Cross Traffic System Fault

[hybridbear]

The car has been in the shop now for 73 days out of the last 265 days (since February 19th, 2015). That is 27.5% of the time in the shop.

 

I have made 2 1/2 car payments for a car that sits at the dealership and nothing seems to be getting done.

1. Lemon Law time.
2. If your loan is through Ford Credit, you can try contacting them & explaining the situation, in some cases I think they have waived payments when the car is out of service. I think this was mostly on leases, but maybe they would do it on a loan too.

[GrySql]

The car has been in the shop now for 73 days out of the last 265 days (since February 19th, 2015). That is 27.5% of the time in the shop.

I have made 2 1/2 car payments for a car that sits at the dealership and nothing seems to be getting done.

HELP

Read page 228 in your Owners Manual about the dispute process and the Better Business Bureau.

[FordService]

HELP!!!!!!!

 

Well today I got an e-mail from the Ford Regional Customer Service Manager stating that the dealership was going to be working with their Ford Field Service Engineer. The FFSE should be reaching out to the dealership and helping them with a repair direction

 

The car has been at the dealership for two weeks and the dealership has supposedly been in contact with the Ford Technical Hotline but they have not been able to duplicate the concern but suspect water intrusion and the local technician was supposed to test for chafing and water intrusion on the 6th. Five days later there is no word on what happened with that testing.

 

I have not been able to communicate with the car (via the MyFordMobile app and website) for seven days.

 

The question is now "Is the car in pieces on the shop floor or is it sitting out on the lot collecting dust?"

 

Crystal / Meagan: Where do we go from here? I am getting more frustrated every day.

 

The car has been in the shop now for 73 days out of the last 265 days (since February 19th, 2015). That is 27.5% of the time in the shop.

 

I have made 2 1/2 car payments for a car that sits at the dealership and nothing seems to be getting done.

 

 

HELP

 

Thanks for reaching back out. I checked out your case, and I was able to see the email you're referring to. I recommend continuing to work with your CSM and dealer for a resolution.

 

Meagan

[hybridbear]

The car has been in the shop now for 73 days out of the last 265 days (since February 19th, 2015). That is 27.5% of the time in the shop.

Here is the link to the page from the State of Connecticut. I'd go this route.

[fpliptak]

Well I got an update from the Ford Senior Customer Service Rep and he indicated that we have to wait until the Ford Technical Hotlines recommendations have been exhausted. After that the case would then be referred to the Local Field Engineer.

 

I am trying to work with Ford and the dealership on this but it is very difficult when it goes this slowly.

 

HybridBear: I know what you are suggesting and I will keep it in mind, but it seems to be outside of what Ford outlines as far as a resolution is concerned and that would then become an adversarial relationship which is what I am trying to avoid. That said, I will keep it mind.

 

Meagan: We do we go from here? How long should I expect to wait for the Ford Technical Hotline to keep trying things before the local Field Engineer is dispatched?

 

Now standing at 15 days in the shop so far for this visit and 74 days since February 19th.

 

According to the info on MyFordMobile site the car has not been driven over 1 mile since October 29th. It sits and collects dust.

[FordService]

...Meagan: We do we go from here? How long should I expect to wait for the Ford Technical Hotline to keep trying things before the local Field Engineer is dispatched?

 

Now standing at 15 days in the shop so far for this visit and 74 days since February 19th.

 

According to the info on MyFordMobile site the car has not been driven over 1 mile since October 29th. It sits and collects dust.

 

Thank you for the update. I do not have any information regarding the hotline or when engineers are dispatched. I recommend keeping in touch with your CSM as they'll be able to look into this further.

 

Meagan

[fpliptak]

Well,

 

It is now Monday morning (12:09 A.M) and the car spent the weekend at the dealership. As of 07:55 this morning that will be 19 days at the dealership for this visit, 78 days total since February 19th.

 

I keep getting told they are working with the Technical Hot Line and the Engineer will be looking into the issue.

 

I think it is way past time for Ford to step up to the plate and admit that they can't determine what the problem is and as such how to fix it.

