in day out.....no exceptions.

It seems that even the companies who make vehicles see them as something to depreciate and be traded off in 5 years. My family doesn't work that way. We buy a vehicle and expect that with appropriate maintance it will run. And we don't trade it in in 5 years.....we run it tell it won't anymore. People will pay for a quality product, as seen by Toy/Honda higher resale value.

So in awnser to your question, yes....surely with a good turn around, I'd buy Ford. The bad part is that once you lose reputation, you have to strive to not only regain it- but build it again.

I'll keep my family in Toyota because I have more faith in their current product. If you set all our Fords out and our Toyota and said, "Load up, pick your ride, and your little one is going too." Sadly, as it stands, you know which one I'm taking.
Thank you for starting this thread, I'm glad you did.

 

It is nice to see folks are giving honest and I feel fair opinions as they see it pro and con.

As I said with luck the right eyes will see this thread and this website and maybe make some much needed changes to the Ford Motor Company and others.

Cheers, Rick.

 

well i know ive made my point. CUSTOMER SERVICE

but let me make this point.....I BLEED FORD BLUE. I OWN NOTHING BUT. AND I HAVE NO PLANS TO BUY NOTHING BUT FORD. I LOVE THEIR STYLING, DEPENDABILITY, POWER, AND INNOVATION.


I WILL NEVER STOP BUILDING SMALL BLOCK FORD V-8'S OR 460'S

 

Rick, welcome to FTE! Thanks for the constructive comments. Toy and Honda have created a model that should / could be emulated by all. It's been clearly illustrated on this thread that their cars do break but the customer service claims, be it warranty or otherwise are handled much more efficiently and with the attitude that the service department is also a strong component of the sales team.

I believe that with some research you'll find that the Fusion is a fantastic mid sized car that is second to no one in overall quality. That trend is convecting throughout the product line. The '09 F-150 bests the Tundra in all aspects of light trucks for the exception of 0-60 racing times.

Tim