I hand wrote a letter to Ford added some pictures of my car and dropped it in the mail box. After a month this is what I get back from Ford... A form letter. I Googled this Dorothy Williams and what do you know? She sends this BS letter to any customer with a concern. I was not expecting a new hood, but I really thought that they would at least respond with something. Not this crap. FORD I you are going to have a department named "Customer RELATIONSHIP Center" please DO not respond with this impersonal garbage. Deysha, maybe you could forward this along to someone who cares at Ford Motor Company. Thanks

 

Legal boilerplate. Send another letter, and another and another until you get something NOT boilerplate. Be sure to include any previous correspondence you get like this, EVERY TIME, as the package gets bigger, they'll have to do something else.

Pound of flesh, though... eventually that will get a little costly, and you could just, y'know, paint the hood.

Believe me... I speak from experience. Different problem, different company, same result... too much spent for the "satisfaction" (which it wasn't, at the end.)

 

back in the day, 'fords customer service' hotline coulda been a loop of tape that said 'call your dealer'...it sucked

there was a dude over at blueoval forums called 'Kzinti' who was just a employee at a ford truck plant, he dug up tons of info, helped customers track their cars, was THE first person on earth to supply window stickers before the car was even built- Ford finally did pick up on that idea...

if ford had half a brain, they woulda put this guy in charge of customer service- he and his cohorts helped countless mustang/ford fans during the insane backlog from 04-mid 06 on almost all mustangs special ordered, kept us sane (somewhat) while waiting months on our ordered dream cars- wether a escape or a GT40, he and a few cohorts would track down info/updates on lunch breaks... we all LOVED it.

after a 5 month wait, when my first 06 got smashed getting it off the truck by a careless hauler, I was pissed off...bad...wanted the car so bad, was going to take it anyways- ford couldnt release it... I was ready to go buy a chevy just to spite ford over the black hole/useless/'help' line... Kzinti got me some info on some other ones coming down the pike (at this time the 99 dealers in the 'pittsburgh region' - that included northeast ohio where I am- were getting only 4 manual gts a week- AMONG 99 DEALERS! it was a impossible delivery situation... I plunked my deposit down the morning the 06 order banks opened, got one of two allocations due a local dealer, they put a priority 10 on it, all was as good as it could be...several months unvinned, I was fuming...floridas dealers had dealer excess stock gt sticks spilling onto ebay, ohio got a few a week...spent likely 1000 hours or more- seriously, i was obsessed- researching fords assinine allocation system, figured out contacts from media.ford.com exec bios (first initial/lastname, truncated at 8 characters if needed @ ford.com) a nice vice president I emailed got me and another guy in here who had waited 7 months bumped to a priority1 DORA the next day- 3 weeks later the thing got a smashed decklid/quarter panel- I was livid... learned a bit about obsessing, think God just gave me a well deserved smack upside the head... anyways I was done with Ford...ol' Kzinti took the time to email me and calm my twoyear old-like temper tantrum attitude down... long story short, he cost me a lot of money as now I got three of the darn things.

Ford shut him down, but did take *some* of his suggestions to heart...I printed out like 80 pages of 'thank you' threads to kzinti from diehard ford fans at blue oval (most are gone after the big crash over there in 06) professionally bound it up and fedexed it to another VP at ford, got a nice letter back from him... the big guys at Ford already knew about him, appreciated the feedback, were working on improving things, etc... a year or three later, and anyone can get a window sticker as soon as the car hits 'blend', and 'dealer visibility' gave dealers a little access to the computer status/tracking he was using- best of all they realized the value us CUSTOMERS felt in the 'friend at the factory' concept he was pushing on his own, and put folks like Deysha out there for a 'real person' to talk to instead of the useless thing they used to have... its come a long way, but still- if Ford woulda put Kzinti in charge of customer service, they would have had the most loyal buyers of any manufacturer on Earth...
understand dealers probably didnt like him- recall one got their tit in a wringer when info he provided showed a undelivered ordered car tracking showed the way to a dealer trade at over sticker on a car that was ordered with a deposit in good faith, and BS like that...but betcha if he had been in charge of CS, any dealer caught doing this woulda been reprimanded, and rightly so... but THEY woulda got their deserved black eyes instead of Ford- as it should be when slimy dealer shenanigans screw good faith buyers over...

