PW_SuperDude

After 4 weeks to the date, we finally got our Edge back - new engine and all. So far so good, but sometimes we find ourselves a little paranoid whenever we hear something unusual... So the vehicle went in at 450 km and came out at 600km. Apparently, the mechanic decided to drive it home on several occassions (yes, several) in order to "monitor and make sure everything was OK". WTF? I didn't think you were allowed to do that sort of thing?! What if it was involved in an accident or something? Well, the main thing is, we got our vehicle back, it seems to be OK, and with the exception of the oil changes, we don't ever need to go back to that dealership. Scorecard time... Ford Motor Company Customer Service: (E) - They were very unhelpful, lacked empathy, and completely unsupportive. Quality: (F) - Bad motor - Dearborn technical advisors could not even identify root cause. Admittedly, our confidence in the vehicle is still a bit shaky but if all else goes well, this should improve with time. Resolution: (D) - New engine seems OK but it took them a month to resolve this. Remember, we only had the vehicle for 12 days before this happened. I still think they should have given us a new vehicle considering the age and mileage. Yonge-Steeles Ford Lincoln Customer Service: (E) - We had to continuously chase them for updates and feedback. Commitments made by the sales manager were worthless. The only reason they didn't get an F is that they did start calling us towards the end and they did ensure that a loaner was available (which was billed to Ford Motor Company anyway so it really didn't inconvenience them in the slightest). No offers were made to adjust the warranty period, the Sirius trial period (we essentially lost an entire month's usage), or even follow up with us afterwards to make sure everything was OK. Easily the worst customer service experience I've ever encountered. Quality: (D) - Diagnostics were ineffective and we got our vehicle back with 30% more mileage on it - a bit excessive in my opinion. Some tool marks, etc. in the engine bay (no longer looks like a factory new vehicle). Resolution: (D) I'm being generous here on account that we eventually got our vehicle back and it seems to be OK now. Negative factors that affected the score were the timeliness of resolution (very slow), a lack of urgency or sensitivity to the customer, no offer regarding adjustments to the warranty coverage, and a generally horrible customer experience. No one from their management has followed up, either, to make sure things were OK afterwards or to at least offer a simple apology. Very poor performance.

No arguments there. Three and a half weeks is entirely unacceptable. My only two criticisms against the manufacturer are (1) bad engine (assuming the diagnosis is right this time - keep your fingers crossed...) and (2) Ford Customer Care was rather unhelpful when we called them. As for Yonge-Steeles Ford, they have been awful. Especially from a management/customer care perspective. No sense of urgency, poor communication and altogether no indication of concern for the customer. Pretty sad considering the price we paid for this vehicle plus what I would consider an obvious and embarassing defect.

Day 21. Guess what? Our shiny new Ford is still in the shop! Apparently the new cylinder head didn't fix the problem (do you get the idea that they really don't know what's wrong with our vehicle, let alone how to fix it?) so they are now planning to swap out the entire engine. Wow. At this rate they will have our vehicle for an entire month. That's twice as long as we did! This is truly the worst new car experience ever... 450 KM and we need a new engine. I guess Ford really hasn't made any headway in either build quality nor in their customer service. I thought I paid full price for a factory new vehicle - not some shoddy rebuild. Better off buying a used import...

Day 17... There's actually some new things to share in today's entry. First the good news: The dealership actually called us, without any prompting this time, to give us a status update. Apparently they had received the new cylinder head and it was installed on our Edge. Wow. Now the bad news: The vehicle is still not running right. Go figure... Well, due to the long weekend, no one will be available for me to talk to until Wednesday. It may sound sarcastic but the honest truth is the rental vehicle now feels more like "ours" than the Edge ever did. Makes sense when you consider that we have been driving it longer and have put more kilometers on it than we ever did our "real" new vehicle. This really sucks.