 

Nearly $49,000 out the door with options, dealer installs and extended warranty I don't have a car I can believe in.

 

Meagan, what does it take to get this fixed?

 

Very Frustrated Owner

[hybridbear]

Meagan, what does it take to get this fixed?

We've told you what it takes. Megan can't help with these issues. She just told you that in her last post. You have to start the BBB Autoline process. It would also be a good idea to talk with a lemon law attorney. Most will do a free consultation.

 

I understand that you don't want an antagonistic relationship with Ford, but it doesn't seem like anything is being done. You could express to your CSM that you're considering this step. Ford may review the number of days that the car has been out of service & just decide to buy it back from you. I've heard that in some extreme cases, they will do that due to the number of days without solving an issue like yours. Another member had a 2013 (or maybe 2014?) Fusion Hybrid with similar issues. Eventually, Ford bought his car back. I think he just worked through his CSM. I think he replaced it with an Energi. This was years ago, so I don't remember all the details. Some of the other longer-term members may remember more than I do.

Edited November 16, 2015 by hybridbear

[GrySql]

Well,

It is now Monday morning (12:09 A.M) and the car spent the weekend at the dealership. As of 07:55 this morning that will be 19 days at the dealership for this visit, 78 days total since February 19th.

I keep getting told they are working with the Technical Hot Line and the Engineer will be looking into the issue.

I think it is way past time for Ford to step up to the plate and admit that they can't determine what the problem is and as such how to fix it.

Nearly $49,000 out the door with options, dealer installs and extended warranty I don't have a car I can believe in.

Meagan, what does it take to get this fixed?

Very Frustrated Owner

 

Just go back and re-read the beginning of this very Thread and follow cjn-md's odessey. Fastronaut also had this situation and he gave a lot of good advice in this Thread.

[hybridbear]

Fastronaut also had this situation and he gave a lot of good advice in this Thread.

Fastronaut! That's who had this issue a few years ago. I knew someone else would remember... Excellent advice & memory, GrySql!

Edited November 16, 2015 by hybridbear

[fpliptak]

Thanks to GrySql and HybridBear. I will start to push on the Regional Customer Service Rep.

 

Also, I will go back to the beginning of this thread and see what I can garner about the process.

 

I heard nothing from the CSR today which is what is really frustrating. I am not going to go away. I will look at the BBB method and also the Connecticut Lemon Law. From what I saw about the CT Lemon Law I have already exceeded the number of days in the shop to qualify.

[cjn-md]

Sorry to hear that nothing has changed on this issue since my experience last year. It is clear this is a random issue that is not easily resolved. Ford threw everything at my car and the issue remained. For some reason Ford will not do the right thing on its own in these cases.

Please know that if you start the BBB process the Ford CSM will no longer interact with you. Not a big deal since I never saw any real action from them.

my BBB experience was 45 days and done. It seems if BBB reviews your case and agrees Ford moves on it quickly. Just remember Ford takes miles driven off the buyback so be prepared for a lower number then your purchase price.

From what I saw that you paid you should be able to get an MKZ hybrid if you tell your story to the Lincoln sales manager like I did. My 2014 is getting 44.5 over the past 6 months even being a heavier car.

Good luck!

[FordService]

Well,

 

It is now Monday morning (12:09 A.M) and the car spent the weekend at the dealership. As of 07:55 this morning that will be 19 days at the dealership for this visit, 78 days total since February 19th.

 

I keep getting told they are working with the Technical Hot Line and the Engineer will be looking into the issue.

 

I think it is way past time for Ford to step up to the plate and admit that they can't determine what the problem is and as such how to fix it.

 

Nearly $49,000 out the door with options, dealer installs and extended warranty I don't have a car I can believe in.

 

Meagan, what does it take to get this fixed?

 

Very Frustrated Owner

 

I'm reaching out to your CSM for a follow-up, and have updated your case notes. Please be advised that if you decide to go with Lemon Law, I will be unable to directly assist.