sorry for the book, but this was a big deal to me then and now- I woulda missed out on my dream car had it not been for that guy and his buddies at Ford, just trying to do the best they could... heres a link to a poll I put up years ago:
http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums...-ford-service/

as for the stoopid warranty issues like these hoods, not much we can do I'm afraid, except hold their feet to the fire as much as possible- you could try emailing some big-wigs as described above, or snail mail them something, Ive written a few on the hood issues, never heard anything back... expect most likely intercepted by a secretary or something...print out a nice book of pics/ford owner comments on the issue, bind it and fedex it- it will likely at least wind up on someones desk, but where it goes from there? I'm going to the auto show this weekend, if I see another blistered up /poorly assembled hood like on the 5 of 6 there last year, I will be making another book. I dont like the 2015, likely wont ever buy another mustang, but still, I'm a ford guy at heart, hate to see them self-inflicting wounds due to **** poor engineering or sloppy assembly work...my kids are becoming 'ford guys' too, and If someday one of them buys a mustang and it still has this crappy hood assembly issue, I'll likely blow a gasket.

our 3 are all well out of warranty now, I already replaced my strawberried 06 hood with a 'glass Fang shaker, dont expect or want anything from Ford but to see a better job from them. When the cheapest hyundai is perfect and fords little halo car has such sloppy assembly, it just really pisses me off. they can do better, have done better, NEED to do better. seeing hoods on 2013 models last year suffering from the same flawed processing as in late 2004 on the first 05's is just too much... they had TSBs years ago, pissed off a lot of customers, yet didnt fix the problem... this is where managers need to step up and hold folks accountable- kick them aside/fire them/sorry I dont care- but let it be known they NEED to build the best cars they can. us customers deserve it, need to insist they get proactive on correcting stuff instead of letting it slide 9 years. look at the assinine windstar design issues that caused axles/frames to snap costing billions in recalls...those that approved the designs should be flipping burgers. hate to see anyone lose their job, but theyve built likely over a million of these hoods and still have issues...unacceptable- especially if you are the guy or gal shelling out 25-45 grand for it.

 

Houtex, thanks for the great idea! Ford4V, great story! I'm not expecting anything for free, I guess I just want some recognition that the problem is not the owners fault. From 05-13?? This is OK? Sad.

 

Form letters are indeed the most impersonal type of communication, yet companies keep using them, treating their customers like unintelligent apes. It isn't just Ford either. Look at GM's recent woes with the recalls. No one cares even when serious accidents are involved. Toyota too. It's all about the $$$.
You should try Directv and their 'form letters'. It's almost hilarious how they don't even address the issue you wrote about. So insulting.

 

It looks like it was handsigned though. I'm guessing you have a bubbling issue with your hood?

 

Maybe I have low expectations, but what's so wrong with the form letter? Would it really make a difference if they made specific reference to your hood?

 

I understand where you’re coming from, DPHC13. You received this letter because your vehicle is out of the new-vehicle limited warranty and there are no recalls or customer satisfaction programs that will cover this repair. I recommend bringing it in to your dealer and speaking to your service manager about this hood concern. He is in the best position to look into this for you and can check into any type of assistance available for your vehicle.

Also, remember repairs done at a Ford Dealer come with a 24 months/unlimited miles warranty. You can schedule an appointment online here.

Thank you for the story, ford4v429. He sure was a great person to have on the forums back then. Please remember there is certain information which should never be shared outside of any company.

I know most would like all companies to be an open book with their customers. However, realistically speaking, this would not be profitable since all companies could see what the other is doing.

Deysha

 

Deysha, yeah I agree, and dont think anything ever shared was crossing the line in any way... my gut feeling was NADA type groups/ dealers not wanting to get pinched when trying to pull a fast one- All Kzinti and his cohorts were reporting were status' on ordered vehicles to their buyers- I recall one guys car disappeared and someone in Kzintis group made a couple calls, found it had minor paint flaw or something and was being repaired, think it mighta been a hood or bumper swap- minor type of thing, no repaint, etc... and guaranteed it would be as good as any other- it was all the buyer wanted to know... a lot of us were frustrated by the (at the time) ford black hole of ordered cars...Kzinti just helped folks find out where their ordered car was, and its silly, but you wouldnt believe how exciting it was hearing your ordered car got a vin, hit 'blend', etc... it was awesome to folks that couldnt get the info anywhere else. no trade secret type of effects could ever be attributed to giving a buyer status updates on his or her order...a lot of us likened it to UPS tracking a 1$ envelope anywhere on earth, but plunk 5 grand down on a ford and wait for months before hearing a peep? the data existed, was readily available, harmless to ford, great for buyers- tend to think folks special ordering their Ford product are likely a little more outspoken than someone who casually drops into a dealer to look around... anyway, sooo thankful Ford improved the situation with good folks like you- we all know you cant fix everything, and warranties have to end sometime, etc- but its so nice to be able to actually communicate with a real live caring person... you and the other customer service folks on various forums I'm pretty sure feel good at the end of the day, knowing youve helped give folks assistance and that 'someone to talk to' that ford was lacking so terribly before Kzinti's day... anyone that might feel frustrated today has no idea how bad things were a few years back- Fords doing the right things- I still wish they would go a little farther with the tracking, like a DORA code to enter on a website to live track your order, and -ahem- processing ALL retails ahead of dealer regional allocations...thats another thread entirely, but a frusrating situation watching dealer stock orders in florida cut in line for months ahead of northern allocations that have deposits/are already sold... thats solely a NADA issue, all the folks I spoke with at Ford felt the same way, but old dealer agreements have the situation out of their hands- and the same agreements limit dealer enthusiasm for keeping customers in the light...only knew of one particular instance where a documented, vinned car 'never got built' as the dealer told the buyer, and tracking showed the dealer had sold the car out from under the buyer to another dealer at over sticker... that stuff went on a lot, dealers dont like getting caught in lies- but in my opinion, thats the only right thing to do- and rather than apologize, ford shoulda smacked them hard... those shady dealers give Ford black eyes all the time, and Ford had nothing to do with it...

