Endless Problems
11/8/06, 02:35 PM
#1
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Endless Problems
So, I thought I would share with everyone about my endless problems with my Mustang. I have a silver 2006 V6 Standard Coupe automatic with the only mods being 17" GT take-off wheels, door sill pieces, and an exhaust tip. I purchased it in March of this year and it has now been to a dealer 8 times for repairs.
It has been in at least 6 times for the erratic fuel gauge in which they have replaced sending units, wires, and now an entire tank. The left sending unit is normally found to have a short in it, but now they are replacing other parts to see how it goes. Ford tech has been called multiple times and the dealer keeps on trying what they tell them to do.
One repair attempt was due to the electronic throttle failing while entering a freeway and required me to be towed back to the dealer.
Other odd repairs have included rebuilding the gauge cluster because of the parking brake light and airbag lights coming on while driving.
My most recent repair attempt (currently in the shop) includes: the fuel gauge, a bracket coming loose in the driver's seat, leaking battery, heater not working, the insulation under the hood rubbing against the engine and ripping, and acceleration problems.
Of course, some of you are probably saying why do I still have this car? Well, we followed Ford's instructions and called the Customer Service number and got a Market Rep for California. The rep told me that Ford would not buy my car back unless it was a problem that would result in my safety while the car is in motion. I guess they don't care that so much has gone wrong and little is being done to fix it. Well, dealing with the rep did nothing, but tick me off especially with this latest repair attempt of so much stuff. So, now, we are going thru the California Lemon Law process with the BBB Auto Line and are currently awaiting Ford to respond to our claims.
Any thoughts on all of this? Similar experiences?
It has been in at least 6 times for the erratic fuel gauge in which they have replaced sending units, wires, and now an entire tank. The left sending unit is normally found to have a short in it, but now they are replacing other parts to see how it goes. Ford tech has been called multiple times and the dealer keeps on trying what they tell them to do.
One repair attempt was due to the electronic throttle failing while entering a freeway and required me to be towed back to the dealer.
Other odd repairs have included rebuilding the gauge cluster because of the parking brake light and airbag lights coming on while driving.
My most recent repair attempt (currently in the shop) includes: the fuel gauge, a bracket coming loose in the driver's seat, leaking battery, heater not working, the insulation under the hood rubbing against the engine and ripping, and acceleration problems.
Of course, some of you are probably saying why do I still have this car? Well, we followed Ford's instructions and called the Customer Service number and got a Market Rep for California. The rep told me that Ford would not buy my car back unless it was a problem that would result in my safety while the car is in motion. I guess they don't care that so much has gone wrong and little is being done to fix it. Well, dealing with the rep did nothing, but tick me off especially with this latest repair attempt of so much stuff. So, now, we are going thru the California Lemon Law process with the BBB Auto Line and are currently awaiting Ford to respond to our claims.
Any thoughts on all of this? Similar experiences?
11/8/06, 03:33 PM
#2
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Should have been called a FORADINW Mustang
Fix
One
Repair
Almost
Daily
If
Not
Weekly
Get a lawyer friend to write a threatening letter and they will jump. A friend of mine talked to an attourney here at work and they wrote him a little letter to the Jeep dealer here in Santa Monica... he had his "lemon" returned the day after they recieved the letter and a brand new one in the driveway the same day.
Fix
One
Repair
Almost
Daily
If
Not
Weekly
Get a lawyer friend to write a threatening letter and they will jump. A friend of mine talked to an attourney here at work and they wrote him a little letter to the Jeep dealer here in Santa Monica... he had his "lemon" returned the day after they recieved the letter and a brand new one in the driveway the same day.
11/8/06, 03:36 PM
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oh.. sorry to hear your having so many problems with it.
Good luck returning it and getting taken care of.
My gf gives me crap about having a FORD.... she is Japanese and works at a Japanese international bank and they don't like FORDS..... I told her i dont fix every day...
