Ford Focus LEMON help!!

[TheFonze73]

Hi All

I am a new Ford customer. My fiancé and I purchased our first new vehicle earlier in the year. A brand new Ford Focus LV Mk II. We paid for the car with our hard earned savings rather than finance the vehicle. It was the single biggest purchase we have ever made. We had decided to buy a vehicle that we could keep 10+ years and the reason we decided to buy brand new was so that we could avoid any “car hassles” for a number of years.

After doing the research and test-driving the competition the Focus was a perfect fit. Big enough to comfortably take on a long drive, small enough to keep my fiancé happy (as she doesn’t like big cars) and good-looking to boot. Just what we where looking for. I was quite excited to get down to a dealer and buy the car. We headed on down to a major Melbourne based Ford dealer as they had a good price advertised on an LV Mk 1 in white. We ended up being upsold to the latest LV Mk II which had nicer wheels and we could get the colour that we wanted the Sea Grey. We put a deposit on the vehicle and were told it would be 2 – 6 weeks, as we had to wait for the vehicle to come out from the factory in South Africa. Unfortunately we had to drive home in our old beat up 1992 Camry station wagon (the vehicle we were replacing) but we felt good about the new purchase and were excited that a new Focus was on the way.

Regrettably this is where the fairy tale ends…


Here is a brief version of my experience to date.

