Stuck with dead lightning at dealership - Help!

[Shawnson]

My 2022 ER lightning got towed into the shop last week for the 4th time in less than 2 years, and I’m looking for some advice or input. I absolutely love the truck, but after it left me stuck for the 4th time, 2 of which being while I was on trips out of state, I just don’t know that I’ll be able to trust it anymore. After initiating a buyback with ford after it went back into the shop this last time, it was denied because it is over 24,000 miles and in Texas the lemon law is first 24 months or 24,000 miles, and I only meet one of the criteria. I will continue on with the service history and problems it has been having below, but I’m hoping someone will be able to steer me in the right direction on what to do next or what options I have.

After just over a year of ownership, I was left stranded on the side of a highway in Oklahoma because it threw a bunch of warnings which ended up being a result of it needed the high voltage battery module replacement. It got towed to the dealership, a case was opened with the Ford BEV team, they were able to fly me home and get me a loaner for the month the truck was down. After this first issue, it wasn’t even a consideration on whether I was keeping the truck. I was thrilled with the service I was provided and the accommodations ford took to make the experience as pain free for me. I was very happy to be able to tell people I was a part of the ford family after this experience.

When the truck was completed and ready to be released, I was flown back to Oklahoma to pick it up and I was going to road trip it back. On my way home I started yet again experiencing all kinds of warning lights after I had just completed a charge at an EA station in Dallas. After troubleshooting with the Ford team over the phone, disconnecting the 12v battery and reconnecting it temporarily solved the problem, but I was advised to take it to my home dealer when I got back to Houston and that is what I did. I dropped it off and they checked everything for 4 days and I was told that none of the warnings I had pictures of popped up in their system, and after them finding nothing, they basically told me I was crazy and send me on my way.

The very next week, on Christmas Eve, I was picking up relatives from the airport in Houston, around an hour away from my house, and after picking them up I yet again got the pull over safely now and the truck stopped before I was able toe to make it into a parking lot. Since it was stuck in the middle of the road, I elected to not try and troubleshoot and went ahead and had it towed back to my home dealer. After they looked at it for around a week they determined that a loose ground led to a short that caused the truck to die. They claimed to have repaired the loose ground and assured me I wouldn’t have any more issues. They also apologized for returning me a vehicle still having issues the first time, and did the whole run around on how this was not the Ford way of service.

Fast Forward to last week, 9 months later, I was sitting in a parking lot again out of state and it wouldn’t turn on farther than accessory mode and displayed the stop safely now message again. After troubleshooting over the phone again they went ahead and called a tow truck and had it towed to a local dealership and opened up another case with the BEV team. The tow truck driver couldn’t get the truck to shift since it wouldn’t fully turn on so he pushed the gas and break fully down and forced it to shift, causing an array of warnings to pop up and the truck to lock up even further. After getting it up on the flatbed, the truck was totally off, no power or lights or anything. With it still in neutral he chained it down heavily and drove it to the dealership where we had to push it off of the flatbed into the middle of the parking lot and leave it with wood blocks holding it still as wheels chocks with the truck doors fully unlocked. The service advisors were able to help get it off, but since they had just closed for the night there was nothing further they could do at the time.

After over a week of it sitting there, taking us to today, it is still sitting where it was left by the tow truck and they have been unsuccessful in every attempt made it get it power or getting it moved. My service advisor when I spoke with him last week told me to “expect for [them] to have it for probably a minimum of a month with it going longer as needed”. After speaking with him again today, I was informed that they opened a case with ford engineering because after all of the troubleshooting steps available to them, they still can’t even get it power to turn on or move it. The Ford team was able to fly me home, but could only provide me $60 a day for a rental since no loaners were available this time. With a truck from a rental company in my area costing me around $125 a day, I guess I’ll be out some money. My case manager also hasn’t really been able to escalate the diagnosis or repair, leaving me with still no plan of action on how we are proceeding.

At this point I’m pretty stuck. I have no clue what to do or where to get some help. The BEV team isn’t being anywhere near as helpful as they have been in the past and they keep pushing back updates and communication to me about the vehicle, frustrating me further. With the truck being purchased 10/24/22 from my dealer in Texas and only having around 31,000 miles on it, I don’t even know what options I have anymore. I would love to keep the truck but with this many major issues I just don’t think I would feel safe it in again. If you happen to know of anything that could help, please let me know. I love the brand and have loved every vehicle I’ve had from them, but in this situation I’m feeling pretty let down. Thanks.

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[PrimeRisk]

My 2022 ER lightning got towed into the shop last week for the 4th time in less than 2 years, and I’m looking for some advice or input. I absolutely love the truck, but after it left me stuck for the 4th time, 2 of which being while I was on trips out of state, I just don’t know that I’ll be able to trust it anymore. After initiating a buyback with ford after it went back into the shop this last time, it was denied because it is over 24,000 miles and in Texas the lemon law is first 24 months or 24,000 miles, and I only meet one of the criteria. I will continue on with the service history and problems it has been having below, but I’m hoping someone will be able to steer me in the right direction on what to do next or what options I have.