Seriously thought, call a lawyer in your area and see if they can help you out... shouldn't cost much.
Good luck returning it and getting taken care of.
My gf gives me crap about having a FORD.... she is Japanese and works at a Japanese international bank and they don't like FORDS..... I told her i dont fix every day...
Seriously thought, call a lawyer in your area and see if they can help you out... shouldn't cost much.
11/8/06, 06:13 PM
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Suggest you find out exactly what the lemon law is in your state, you then can relate it to your experience and make a determination on where you stand. Nothing wrong with seeing a lawyer BUT the more info you have, the better. Everything you can do to save time booked by the attorney is going to save you money
11/8/06, 07:26 PM
#6
Shelby GT500 Member
I've never really believed in bad cars, just bad techs. I think if you had someone who really took their time and resolved the root cause issues, you'd have things under control. Lets face it, a car is a mechanical device just like anything else. Provided you have good solid experienced people working on it, there really shouldn't be an issue getting things like this resolved. Gas guage issues that persist in a car doesn't make it a lemon. It makes it an intermittent, difficult problem to locate and resolve, but not a lemon.
11/8/06, 07:53 PM
#7
Tasca Super Boss 429 Member
I've never really believed in bad cars, just bad techs. I think if you had someone who really took their time and resolved the root cause issues, you'd have things under control. Lets face it, a car is a mechanical device just like anything else. Provided you have good solid experienced people working on it, there really shouldn't be an issue getting things like this resolved. Gas guage issues that persist in a car doesn't make it a lemon. It makes it an intermittent, difficult problem to locate and resolve, but not a lemon.
Why do you keep going to the same idiot dealership? I know the dealer I bought from very well and I would be afraid to take it there for anything serious.
11/8/06, 08:34 PM
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Sorry to hear about your trouble. The Mustang is a great car. Unfortunately, Ford QC sometimes lacks and dealerships are sometimes, well let's just say incompetent or don't care. I've had my share of QC problems with my 05 GT and the dealership(s) I trusted never fixed the problems (minor though). I don't let that ruin my passion for the Pony though. Keep the faith and I hope Ford does the right thing for you.
11/8/06, 08:34 PM
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Thanks for the comments guys. I keep taking it to the same dealership because the one time I took it to the other local dealer for the gas gauge issue, they told me I was using "bad gas." Something to the effect of using Shell when I should be using Chevron. Needless to say, that did not sit well with me because I didn't buy a new car to only be allowed to use one type of gas. In the end they refused to do any repairs to the car because they said that the dealer I go to did what they would do.
I would love to just have my car fixed, but alas, how many times can I take days off of school to take my car to the shop and have to deal with this? How many more trips to Ford and then to Hertz will it take for me to have these problems be gone? My dealer is one of the largest in the area and are always willing to take it and get the techs working on it again, but it just isn't getting fixed.
I would love to just have my car fixed, but alas, how many times can I take days off of school to take my car to the shop and have to deal with this? How many more trips to Ford and then to Hertz will it take for me to have these problems be gone? My dealer is one of the largest in the area and are always willing to take it and get the techs working on it again, but it just isn't getting fixed.
11/9/06, 02:43 AM
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I believe that in California the dealer has three tries to fix a problem, and if they can't do it on the third try you qualify for the lemon law. My guess is that the Ford rep will suddenly come up with an engineer or factory tech who actually KNOWS what he is doing to try to fix the problem one last time before they have to buy it back.
I'm sure Ford is aware of how bad most of their dealer service departments are, but just hope you'll give up before actually trying to lemon law a vehicle.
Best of luck on this. Keep us posted!
I'm sure Ford is aware of how bad most of their dealer service departments are, but just hope you'll give up before actually trying to lemon law a vehicle.
Best of luck on this. Keep us posted!
11/10/06, 05:39 PM
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A little update for ya'll on my most recent repairs...
-They confirmed and replaced my leaking battery.
