New truck has broken down, dealership isn’t helping, and we’re losing money. What do we do?
Posted by Guezibo@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 48 comments
Hi Redditors! Unsure of where to post this, so feel free to direct me elsewhere!
My dad purchased a new Ford F-150 in January of 2024. Currently, the truck has 10,614 miles on it. On February 14th, 2026, the truck failed to start up, so we called out local Ford dealership who advised us to reach out to a specific towing company, and have it delivered to the dealership we bought it from. On February 16th, a couple of days later, we called the dealership to ask what the status of the car was. They let us know that they have yet to touch the car and that they would be unable to do so for a while, to which we asked if we could receive a courtesy car in the meantime. They said that they did not have one to offer. We waited another week before calling again, this time, they said that the car was not registered in their system and that my dad had to come in and sign a document to be able to work on the vehicle. This was frustrating considering my dad had visited the dealership the day the towing truck took the vehicle, and nothing had been mentioned then, nor over the phone when he called on the 16th. Nonetheless, he signed the document and patiently waited. When prompted again, different employees would give contradicting information. Some would say it was being worked on while others said nothing had been done. After looking at the dealership's reviews, 2/5 stars with many negative reviews, it was made clear that we could not push this dealership to help us, which prompted my father to contact the Better Business Bureau. There, Ford uploaded documents that showed us what was wrong with the truck: the battery was damaged, electrical issues were found, problems with the 4x4, front electrical windows, and turning the steering wheel, the headlights and turning signal lights didn't work on the right side, and the motor hook signaled that it was open when it was closed. That's a lot! My dad takes good care of his vehicle, and nothing would've pushed it to cause all this! My parents believe that some of the damage must be from the technicians at the dealership messing around inside and possibly damaging the vehicle even more. They simply do not trust the dealership and believe the employees to be incompetent. Sadly, the claim was denied and now we're back at square one. It's April, almost May now, and nothing has been done to get the car fixed. On top of that, he's still paying the car note and insurance while struggling to get to and from work or do his daily activities. He no longer wants the truck and instead wants his money back and reimbursement for the money spent on insurance and the car note while the car was in the shop.
We don't know what to do, can anyone give some advice, ideas, or guidance?
Practical_Avocado971@reddit
Title says new truck and then you go on to tell us about a 2 year old truck. Am I missing something?
No_Durian_3444@reddit
Call Ford consumer affairs.
joker_1173@reddit
If your state has lemon laws, contact an attorney that specializes in lemon law cases. Where i live, in CA, if the car is there multiple times for the same issue OR is at the dealer for 30 days and still not fixed, you can lemon it and get all your money back and it doesnt cost you a thing.
bajster@reddit
You should be on the phone with Ford corporate. Its under warranty and you should have been in a loaner or a rental car since day one. Get it towed to another dealer. I wouldn't trust that place to fix it even after corporate gets involved.
FrostyMission@reddit
Should have gone to a different dealership
Hersbird@reddit
The better business bureau is just a private company collecting payouts from bad businesses. They are 100% a waste of time. Your dad needs to be calling Ford corporate and raising hell. They are the ones going to be on the hook to refund your money and buy the truck back if it's not repaired in a reasonable amount of time according to your state's lemon laws.
Glittering_Call_898@reddit
Agreed the BBB is organized extortion for legitimate good business.
R_Soul_@reddit
This deserves infinite upvotes!
4158264146@reddit
This, this, and this. BBB is bullshit. I was having an issue getting a recall on my truck, dealer was dicking me but as soon as I talked to Dodge the problem was solved immediately. OP needs to contact Ford
eldredo_M@reddit
Click and Clack always talked about getting ahold of the regional office of the manufacturer. Is that still a thing? 🤔
Gunk_Olgidar@reddit
Yes, because they're the ones who have to work with the dealers and ultimately deal with the lemon law buyback paperwork.
stillhaveissues@reddit
I see this repeated all the time and while they are a private company I've made a complaint there 2 times and both times the companies (one a huge worldwide company and one a smaller regional company) reached out to me within hours of making a complaint and made it right, saving thousands of dollars.
oxnardmontalvo7@reddit
Son of a car dealer here, Chevy specifically.