anyways, sorry for writing another book, and thanks again for doing all you do- you guys are a asset ford really needed
ps- did you see the pics in the hood paint thread from this years auto show- I *think* maybe the pics forwarded to AAI mighta did some good, all the mustang front lips looked good this year, but did find a couple side issues, and apparent production line fixturing issues on the taurus and fusions- they have hood paint damage in exact same spots on multiple cars- dunno what plants they are at, but might not hurt to fwd thos pics to the right folks again as some constructive criticism... I'm not looking to buy currently, but have committed myself to try and hold their feet to the fire on anymore of these lingering issues that are so easily fixed... I'm a ford guy, dont want to bash them, but want them to do the best they can...customers deserve it

I might bash a bit- ok a lot- on the 2015 mustang styling, but styling opinions vary, and I do wish them luck with it... its just not the apple of my eye, but yes, I know its not 1969 either...we all have our favorites
Tim

 

Deysha like I stated I am looking for a hand out... But a form letter is insulting. Any of us who have wasted our time trying to get Ford motor company to acknowledge this problem know that it IS A wast of time. I just feel screwed. And have you taken YOUR car to the dealership? That's like a joke right? I did ask you to pass this along to another form sender so they can maybe look into the "customer relations". One other thing, what does ford have a TSB on a problem that they specify a manufacturing defect but in the end they claim no responsibility for? So when hood paint falls off... Frickin falls OFF after 36K miles this is a NORMAL ford product. I can't wait to see all the paint falling off of the new F150. Blah blah blah blah.

 

I sure do feel great by the end of my day, ford4v429! I love helping out my customers! Regarding retail vs. stock, that happens at the beginning of production due to the “OK to buy.” If it’s not reached by the time production begins only stock orders will go into production. Other than that, retail orders always take priority over stock ones.

Thank you for your kind words, and taking the time to watch over us.

A TSB is a repair procedure sent to our dealers in case someone comes in with a specific concern, DPHC13. It is not a Recall and it’s only covered under your new-vehicle limited warranty.

Deysha

 

Please, I KNOW ITS NOT A RECALL. It is curious that the TSB (not a recall) states that the problem starts with airborne particals in the manufacturing process. To any first timers out there--- TSB = NOT a recall. Thank you. You may all go wash and wax you flaking aluminum hoods.

 

I know this makes NO differance but...
ISSUE
Some vehicles may exhibit a bubbling or blistering under the paint on aluminum body parts. This is due to iron contamination of the aluminum panel.
AND...BACKGROUND
Ford’s Scientific Research Laboratory has performed a number of tests on vehicle body parts returned for corrosion related concerns. Testing has revealed that the aluminum corrosion was caused by iron particles working their way into the aluminum body part, prior to it being painted.

Oh yeah this is my fault and every mustang owners fault. I'm not a customer service rep or anything BUT I kinda sounds like ford gucked up?

 

Regardless of who's "fault" it is -- that's the purpose of a warranty -- to protect you from manufacturing defects and basically anything that needs repair and isn't caused by regular use or human intervention. Your warranty is expired.

Ford has a legal responsibility to fix any defects that occur (again beyond normal use / human intervention) within the warranty period that you signed up for. They have an ethical (and possibly legal?) responsibility to fix any issues which could compromise vehicle safety. Bubbling hood paint which occurs beyond the period of the warranty is not within that. Heck, should all of the guys who have spent $100ks restoring mustangs come after Ford because every single one of them rusted?