It has now been 14 days and still no idea as to what's happening with our vehicle. That means that the dealership has now had the vehicle in the shop longer than we owned it prior to the engine failing and we still have no idea if it will be fixed anytime soon or properly. There has been no follow-up from the dealership since last Friday (five days ago) despite a commitment from the sales manager otherwise . If you want to purchase your next vehicle from a dealership that never follows up with the customer nor makes any attempt at customer satisfaction, then you, too, should buy your next vehicle from Yonge-Steeles Ford. These guys are terrible. Sorry to say, but based on our experience with this dealership, the complete lack of commitment by Ford Canada, the inability to effectively diagnose and fix or replace an obvious manufacturing defect within a reasonable time, and an overall lack of confidence at this point which we have in the quality of this vehicle, I would never buy another Ford product again and would strongly discourage anyone I know from doing so as well. This is an excellent case study in how to make a bad situation worse and how to lose a customer. I guess they don't really care about the second point since they already have both my money and the vehicle. Buyer beware...

Sounds similar to the problem we have - also on very low mileage (450 km) and within the first two weeks of ownership. In our case, they ruled out the cam position sensor and solenoid and intend to change the entire cylinder head (we had cited the TSB for the 2007-2009 models but they dismissed this as being rectified on the 2010 models... oh really?). The rough idle, in our case, is attributable to the entire right bank misfiring below 1500 rpm. Per the technician, there is no contribition at all from this bank in the lower engine rpm's. Part of the problem we're having, and probably why there seems to be sporadic reportings of similar issues, is the fact that they really don't understand why. The only thing that seems consistent in the diagnosis is a problem with the variable valve train. Luck of the draw I guess.

Actually, I wasn't trying to point fault with the verbage but just trying to clarify for my own understanding. So you do have to create new holes rather than using whatever already exists in the hossd inner panel... Got it. I just get a little bit apprehensive at the idea of putting holes in the sheet metal only to find out that it's crooked or something else stupid (on my end, that is). Over all, are you happy with it and how painless (or painful) was the installation?

Gave us a funny little Suzuki hatchback. Now I must admit I was originally not too impressed by this - heck, we couldn't get little dude's stroller in the back - but this little car had gone 300 km on a little more than a third of a tank! Amazing! And it runs quiet and smoothly, too, which you wouldn't suspect of a little econobox. I'm guessing the sedan version should probably get comparable gas mileage but at least provide a bit more cargo space.

Nope. Not a small town - dealership is in Toronto. Per the technician, compression and vacuum readings are to spec. Even Dearborn is completely stumped by this, hence my frustration. The official line from the dealership is that given the low mileage involved, they are taking directions from Dearborn. If the PVT guys can't fix it I'd say it's time to step up to the plate and replace the vehicle. As I mentioned before, they don't really understand root cause so they're just going to attempt to switch the head and see if the problem goes away. If it not, then what? As for being emotional - isn't that largely what new car ownership is about? Otherwise who cares about the chrome, the paint job, the leather seats, etc. This is why people tend to buy new rather than used (that and the supposed reliability issue... ironic). So tell me, if you bought a new flat screen TV and it didn't work after 12 days, wouldn't you demand it replaced or your money refunded? Or would you be happy to accept a refurb for the same price as you paid for an OEM? And that is a much smaller amount of money involved. A few thousand KM on the odometer and sure, fix it. Less than 500 and no conclusive idea as to root cause? Take ownership of the problem and give the consumer what they paid for.

"Who knows, maybe I can fix some of them myself. My dad has an awesome set of tools!" Hey, you probably couldn't do any worse than the technicians or the guys from Dearborn...