-They confirmed and replaced the failed heating actuator and temperature control assembly.
-They replaced a fuel tank.
-They confirmed and did not repair the hood insulation hitting the engine because Ford tech was unable to find a solution this past week.
-They replaced my seat's lumbar support that had broken 2 weeks ago.
So, yeah, more repairs and another left unsolved. They hope to have an answer from Ford on what to do with the hood/engine issue sometime next week. We will have to see how long these repairs last and are still waiting on Ford's buyback decision.
-They confirmed and replaced my leaking battery.
-They confirmed and replaced the failed heating actuator and temperature control assembly.
-They replaced a fuel tank.
-They confirmed and did not repair the hood insulation hitting the engine because Ford tech was unable to find a solution this past week.
-They replaced my seat's lumbar support that had broken 2 weeks ago.
So, yeah, more repairs and another left unsolved. They hope to have an answer from Ford on what to do with the hood/engine issue sometime next week. We will have to see how long these repairs last and are still waiting on Ford's buyback decision.
11/10/06, 08:21 PM
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Glad to hear they made some progress. Get that hood thing under control and start thinking about more pleasant things. Take a look at the latest issue of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords magazine. They got 20 HP with bolt-ons on a V-6.
11/11/06, 03:18 PM
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If you're having eratic guage and light problems, don't forget about multiple posts on the subject of water leaks near the fuse box front passenger side kick panel. Do a search on leaks. Reach up under the carpet on passenger side and see if the pad is wet.
11/11/06, 08:26 PM
#15
CAUTION...with as many problems as he's having, the last thing he needs is to show up at the dealer with mods!
11/11/06, 08:46 PM
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Well, with the problems SilverBacon has had with his car so far, maybe he should get the stuff fixed and then head for the nearest mod-friendly Ford dealer. I'm sure there are some in the LA area.
Or, maybe he doesn't want to do any mods. That's OK too.
Or, maybe he doesn't want to do any mods. That's OK too.
11/11/06, 10:44 PM
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The goal is to get the car working reliably first, then start up on the mods. I don't have many plans to do many performance mods for the simple fact of this being a commuter car and I don't want to risk whatever reliability is left in it. Hahah...but I do plan on doing more simple exterior mods such as installing Pony fender emblems and sequential tail lights. We will have to wait and see how my mood towards the car becomes once they either fix everything or hand me the keys to a new V6. I know, when I first got it, I had tons of plans, but the constant repairs made me a little iffy to try anything.
As for the comments on leaks, I haven't noticed any leaks out of the ordinary. I will be keeping an eye on things around the passenger kick panel next time the car deals with some water.
By the way, thanks for all the input! I am enjoying these forums!
As for the comments on leaks, I haven't noticed any leaks out of the ordinary. I will be keeping an eye on things around the passenger kick panel next time the car deals with some water.
By the way, thanks for all the input! I am enjoying these forums!
11/13/06, 11:18 AM
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hey Silverbacon I just wanted to say I'm having those gauge issues just as you are only I've taken mine in 8 times!! Keep contacting ford evetually they will get sick of you and get you a new car or get a lawyer.
11/17/06, 07:53 AM
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Just to keep you all updated...Ford has finally agreed to a buy-back of the vehicle! The paperwork will start today and take about a week and a half, but after that, the Ford dealer I bought the car from, is responsible for getting me an equally equiped new Mustang. It is a shame that it came to this, but I will still be getting a Mustang, just newer. Glad this is all coming to a rest...
11/17/06, 07:59 AM
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Just to keep you all updated...Ford has finally agreed to a buy-back of the vehicle! The paperwork will start today and take about a week and a half, but after that, the Ford dealer I bought the car from, is responsible for getting me an equally equiped new Mustang. It is a shame that it came to this, but I will still be getting a Mustang, just newer. Glad this is all coming to a rest...
Sorry you had all the troubles but it is getting taken care of now.