After just over a year of ownership, I was left stranded on the side of a highway in Oklahoma because it threw a bunch of warnings which ended up being a result of it needed the high voltage battery module replacement. It got towed to the dealership, a case was opened with the Ford BEV team, they were able to fly me home and get me a loaner for the month the truck was down. After this first issue, it wasn’t even a consideration on whether I was keeping the truck. I was thrilled with the service I was provided and the accommodations ford took to make the experience as pain free for me. I was very happy to be able to tell people I was a part of the ford family after this experience.

When the truck was completed and ready to be released, I was flown back to Oklahoma to pick it up and I was going to road trip it back. On my way home I started yet again experiencing all kinds of warning lights after I had just completed a charge at an EA station in Dallas. After troubleshooting with the Ford team over the phone, disconnecting the 12v battery and reconnecting it temporarily solved the problem, but I was advised to take it to my home dealer when I got back to Houston and that is what I did. I dropped it off and they checked everything for 4 days and I was told that none of the warnings I had pictures of popped up in their system, and after them finding nothing, they basically told me I was crazy and send me on my way.

The very next week, on Christmas Eve, I was picking up relatives from the airport in Houston, around an hour away from my house, and after picking them up I yet again got the pull over safely now and the truck stopped before I was able toe to make it into a parking lot. Since it was stuck in the middle of the road, I elected to not try and troubleshoot and went ahead and had it towed back to my home dealer. After they looked at it for around a week they determined that a loose ground led to a short that caused the truck to die. They claimed to have repaired the loose ground and assured me I wouldn’t have any more issues. They also apologized for returning me a vehicle still having issues the first time, and did the whole run around on how this was not the Ford way of service.

Fast Forward to last week, 9 months later, I was sitting in a parking lot again out of state and it wouldn’t turn on farther than accessory mode and displayed the stop safely now message again. After troubleshooting over the phone again they went ahead and called a tow truck and had it towed to a local dealership and opened up another case with the BEV team. The tow truck driver couldn’t get the truck to shift since it wouldn’t fully turn on so he pushed the gas and break fully down and forced it to shift, causing an array of warnings to pop up and the truck to lock up even further. After getting it up on the flatbed, the truck was totally off, no power or lights or anything. With it still in neutral he chained it down heavily and drove it to the dealership where we had to push it off of the flatbed into the middle of the parking lot and leave it with wood blocks holding it still as wheels chocks with the truck doors fully unlocked. The service advisors were able to help get it off, but since they had just closed for the night there was nothing further they could do at the time.

After over a week of it sitting there, taking us to today, it is still sitting where it was left by the tow truck and they have been unsuccessful in every attempt made it get it power or getting it moved. My service advisor when I spoke with him last week told me to “expect for [them] to have it for probably a minimum of a month with it going longer as needed”. After speaking with him again today, I was informed that they opened a case with ford engineering because after all of the troubleshooting steps available to them, they still can’t even get it power to turn on or move it. The Ford team was able to fly me home, but could only provide me $60 a day for a rental since no loaners were available this time. With a truck from a rental company in my area costing me around $125 a day, I guess I’ll be out some money. My case manager also hasn’t really been able to escalate the diagnosis or repair, leaving me with still no plan of action on how we are proceeding.

At this point I’m pretty stuck. I have no clue what to do or where to get some help. The BEV team isn’t being anywhere near as helpful as they have been in the past and they keep pushing back updates and communication to me about the vehicle, frustrating me further. With the truck being purchased 10/24/22 from my dealer in Texas and only having around 31,000 miles on it, I don’t even know what options I have anymore. I would love to keep the truck but with this many major issues I just don’t think I would feel safe it in again. If you happen to know of anything that could help, please let me know. I love the brand and have loved every vehicle I’ve had from them, but in this situation I’m feeling pretty let down. Thanks.

I would talk to a Lemon Law attorney in Texas if you didn't the first time. I'm not familiar with the laws there, but in Colorado if the chain of issues started before the cutoff mileage/time, then that's what counts, not when you've reached the end of the chain. Don't be afraid to make that call and at least ask. The consultation will be free and if they take the case you don't pay their fees, Ford has to.

 

[PrimeRisk]

How much of a sweet tooth do you have? We need to know how much sugar to load into the bed of your next truck, because when you’ve got a lemon, you make lemonade. If you have melons, well you have dyslexia.

Ok, I just spit coffee all over my keyboard. Stop it!

 

[PrimeRisk]

A very good point.

Op would be wise to know that Ford will of course deny the buyback. They don't WANT it back, if you ASK they will say no.

Op, there was sage advice in getting a lawyer involved. Even just having them draft a letter for you may well work out in your fsvor.

At a minimum, it may force their hand to give you an equivalent loaner or enough money so you can rent one until this is resolved. I completely agree that getting an actual Lemon Law attorney involved is the right move. Your chain of events started within the time frame and mileage that you were protected by the law and they clearly have not been able to fix it yet.

 

[PrimeRisk]

On a personal note. I am very sorry this is happening to you. It sucks really hard to have a very, very expensive vehicle that you are now afraid to trust that it will not strand you. Even if Ford comes back this time and says we fixed for sure this time, how could you ever trust it again?

For that pain and all of the time you are wasting trying to get it resolved, I feel for you and hope Ford decides to do the right thing sooner rather than later.

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