The BBB can be very helpful. I had trouble with a Ford truck I bought several years ago when it was still pretty new. My old man, the Chevy dealer, suggested I contact the BBB. I did this after wearing the Ford dealer’s ass out then pouncing on Ford regional. BBB got involved and became a sort of intermediary that negotiated on my behalf but with far more leverage. Manufacturers take them seriously.
Find a contact for a Ford regional office and talk to them. Dealers don’t like getting pressure from the region. It’s a bad look for them and could potentially put their franchise in jeopardy. If you can’t find one, go to Ford corporate and dig your heels in.
Finally, you may be able to get assistance from your state’s attorney general. Give them a call or email. I’d also suggest local media, particularly if there’s a news channel nearby that does consumer protection work.
BTW after I engaged BBB the dealer’s service manager told me I don’t know what you did, but Ford has authorized us to fix all your concerns. Which they did.
Sea-Rip3902@reddit
Call an attorney.
FordMustang4708@reddit
It seems to me that it should qualify for lemon law. Contact a lemon law attorney ASAP. So you can see if it qualifies for lemon law. Your biggest concern is if you added anything to the vehicle. Especially electrical. If so, you’re possibly going to have a bad experience if it’s not covered by warranty due to someone else besides the Ford factory / dealership causing the problem. Otherwise if it’s all factory original your truck would have been fixed by now. Dealerships have the ability to contact the ford engineers that build the truck and they can fix anything wrong with them since we build them. Did anyone add anything aftermarket to the vehicle ? Alarm - Stereo etc ?
Least_Confidence_225@reddit
Have it towed to a different Ford dealership, preferably one with good reviews.
hamrmech@reddit
They apparently have no technicians able to diagnose or repair your vehicle. It needs to go somewhere else.
Classic-Quote3884@reddit
Look up the lemon law. Might have to get a lawyer, and talk to corporate about whats going on with this dealership.
NHRADeuce@reddit
Right now, go leave them a bad review on Google. Dealerships absolutely pay attention to those. You should get a response pretty quickly.
After you leave a bad review, call Ford regional to complain.
Last, don't discount the lemon just because it's 2 years old. Depending on the state you live in, because you're the original owner and the vehicle has been out of service for more than 30 days, you may still qualify. This is the last resort as you'll need to consult an attorney to at least evaluate your situation. If you qualify, they'll have to buy the truck back.
Tool_junkie_1972@reddit
BBB is a hit/miss kind of thing. Companies pay to be listed, some take complaints to BBB seriously and actually try to resolve issues, others simply don’t care - and BBB has zero recourse to force any action from them.
You need to 1) get ahold of Ford (NIT the dealer) and then 2) have it taken to another ford dealer for all repairs . In the meantime you can also file a complaint with your state consumer protection agency (in some states automobiles are handled separately). You might also consider looking into your states lemon laws- every state has their own requirements- it may be worth it to approach this from several angles.
CarGullible5691@reddit
Go direct to Ford customer support and file a complaint
PolybiusChampion@reddit
Call another dealership, have it towed there.
Green_V_559@reddit
Sounds like the dealership is a cluster fuck. It happens in this line of work, but for it to be to this degree speaks alot to how this place is managed.
BBB is a complete waste of your time. They have 0 control over anything. They will not be able to push the dealership to do diddly squat. Stop wasting your time.
Your state will likely have a oversight board. In California we have the Bureau of Automotive Repair. You would need to look into which state agency oversees yours.
I have been working in automotive repair for a long while and I have yet to see a battery be "damaged," unless the vehicle was in an accident. No one will be able to say whether this damage was done at the dealership unless you or the tow truck driver have pictures, but the explanation is very questionable and I am very interested in seeing a picture.
I would make a solid bet that unless you were having these electrical issues prior to the no start, that every other electrical glitch is coming back to the charging system having a very low state of charge. Newer vehicles go haywire when voltage gets low due to every module in the vehicle recognizing low voltage and it creates a cascading effect. I would try a few different things. Ask to speak to the owner of the shop. Worst case scenario you might need to replace the battery out of pocket. If you still have electrical issues after I would tell them to show you the areas that are damaged and then get your insurance involved. If its collision damage they would have to then prove it to the insurance company. If they can prove it, you move forward with a claim.
