Got a Lemon.... Make Lemonade?

[heffneil]

Service Manager told me I am NOT one of the 100 people affected by the latest bulletin by ford but I suspect there are actually more than 100.

Still working with Ford on the buy-back. I think ultimately I am going to leave the Ford family. The product has less, costs more, and I am just not prepared to spend more. They keep telling me they have no control of the rates but I am trying to explain its going to cost me $2000 more just to finance the same thing over again and that isn't my fault! I also tried to explain that paying $5,000 MORE for the same truck is distasteful for me.

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[heffneil]

If it wasn't for bad luck I would have no luck at all!

The dealer replaced several modules on my truck and re-assembled. The one module won't take firmware - its corrupt. Ford has instructed them to replace it again. In order to do so they have to drop the battery pack again

 

[jazzmanmonty]

Remember when we all waited about 10 months from when we reserved our trucks? We survived. Patience is key my friend. I would not let them do a buyback if i wasnt forced to. Bitch some more and have them upgrade you to a better loaner. Tell them this one is giving you back spasms. There's no reason to take a loss with the buyback and having to buy a new truck. Let them get the job done, then worst case list it online where you can get more money for it or trade it in somewhere else after. At this point I'm sure Ford will make them keep fixing it until its done right. It's still under warranty so the next person will be covered. Anyway, even though they are trying to downplay the battery issue now, i have a feeling ALOT of us are going to be in the shop by years end when they dig deeper and find the issue.

In the time being, consider yourself a gift from above...because of your undesireable situation, Ford, their engineers, and a bunch of incompetent mechanics are forced to learn how to fix the issue..which in turn will save the lives of other owners. Let me be the first to say thank you for your sacrifice!

 

[Akbrian]

So the dealership in Va will sell me the platinum for sticker. The problem is it's a 2023 - and 5k more. So I have to transport the truck, pay 5k more, and finance that 5k more at a higher rate which is already 2,000 dollars more than what I was originally paying! Also the 2023 has less stuff in it right? I know the heated steering wheel is gone. Anything else missing from 2022 platinum to 2023 platinum?


Seems like a bad deal?

On a replacement it is MY MSRP to new MY MSRP and ford can throw in an “adjustment”. Shipping a replacement vehicle is not your problem or cost from one dealer to another. The spreadsheet and offer are a mess to follow. I lemon lawed an 18 with 16000 miles on it. I got a brand new 19 with all the same options and the tech package my truck didn’t have. Didn’t have any loans I ended up writing a check for $1000 they gave me the 19 and the title and we were done. The 19 MSRP was about $5500 more than my 18 and I got to put 16000 miles on. It depends on your state what you are legallly entitled to and can ask for.

my only advice is to refuse the first offer and give them an idea of what you might accept. They will use time and their lack of communication in their favor.

 

[heffneil]

Remember when we all waited about 10 months from when we reserved our trucks? We survived. Patience is key my friend. I would not let them do a buyback if i wasnt forced to. Bitch some more and have them upgrade you to a better loaner. Tell them this one is giving you back spasms. There's no reason to take a loss with the buyback and having to buy a new truck. Let them get the job done, then worst case list it online where you can get more money for it or trade it in somewhere else after. At this point I'm sure Ford will make them keep fixing it until its done right. It's still under warranty so the next person will be covered. Anyway, even though they are trying to downplay the battery issue now, i have a feeling ALOT of us are going to be in the shop by years end when they dig deeper and find the issue.

In the time being, consider yourself a gift from above...because of your undesireable situation, Ford, their engineers, and a bunch of incompetent mechanics are forced to learn how to fix the issue..which in turn will save the lives of other owners. Let me be the first to say thank you for your sacrifice!

Thanks for the kind words. I didn't really think I would be a guinea pig - I am no dissatisfied with the explorer really - what is interesting is that this isn't a super high trim explorer and it has distance based cruise control where others charge a huge premium for it to get you to reach for the higher trim (GM and BMW).

I can't complain about my service center. They are doing everything that they can with Fords help. I wouldn't mind hearing from a technician from Ford. My service manager said that there are maybe 20 engineers in this thread contributing on their service communicator.

The problem is confidence. Putting myself, my family, and anyone else on the road in jeopardy driving this truck. Im concerned at this point that a module is bad, and the new one isn't really better just new. Meaning they are all potentially ticking time bombs and I'm not trying to be inflammatory or conspiracy theorist about this. I would like to know "yeah those modules had an issue" or "the software was changed to fix X, Y and Z". Will that boost confidence? Yes - but it will always linger in the back of my mind.

