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Can a recall cause $21,000 in damage??? - Keep reading


evh

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Ok, the purpose of this post is two-fold, to share information but mainly therapy for me so here goes. It is a bit lengthy, but an interesting (and scary) story.


So my 2009 AWD Edge (219,000 miles) developed a loud noise in the back. I was 99.9% certain it was my rear passenger wheel bearing (it was). Also note I had two outstanding recalls on this Edge. One was a fuel tank rust inspection/replacement (possible leakage) for us in the rust belt. The other was the passenger side air bag recall due to possible flying shrapnel potential (note my dealer said they don’t have parts for mine as of yet or it is not a priority). No, biggie right? What are the odds I would be in an accident with someone in the passenger side and have the air bag go off…. Keep reading.


I typically do my own repair work where I can, but this is not something I am equipped to do or have ever done. When I need to take it in, I have a local mechanic I have used but they have gone out of business. We have a very large local Ford dealer that is generally assumed to be pretty good. However, we all know it boils down to the person working on the vehicle. I also don’t like a car this age and mileage being messed with. Let’s face it, things are bit older and fixing something here, can cause problems someplace else (well likely true with any vehicle, but older ones may be more prone to this).


Well, I decide to take it to the dealer and get the noise looked at and the gas tank replaced. Note, I did try to get the gas tank recall resolved maybe a year ago. I made the appointment and went in. When I got there they said they did not have the parts, so I left.


When I made this current appointment I asked the service writer to confirm they had the parts (apparently AWD and FWD tanks are different). They did, so the appointment was made. The work was done. I picked up my car and the noise was gone. A new gas tank was installed. I looked under the car and things looked new in the tank area.


About a week after the work was done my check engine light came on. I have a code reader and it is a P0442 (small evap leak - i.e. gas tank is not holding pressure). This is the typical loose gas cap code. Hmmm, what are the odd???. I have never had this code before and it shows up right have the gas tank is replaced. It also shows that this code is pending as well. So I don’t clear the codes and I make an appointment to take the car back in. A bit worried they will say it was not related to the recall (but come one, you replaced the entire gas tank and all the connections, common sense would indicate…).


I drop the car off early in the morning and my wife meets me there in her 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The dealership is on a busy road. It is lightly raining and about 7:30ish am. I drive and we are about 1,000 feet down the road going about 40/45ish (my guess) and a 2015 Chevy Suburban turns right in front of us. There is no stopping (I did hit the brakes) and I T-Bone them! Holy )(*######@@)(U% !!!! I hit them just behind the passenger side rear door. Remember how fast I think I am going? Do you know how heavy Suburban’s are???


I have a dashcam and captured the entire thing. All of their air bags deployed. Our front two deployed. I won’t go into all the details but they weren’t hurt. I had a few minor issues. My wife was hurt the worse. Fortunately no hospitalizations. The other driver admitted fault. The Jeep was totaled. Not sure about the Suburban. If you have never been in an accident like this all I can say is WOW!!! We are still shaken and the Mrs. is still in a great deal of pain.


So that same morning I go back to the Ford dealer and say I need my car back. They have not started work on it yet. I explain what happened and that I will be back in touch with them to make another appointment. So we are down to one car as of this writing, my Edge.


I clean the gas cap and gasket and decide to clear the code, maybe this is just a coincident. I check the code after a couple days and it is still clear with nothing pending. However, if you read about this code it only is checked at certain times. I don’t know all the steps but something about a full tank of gas and then having it get down to ¼ tank etc. Bottom line it takes some time for it to get set again. I fill up the tank yesterday (note, I always always stop at the first click) and stop and see my brother who has a driveway with a slight incline. We are talking outside by the Edge and I am like “Hey brother, do you smell gas?”. He says “Yes”. I look under the Edge and there is a gas spot about the size of a large pizza under the Edge. Gas is dripping from just in front of the passenger side rear tire at a rate of about 1 drop every 3 seconds. Wonderful….


So as of this writing we are car less and the Edge is back at the dealerhsip.


You could argue this entire story a number of different ways. I did the recall so I wouldn’t have a leak but instead it created a leak and I would strongly argue lead to a totaled Jeep and much pain and suffering.