 

the problem with these hoods is some have blistering paint when brand new...look at the pic of the black one in the 'bubbling hood paint' thread, or go back a few pages to last years auto show examples... theyre getting better, but still not properly prepping before paint, the defect was 'built in' before the paint was applied.
I'm not worried about my cars, they are what they are, BUT I do want to see ford do a first class job... the bad/new hoods are still getting painted 10 yrs or more after the problem shoulda been corrected.

the problem with the warranty is two sided- it covers perforation, and not paint blisters, AND the blisters most often go unnoticed until the 3/36 is gone. look close around the hood hem on ANY 05-up mustang, you will see the bubbling paint- just until the bubble cracks and gets moisture under, it moves slowly... I used to wax under my hood a couple times a year, went from the little edge blisters to 3" x 2' of blisters in a few months... once the powdery aluminum oxide gets access to humidity, it races under the paint pretty quick- and it would NOT occur unless paint were chipped, but on the mustang hood case, its already there on all of them due to inadequate prep.

 

There's no problems with the warranty -- if a car has the problem within the warranty period, Ford has a responsibility to fix it (and as far as I understand, they do) -- if a car doesn't have the problem within the warranty, then it's fine.

Ford doesn't have the responsibility to fix every problem with a car years after it's sold. It has a responsibility to fix the non-human intervened problems within the warranty period.

 

your not getting it- almost ALL the mustang hoods have issues, but folks dont see it because they never look. guarantee 90% or more of the folks that took their car in for a bubbly hood had bubbling going on since day one, but the failures are in places most folks dont look...they dont see it till the drivethru car wash blows a sheet of paint off- the underhood paint failures DO occur under the warranty period, but most folks dont see it till it creeps up onto the shiny side...

this is a cosmetic equivalent to the assinine windstar axle design- noone looks at the TOP of their rear axle to see if its shaped like a bathtub, full of salt and dirt...and when the axle snaps in half, it results in both flailing rear tires simultaneously blowing out against the fenderwells, the loss of control nearly assured added crash damage if over 20mph...

out of warranty, sorry... no the freakin axles were rotting out before the warranty was gone due to workmanship (engineering- stupid design) and the recalls cost ford like a billion dollars. I had a windstar, was the second new ford I bought, was a good vehicle- so I thought... put 98,000 miles on it, many with three kids in carseats... thank God we learned about the axle from a recall, not a wreck...our windstar axle was both rusted thru and cracked, had no idea till we took it in.

bubbly paint vs accidents waiting to happen might not seem comparable- but in todays ambulance chasing lawyer feeding system, a recall or a class action could easily put even a huge company in jeopardy... the windstar axle scared me, bought the new van, I expected better. the mustang hoods upset me, I bought three of them, expected better- but what SCARES me is the new aluminum F150. if the same assembly/prep quality goes into that entire body as the mustang hood, it could destroy Ford. I want them to be around when my kids are old- a class action issue on a high volume thing like the F series- it would be horrible.
corrosion/paint repairs are labor intensive$$$ things... I hope the F150 comes out perfect, lasts a long time, etc... but best way to know that is know they have done continuous process improvements, know how to best prevent issues...and on the mustangs only aluminum part, i see otherwise.

either they dont know there is still a problem, or dont care there is still a problem. We as Ford enthusiasts NEED to hold their feet to the fire and bring it to their attention if they are missing something.

Paint sticks to properly prepped surfaces, painting over sharp edges, dirt, 'mastic' or 'ecoat boil-out' is NOT a proper surface, this is a workmanship problem in the hood assembly process at AAI.

let someone from AAI that OKs these for paint come in here and try to defend their handiwork in the pics I took at the last two years auto shows- they cant.
spraying high dollar paint thru a multi million dollar paint line onto a non-clean surface is just senseless. from what Ive seen in my opinion there IS still a contamination problem in the hood assembly process, the contamination is still NOT being 100% removed, the problem is now pushing ten years old.

if the aluminum F150 starts suffering roof/door/fender/rocker/AND hood hem paint failures like this, it would make the windstar failures look cheap. they can do better- if we insist on it, they will. People see door edges a lot more than underhood edges- they'd better be adequate. I'm sure fords spent tons on R/D stuff, salt tests, etc- but I'm pretty sure they also likely did before making aluminum mustang hoods...well guys, somethings amiss. if the assembly line drops the ball, all the R/D is a moot point... I think thats where the mustang hood issue comes from

squeak, squeak, squeak...

 

Fried, my controle arms went bad after my warrantee. I fixed it. Ball joint after warrantee. I fixed it. Tierod end, Water pump... I fixed it. It go's on and on. Do you get it now? I do not hold a manufacturer responsible for my car after the warrantee expires but this is not a worn out part or neglect. This is a ****ty manufacturing problem. And for the record I was out of warrantee when I notice this.

 

I understand your frustration/passion for this, guys. You are more than welcome to look over the warranty Limitations and Disclaimers in your warranty guide, on page 5.

As I’ve stated numerous times, I’m here to help where I can. I appreciate your time. Have a good one!

Deysha

 

Guys, don't take it out on Deysha. She's a great asset to this site and doesn't have to be here but chooses to do so. Thanks.