 

Meagan

[fpliptak]

Latest Update - 2015-Nov-24 20:00 P.M. EST

 

Well the car sits at the dealership (now 26 days for this visit and 85 since February 19th). I have been promised that the Ford Field Service Engineer (FSE) will be visiting the dealership this week but the Service Advisor does not know what day. Since Thursday is a holiday (Thanksgiving) that only leaves tomorrow and Friday. I have asked to be called when the FSE is on-site but have been told that I would probably not be able to talk to him since he will only be there to do additional testing and verify that the technician performed the previously requested testing. I still want to be there if I can and ask the FSE what the plan is from here.

 

Since my wife dropped the car off the car has only been our for one ride (14.7 miles on 11/17 according to the MyFordMobile site). I guess that the trips from the parking lot into the service area don't get logged if they are below a certain distance.

 

The biggest frustration is that the FSE has really not found anything and has the technician trying a lot of the same things over again (sort of like diagnosing Microsoft Windows - Turn it of and turn it back on until the problem goes away)

 

About the only good thing is that it makes it easier to prove that Ford cannot diagnose the problem and as such cannot fix the problem.

 

CJN-MD: was your car a Hybrid or an Energi?

[GrySql]

You have the patience of a saint...

[murphy]

Trips of less than about 1.5 miles are not recorded on MFM. Also if the car is turned off and then immediately turned back on the trip data for the previous trip may be lost.

[cjn-md]

Mine was a hybrid.

[fpliptak]

Well, the saga continues. On Tuesday evening I visited the dealership to find out the status and speak directly to the Service Advisor. Although the Field Service Engineer was scheduled to visit this week to physically check the car and give advice he had not been there by Tuesday evening and with the Thanksgiving holiday that only left Wednesday or Friday for a visit. The SA did not know when the FSE was going to be there. That is the frustrating part. Since this supposedly has a high profile I would think the FSE would let the dealership know when he is coming. No such luck. I expressed my frustration to the SA and while we were talking the Sales Manager happened by and asked how everything was going. He was surprised by how long the car had been at the shop for repair and why there was no schedule for the FSE to be there. I asked to be notified when the FSE was on-site so that I might ask him why it was so difficult to diagnose the problem.

 

 

Wednesday afternoon (4:15 PM) my wife received a call from the SA saying that the FSE had been there and found a bad ground on the right rear quarter panel from the wiring harness replacement. Tightened the connection and all is well. The car was road tested and everything was great. Since there were two recalls outstanding they were going to take care of those on Friday and I could pickup the car when those were completed.

 

So Friday I get a call at 11:00 AM that the car is ready for pickup and the dealer will send a driver to pick me up.

 

According to the Repair Order the following was noted;

during inspections found ground not tightened from previous wire harness replace in right rear quarter panel g401. cleaned and reattached-confirmed lost ground with codes and fault messages. cleared and restested-ok. recharged vehicle and road tested-ok.

 

Sounds great except for the fact that I took a picture of the odometer on Tuesday night (cell phones are great for documentation) and the mileage was 16,531.7

When I picked up the car on Friday afternoon the mileage was 16,532.1

 

My math indicates between Tuesday night and Friday afternoon the car was driven 0.4 miles, yes, ZERO POINT FOUR MILES.

That is not a test drive that is driving it into the shop and out to the lot at most 2 times

 

Based on that FACT, I have to question whether ANYTHING was done. I have sent an e-mail to the SA, the SM, and the Senior Customer Service Manager who is following my case.

 

I know it may anger some of the people involved but there is no way that the car was road tested. During the 30 days the car was at the dealership this visit the only time it left the lot was on day 19 (November 17th) and yet the first item in the RO says it was road tested and then diagnosed.

 

How can anyone call this good customer service?

[fpliptak]

Just in case there is any question about what the Cross Traffic Alert is, this is from the Ford Owners Site:

 

Cross Traffic Alert

 

Cross Traffic Alert is designed to warn you of vehicles that are approaching the rear of your vehicle from the side when your transmission is in reverse ®.

 

 

I get the Cross Traffic System Fault when I am in drive (D) and cruising at about 65 MPH.

[GrySql]

Another 30 days in the shop and one more car payment....

 

Hope they washed it and filled the fuel tank.