In other news GMC is offering 2.9% financing. The one dealer has a denali - but they wants $2500 OVER sticker and I'm telling them to shove it

 

[heffneil]

On a replacement it is MY MSRP to new MY MSRP and ford can throw in an “adjustment”. Shipping a replacement vehicle is not your problem or cost from one dealer to another. The spreadsheet and offer are a mess to follow. I lemon lawed an 18 with 16000 miles on it. I got a brand new 19 with all the same options and the tech package my truck didn’t have. Didn’t have any loans I ended up writing a check for $1000 they gave me the 19 and the title and we were done. The 19 MSRP was about $5500 more than my 18 and I got to put 16000 miles on. It depends on your state what you are legallly entitled to and can ask for.

my only advice is to refuse the first offer and give them an idea of what you might accept. They will use time and their lack of communication in their favor.

they asked to close the case. I said its hard for me to make a decision based on the fact that we have to fix something and then redo it to see if it even corrected the problem.

 

[cvalue13]

Not at all to forgive the still relevent sh*tshow, but instead just to pile on:

I wouldn’t assume that ALL the service lag times, lack of loaners, etc., is relevant to the Lightning/EV nature of the vehicle.

Dealerships these days are generally a sh*tshow in my recent experience, BEV or not.

My wife’s 2019 Explorer needed a whole new transmission - under warranty of course. It was ultimately in the shop for 3 months. Dealer had me bring it in to wait days (weeks?) to even make it to the rack, to then have transmissions in months-long back order, to then offer to instead rebuild the existing transmission. Other gory details aside, I called other dealerships and got even worse responses.

No doubt the lightning provides dealers additional challenges, but feels like the bull of challenges may be standard operating procedures these days.

 

[jazzmanmonty]

I have three young kids so I know where you're coming from with the worries. I pray to God that your problem/experience doesn't happen to mine because I know my wife will become anti-EV for the rest of her life and I'll never hear the end of it from her family (all diesel lovers).

I know you're frustrated, but I agree with what AKBrian said and play hardball. They already want to do the buyout, so you don't have nothing to lose from them. Worst case, you get a fixed truck that you can trade in. Even if your mind is set on just getting it over with and rid of it, patience may get you more money or a better deal on an ICE variant from Ford. Corporate is the one sweating bullets right now, so you can use it in your favor.

BTW, did you notice that the Explorer feels more bulky and more like a truck when you drive it than the Lightning? I test drove one before I got my Lincoln and to me the difference in ride quality is crazy!

 

[heffneil]

I didn't have high expectations from the Explorer but its much larger than those in the past. I think it drives fine but its a 4 banger so it doesn't have a lot of pick up when you need to merge with traffic.

I thought about getting a bronco but most dealers are pigs again.

Ford RAV doesn't seem to care at all. They want me to make my decision now - and I'm not interested in making that decision since I don't know what the status of my car is. How can you decide - when the car is seemingly broken. Now 6 weeks into this with no end in sight. Its been a LONG time since I've seen my truck, and really - frustratingly - only a 12v battery has been changed in that time. The other modules were swapped for other defective ones. Not a real good look.

 

[jlwillia6]

Any updates Heffneil?

This thread has become my daily entertainment / fascination. It’s now part of my routine until it’s completely resolved. Get coffee, check my email, read the news, check in on Heffneil to see the latest on his truck.

 

[heffneil]

Well, yesterday I was going to breakfast - and a new driver backed out in front of me, while I was driving my loaner so it's pretty badly damaged. I took it as an omen and signed the paperwork to do the buyback. I need to get out of this nightmare from start to finish.

 

[jazzmanmonty]

How do u know it wasn't a sign to eat breakfast at home instead of going out? Lol j/k ...I'm sad to hear you caved, but it's your truck and your ..I wish you the best with your next experience and hopefully you have better results.

 

[onepunch]

If it wasn't for bad luck I would have no luck at all!

The dealer replaced several modules on my truck and re-assembled. The one module won't take firmware - its corrupt. Ford has instructed them to replace it again. In order to do so they have to drop the battery pack again

Mine has been in since January 25. They finally got the replacement cell in earlier this week, installed it, and today I get a message that now another 2 cells are needed, and it will be at least another couple of weeks. Why that is just coming up now is a mystery.

I did get an initial email from the buyback dept with their document request, which I responded to. Will be interesting to see what (if anything) comes of that. I had the truck for exactly ONE DAY and put a whopping 150 miles on it.

 

[Vorador]

Ford really needs to move faster towards EV only dealerships and EV only service centers. Its clear going through this thread that regular service centers aren't sufficient.

 

[Avocadodude]

Mine has been in since January 25. They finally got the replacement cell in earlier this week, installed it, and today I get a message that now another 2 cells are needed, and it will be at least another couple of weeks. Why that is just coming up now is a mystery.

I did get an initial email from the buyback dept with their document request, which I responded to. Will be interesting to see what (if anything) comes of that. I had the truck for exactly ONE DAY and put a whopping 150 miles on it.

This is the most painful story. I hope you get some kind of resolution soon.

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