Lastly, you need to address this with corporate. They wont be able take full reign of everything, but they can at least make you whole on the back end of things and address any negative consumer feedback with management or the owners.
EarthOk2418@reddit
The computer which logged the truck’s electrical faults also stores the date and time which they occurred. So it should be easy to tell if they happened before or after the truck was dropped off at the service department.
upsidedown-funnel@reddit
Smart thinking!
OP should be also documenting everything. Times dates etc.
jrileyy229@reddit
You need to call Ford corporate... And if you can, track down the regional service manager... That's who you want to get to
upsidedown-funnel@reddit
Also, if the dealership is a chain of a larger company, I’d suggest calling their corporate office as well.
ElPresidente714@reddit
100% correct. The service writer and manager are clear trash. Be sure to have clear documentation and dates of events. Keep pressing with corporate and they’ll respond and take action. I worked at a Ford dealership and this is the most effective path.
Crowlady77@reddit
This is the answer.
big-L86@reddit
Contact you're attorney Generals office
Beneficialsensai@reddit
Bought a Ford
RingOk664@reddit
I had trouble with my Ford Police Interceptor. I had it towed to Chino Hills Ford and got it back in 2 days. The tow truck driver was Angel and the service manager was Jesus. Turns out my software was corrupted and they reprogrammed it.
0blivion212@reddit
Im in a similar boat. Id recommend looking into lemon laws for your state. You guys will have e to fight tooth and nail but its worth checking out.
Guezibo@reddit (OP)
I did, but since the car is over two years old now we no longer qualify. That’s what the BBB was for. Do you think it’s something that could be applied for again and fought?
foolproofphilosophy@reddit
The BBB is a pay-to-play racket. They’re not going to do anything for you. They have as much authority as Yelp.
Coyoteatemybowtie@reddit
BBB is just yelp for old people. Contact an attorney in your state about possible lemon law, states vary widely with what can be allowed. You should also reach out to ford.
knownikko@reddit
BBB can do NOTHING for you. They are not a “bureau.” They have no power to compel anyone to do anything. They’re a scheme to fleece businesses for favorable ratings.
ThirdSunRising@reddit
On what grounds did they deny a warranty claim? That’s asinine, it’s obviously under warranty unless it’s accidental damage that your insurance would cover. Which it isn’t, if he didn’t hit anything.
gheiminfantry@reddit
I can tell you right now, you're not getting a refund. Or money for insurance and car note while in the shop.
BleachBlondeHB@reddit
Call the Manufacture directly (Ford) to complain about the Dealership. They will take it more seriously if Ford approaches the dealership. Also look for an attorney that specializes in Lemon Law. The BBB is unfortunately useless IMO.
I did complain to Toyota Corp Division about a Toyota Dealership that ripped off one of my coworkers (I unfortunately recommended the salesperson). Toyota did call me and try to resolve the issue. They were very concerned that the Dealership was giving them a bad name.
Terrh@reddit
^^^ this. Call corporate. They won't let this slide.
Diligent_Bat499@reddit
Lemon Law
Individual-Fail4709@reddit
Open a case at Ford. If it is in warranty, they will generally push the dealer to get it fixed unless abused or water damaged. 1800-392-3673. Say you need help getting the truck fixed and where it is.
BleachBlondeHB@reddit
Also note in one of my law classes an attorney that was a guest speaker was also on Retainer for several dealerships that tend to operate in the grey area and he had to step in and resolve issues. They aren't all saints!
Another Coworker filed a Lemon Law claim, and the manufacturer had to buy the car back.
TheStig827@reddit
A truck purchased new in 2024, with 10k miles on it should be under the factory warranty. Unless they can demonstrate that all of these problems are caused by damage or modification by the owner, they're on the hook to fix it.
The BBB is a literal farce. Your next steps should be to reach out to ford directly, and have them inquire what's going on, potentially putting pressure on the dealership.
If ford won't engage with you, you need to talk to a lawyer that specializes in warranty and lemon law claims.
stchman@reddit
That is a LOT of problems with a F150 with less that 11K on it.
I would be calling Ford corporate and bitching very loudly.
omg4serious@reddit
is there a factory warranty on the car? call ford corporate and get them involved in a warranty claim.
MansomeHan@reddit
Is there another dealer you can take it to?