[fpliptak]

GrySql,

 

They did not wash it (it really did not need to be washed) but they did charge the battery so I was able to drive the 15 miles home on only the electric drive. The dash displays the MPG as 999.9 for the trip home but it does not take into account the electric energy used from the battery (3.9 kWh)

 

My wife (it was her birthday present and she is he primary driver) and I both love the car and the Plug-in technology but the Cross Traffic problem really leaves a bad taste in my mouth and she is afraid of what else will happen.

 

We now have reached 88 days in the shop since 02/19/2015. That's 3 car payments and 3 months of car insurance wasted.

[hybridbear]

They did not wash it (it really did not need to be washed) but they did charge the battery so I was able to drive the 15 miles home on only the electric drive. The dash displays the MPG as 999.9 for the trip home but it does not take into account the electric energy used from the battery (3.9 kWh)

Updates to certain modules change the settings for a number of items you can control via the dash menu screens. MPGe is always turned back to MPG by default. I always switch it back to MPGe right away.

 

Sounds great except for the fact that I took a picture of the odometer on Tuesday night (cell phones are great for documentation) and the mileage was 16,531.7

When I picked up the car on Friday afternoon the mileage was 16,532.1

 

My math indicates between Tuesday night and Friday afternoon the car was driven 0.4 miles, yes, ZERO POINT FOUR MILES.

That is not a test drive that is driving it into the shop and out to the lot at most 2 times

Good eye to catch the lack of miles. I'm very curious to see what they have to say about that.

 

We now have reached 88 days in the shop since 02/19/2015. That's 3 car payments and 3 months of car insurance wasted.

Have you contacted Ford about receiving reimbursement for all the days in the shop? Have you contacted the BBB Autoline or a Lemon Law attorney about getting your vehicle repurchased by Ford?

Edited November 30, 2015 by hybridbear

[fpliptak]

I was not aware of the ability to display the MPGe. I will look through the manual to see how it is set. Thanks! I have to assume that it used the kWh used in addition to the gal used to calculate the MPGe. Do you know what conversion factor it used for kWh to gal because of the difference between 100% gasoline and 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol (what we have in CT).

 

I have not officially gone down the road of the BBB Autoline but I have been in contact with the Senior Customer Service Manager and he has indicated that he will have information about a buy back within the next few days. Along the way I have supplied him with a lot of documentation about what has been going on with the repairs. All of the documentation will be supplied to the BBB if/when we go down that road. We (me and my wife) have taken pictures of the dash display (including mileage) each time the failure has been displayed except for the first couple of times (when we did not know it would be a recurring problem).

 

The story continues. Stand by for the next installment which I expect to be before the end of the week (Friday December 4).

 

Wish me luck!

[hybridbear]

I was not aware of the ability to display the MPGe. I will look through the manual to see how it is set. Thanks! I have to assume that it used the kWh used in addition to the gal used to calculate the MPGe. Do you know what conversion factor it used for kWh to gal because of the difference between 100% gasoline and 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol (what we have in CT).

I think it uses the official EPA number of 33.7 kWh = 1 gal of gasoline.

[fpliptak]

My apologies to the group.

 

I had said I would give an update around December 4th but there was a lot going on that I was not able to discuss. Things have progressed very well from my point of view. Ford has agreed to buy-back the car. We (my wife and I) have ordered a 2016 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid to replace the Ford Fusion Energi. We decided to change from the Plug-in Hybrid to the Hybrid because we my be moving in the next couple of years and we don't know if we will be able to take advantage of the Plug-in. Because of the price differential between Plug-in and the Hybrid we were able to move-up to the Lincoln. The replacement was ordered sometime between December 18th and December 28th. I am now waiting to get a VIN so that I can track the progress of the replacement vehicle. When everything is finalized I will provide some of the gory details.

 

I really would like to thank all of the group who provided support and guidance during the entire process. Especially, but not limited to HybridBear, GrySql, CJN-MD, Fastronuat, acdii and the Ford Service Rep Meagan. Thanks to all of you.

 

It has been difficult but in the end I think it was worth the effort