Remember my comment about the odds of a passenger side air bag going off….


My title of this post is roughly the value of the totaled Jeep.


Ok, again, I thought I would share. More from a therapy perspective for me than anything else. It has been a hell of a couple of weeks. Thanks for listening.


EVH

Edited by evh
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Oh yeah... that will buff right out. ;)

 

Look on the positive side (like a Kavanaugh optimist "keg is half full" kind of guy) - things could have been much worse. Your injuries don't sound debilitating and will heal. The modern safety devices in your Jeep helped prevent a much more serious situation. A 45 mph crash in the not-so-distant past could have been fatal. The vehicle can be replaced so your health is much more important. Glad to hear that you two are (relatively) all right.

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Glad you're all okay! Thats the most important thing. We will say a prayer that your wife is back to 100% soon. Wish we were closer, I'd gladly lend you either of our "extra" cars to use. Here's to better days and laughing about this one day, or at least just telling it as a great story!

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Edgieguy, thank you for the prayers and offer of a vehicle. You are too kind!!!

 

So a bit of follow-up. I called the dealership yesterday afternoon to see how my car was doing. They had to drain it and lower it and found a leak where the fuel pump goes. Makes total sense based on the code and how it was leaking. I asked if it would be done by the end of the day. No, they needed a part and wouldn't have it until 3pm the next day. Would it be done by end of day tomorrow. He sure hoped so...... I said I guess I will have to get a rental and hung up.....

 

I try not to get angry but that was straw. I called back and said you will provide me with a car/rental and I will be there soon to pick it up. The guy paused and then said, okay. He called me back about 20 minutes later and said my car would be done in about 30 minutes. Funny how that works. When I asked how they were able to fix it without the part he said he sent someone to another location they had and got the part. He said his tech didn't do anything wrong on the repair, but the Ford supplied gas tank had an issue where the fuel pump was installed. Didn't really matter to me who screwed up, but I am glad he didn't throw his tech under the bus. Well, I have it back and so far no leaks. I will be checking codes periodically to make sure there is still not a leak.

 

On a side note I think our replacement vehicle will be a 2016 EDGE AWD SEL. Stay tuned on that. Then I can be Double Edged like MACT!!!

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So far so good with ours. They did replace the tank, but no issues or MILs after a decent amount of driving it yesterday. Need to clean the inside of the windshield now, it's all nasty form them working on the passenger airbag.

 

Had a bad rear wheel bearing too (under 60K miles on it). The wanted $477 to replace it. I said no thanks, and just paid the $100 to diagnose it. Two SKF bearings off Ebay were only $140 shipped. Should be pretty easy install given it's a 2WD and I have plenty of tools.

Edited by IWRBB
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I don't know what part/s were replaced. I made sure to note if there was any gas smell on the inside. I don't think they actually accessed the pump through the inside. My back seat is folded down and has certain things back there and nothing has looked out of place. I wonder if their procedure forces them to do it below because they want to make sure and not get any gas on the interior. That smell can last a long time.

 

I still question if they replaced anything or simply tried to correct what was wrong. There was not a lot of time between my calls to them and when I picked it up.

 

I did park on a steep incline for 5 minutes and no leaks. Although I am hearing some rattling/clunking a bit now when pulling out of the driveway. Now what...

Edited by evh
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I try not to get angry but that was straw. I called back and said you will provide me with a car/rental and I will be there soon to pick it up. The guy paused and then said, okay.

I'm curious, why did you demand a rental car from the dealer? Do you have an extended warranty that covers extended repairs?

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Yes, the dealership made many mistakes:

 

1. Setup an appointment for a recall repair and did not have the parts in stock (so I dropped the car off the night before, had to call them on how things were going and that is when they told me. I had to get a ride back there and setup another appointment).

 

2. Did the recall incorrectly causing me to have to schedule a 3rd appointment to have it repaired

 

3. Found the problem and indicated it could be 3 days before I might get it back.

 

True, I had no contract where they must provide it, but a wise business would make accommodations for such mistakes. When I said "rental" that could be a used or new car off their lot. Also understand that this is an EXTREMELY large operation. It currently has over 7,500 new and used cars on all of their lots. You might think they could spare a used car and a dealer plate.

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