Unfortunately, I'm out 40K for a product that is highly defective. If they're that interested in the problem, they can give me a reliable vehicle like I thought I had paid for and ship this one back to either PVT at Oakville or the engineers in Dearborn. The facts are (1) the entire right bank (cyl. 1, 3, and 5) is not firing below 1500 rpm, (2) fault codes indicate misfiring but cams, belts, valve control solonoids, cam phasers, etc. are reported to to be testing OK, (3) air-fuel mixture is to spec., (4) electricals all check out - technicians are convinced its mechanical but don't know what exactly, (5) above 1500 rpm, the right bank is firing normally, (6) there were no symptons prior to last Wednesday - the vehicle suddenly began to shudder violently when stopped at an intersection and the check engine lights all came on (note: the problem has been consistent since then meaning this could, theoretically happen anytime to any other vehicle), (7) the vehicle ran fine for the first 440 km before the engine crapped out, and lastly (8) no one can still tell me if the cylinder head is the actual problem or something symptomatic of the root cause. In other words, Ford will have had the car longer than we did and still can't tell me if this is going to be fixed properly or whether there is a chance or recurrence since they really don't know what the problem is and are unlikely to disclose the reason even if they knew. Bravo, job well done. I have so much confidence in my shiny new vehicle. I'll have to plan any family trips so that I stay within a reasonable distance of a Ford dealership at all times...

Yes, the level of customer service we have received from the dealership has been appalling. Per Ford Canada's customer care, the power to grant resolution in the form of an exchange or refund resides completely with the dealership. Based on the dealings we've had so far, they obviously don't care whatsoever now that they have our money and I am positive that they will continue to try to apply band-aid after band-aid to avoid any responsibility in the matter. When asked about the possibility of an exchange or refund, the dealership denied that this was within their power. Wonderful, more deception. Having spoken to the service department, it is now apparent that the problem is very serious and cannot be diagnosed properly. The only solution they have at present is to try to swap out the cylinder head on the right bank. Problem is, they still don't understand the failure mechanism nor do they, nor the engineers in Dearborn, know if this fix will work and whether there is any other consequential damage. Great... So my question is, if they do not know what the problem is or how it happened, how do I know it's not going to happen again? And what next if the cylinder head doesn't fix the problem? My advice? Talk to others and be extra dilligent to carefully research the dealership you are looking to buy from. In the end, they can make all of the difference.

Day 8 and we still don't know what's happening with our vehicle. We called Ford Canada's Customer Relationship hotline and they had no idea as to what's happening with the vehicle and nothing shows on their system. Called the dealership (they still don't call us as we had asked) and they insist that they are awaiting instructions from Ford. Seems like no one knows anything about the vehicle except that it's defective. Great customer experience - I'm just so brimming with confidence in Ford... At this point, I wish someone at either Ford corporate or the dealership would just put us out of our misery and buy back the piece of s^ so that we can go and buy my wife another vehicle that she can actually drive. At one point I actually considered buying another Edge on account that I reasoned that this was a fluke. Based on the poor customer service received so far, I'm highly likely to steer clear of Ford and perhaps look at a GM or an import instead. Take note Ford, this is a perfect way to run your business if you want to lose a customer for life.

That looks really sharp! Question: When I looked into this product in the Weathertech catalogue (came in the box when I bought the laser-fit trunk liner for both vehicles - awesome products!), it said in the description that no drilling was necessary as it used the factory holes. In the instructions, however, it said to use self-tapping screws to pierce the underside of the hood assembly. Which is it? Do you need to make new holes or no? How hard was it to install?

Unfortunately, Canada does not have the same lemon laws as prevalent in the US. It seems odd but considering the magnitude of the spend (typically, only one's house is a bigger investment), there is limited or no consumer protection. We bought my wife a 2010 Ford Edge only three weeks ago and it looks like we have our hands full, too. Engine failure after only 12 days (450 km) and the current solution they are proposing is to pull the engine and replace it. This on an essentially brand new vehicle. Ridiculous. If it were a TV or any other consumer product, you could return it for a full refund. I didn't pay $40K for a refurb. IMHO, there should be some common sense that if the vehicle has suffered a major failure in less than the break-in period, then the vehicle should be replaced or the consumer awarded a full refund. After that, the manufacturer's nonconformance should be fixed properly (i.e. in accordance with Ford's own OEM specifications) and in a timely manner. While disheartened, I am still hopeful (wishful?) that the large corporations are capable of taking ownership and addressing complaints in a practical manner. Let's see if Ford Canada justifies this faith by doing what's right or if my hopes will be crushed....