1. Salesperson NEVER returned any of my phone calls for 10 weeks. If I didn’t catch him I didn’t speak to him.
2. Vehicle finally delivered after 10 weeks not 2 – 6 weeks as told.
3. On delivery, vehicle was dirty inside and out, paint chip on L/H quarter panel, scratch on centre console, scratch inside door handle, break lights felt rough, black finger marks on ceiling front and back and on sun visors.
4. Salesperson tried to conceal paint chip and then tried to convince me that the scratches I could see where not scratches at all.
5. Vehicle had been registered a week before I took delivery and had 74kms on the odometer.
6. I had been waiting so long and I was anxious to take delivery of the Focus as our Camry had finally died so I took delivery after noting the problems that were to be fixed.
7. Salesman said that he would call me that afternoon to book the car in for repairs.
8. I chased the salesperson for 7 days before I was able to catch him and finally book the car in. There was also a loud intermittent clunking sound when taking off in first gear.
9. After returning the vehicle I again had to chase Jefferson Ford for 2 weeks leaving many messages.
10. I questioned that the vehicle had been used as a demo unit and was not presented as a new vehicle. My gut feeling was that this was not a new vehicle.
11. Spoke to Jefferson Ford and was told that the car was ready. I asked about the scratches inside the vehicle and was told that there was nothing that they could do about them, as it was not covered by warranty.
12. I then wrote a letter to the dealer and to Ford motor company expressing my concerns.
13. I met with management who assured me that this was a brand new vehicle in pristine condition. They offered me $500 to compensate me for my troubles so far. I asked for an extended warranty to put my mind at ease.
14. The dealer then offered $500 a 2-year extended warranty and a full body respray which I accepted.
15. When I picked up the vehicle 160kms had been added to the odometer, there was a Melways street directory on the back seat and the petrol was on ½ a tank. I had filled the tank before taking the car in. I really wanted to leave the whole drama behind me and needed the car.
16. At this stage the car had 460kms on the odometer. I had driven 226kms in the 7 days I had the car and Jefferson Ford had driven it 234kms.
17. I thought the worst of it was over and I could put the whole thing behind me.
18. In less than a week the car broke down and refused to start. Also the oil level was below the minimum.
19. The car was towed to the dealer. There was a broken fuel pump and the fuel pump assembly was changed. Also one of the keys had lost it’s programming.
20. Immediately after picking up the vehicle the clunking sound had returned.
21. I took the car onto the freeway for the first time and the car pulls to the left considerably. Also I noticed when opening the R/H passenger door there was a clunking sound as it rubbed against the edge of the driver’s door.
22. When vacuuming the car I noticed that the carpet on the L/H passenger side was really hard and sort of melted. Also I tried to move the L/H front seat back so I could vacuum underneath and the whole mechanism broke. The front passenger seat now does not move.
23. By this stage it had been 13 weeks since taking delivery. I had had the car in my possession for a total of 5 weeks and the dealer had the car for 8 weeks.
24. I am a part time motorcycle postie and one of my delivery points is an Automotive Panel repair shop. I dropped the vehicle past to show him the way the door rubs and to get his opinion.
25. After a quick look at the car he determined that there had been considerable repairs done on the vehicle. I was in shock as I had hadn’t yet had the respray offered by Jefferson Ford. He asked me to leave the car with him to have a proper look and to write me a report.
26. He concluded that pretty much most of the car had been resprayed bar two doors. Problems include, multiple dent removals, paint runs, mottled paint, paint shrinkage, dirt in paint, overspray on panels lights and windows, scratches on windows from were overspray has been removed with a razor blade, broken trim on door, condensation inside indicator. About 30 separate items were found.
27. Other problems include, loose trim below glove box, fabric on drivers seat bunching, a number of different rattles, all 3 keys supplied have lost their programming at some stage, problem with media controls on steering column. The more you look the more you seem to find.
28. I took it to two other panel shops that agreed the car had been considerably repaired and repaired poorly.
29. I have had the car looked at by an independent assessor who is currently writing his report. He has similar findings to the panel shops. About 30 separate items with faults.
30. On speaking to the dealer principal he immediately passed the buck onto Ford Motor Company Australia. I sent him a copy of the report from the panel shop. He said he would immediately send it to Ford. I asked for a senior contact within Ford and he said he would email me the details right away.
31. I called the dealer principal late the next day. He still hadn’t sent the email to Ford or sent me the contact. He said he would do it right away. He never sent it.
32. I rang the dealer principal the next day, and left a message.
33. I got a call from a Ford customer service officer who I had spoken to a number of times (the dealer principal had called him and was asked to call me). He is a level 1 customer service officer. I asked him to find me a senior contact I could discuss a solution with. I told him I wanted to talk to someone who could make a decision on my vehicle as I did not want waste any more time and energy. He said he would get someone to call me at 9am on Monday morning.
34. 9:45am Monday morning still had not received call. I called to see what as happening. I was told that I would shortly receive a call from a supervisor.
35. I asked the supervisor if I could speak to someone senior who could make decisions on a refund or replacement vehicle. She said, “that’s me”. I asked who makes the decision and she said, “we do”. I asked who is “we” and she answered, “the Ford Motor Company”. She said she didn’t have to tell me anything in regards to the process Ford undertakes when determining what to do with the vehicle. I asked her for her contact details and she said, “you will have to call me through the call centre”. She demanded that I take the vehicle back to the dealer the next morning and the call got really intense and I had to hang up the phone.
36. We spoke twice and both times I asked her for a senior contact and she refused.
37. After all my issues the most senior person I was allowed to speak to was a call centre supervisor who only gave her first name and does not have any direct contact details.

It seems that the overall customer experience and customer retention is not a priority at Ford.

The purchase of a new vehicle should be a fun and exciting time but there has not been even a moment of joy within this whole process except for the day we signed on the dotted line.

NO ONE has taken any responsibility for the condition of the vehicle. The dealer blames Ford and Ford the dealer.

This whole process raises a lot of questions as to the credibility of the dealer and of the Ford Motor Company.

What is Ford Motor Company doing to regain my trust and keep my business?
How can a car like this end up in a consumer’s possession as a new vehicle?
How many other people are driving second-rate cars that are unaware of it?
Why is Ford Customer Service being so defensive, refusing to provide a senior contact and showing no transparency within the process?

At this stage all I want is someone reasonable I can talk to that can make decisions in regards to my vehicle and about possible solutions. I don’t think this is too much to ask.

If anyone reading this has ANY contacts within the Ford motor company please contact me on 0433 146 130 or PM me.

Many Thanks