halffootplus Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Approx 2 years ago I got rid of my Ford F150 Super crew 4X4 because gas went up to $4.00 per gallon! I needed a car that had plenty of room for my me, my wife, and our 3 kids but also got good gas mileage! I went to North Central Ford in Richardson Texas, where I have bought my last 5 Ford trucks or SUV"s. I looked at the Ford Fusion but it was a little small. I found the last Ford 500 on the lot, test drove it, then bought it. I should have suspected something when it was the last one on the lot. It came with a 50,000 mile warranty. THANK GOD! I now have 39,000 miles on it and have had it in the shop 6 times for warranty work! (that includes the trip to the dealership today). The brakes have been totally replaced twice, the front end alligned once due to the fact that the tires were wearing out because the ball joint on the right hand side was going out! (i almost swerved off the freeway at 60 mph). All the wiring has been replaced in the A/C. the wiring has been replaced in the sunroof. All this happened before 30,000 miles. Its in the shop now because there is a noise coming from the left side front end, which just happens to be the same noise that the right side was making right before the ball joint went out. I asked my sales person, who just happens to be the same sales person for all my Fords, to look into getting me out of this vehicle and put me into another one. So between 30,000 miles and now, he has done nothing. Today he told me to call the Corporate office myself. So today I called the Corporate office and told them about all the problems. They told me that they would call me back in 1 to 2 business days and let me know what they are going to do for me, if anything. Anybody have any ideas what the big wigs might do in my case? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerM Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 All the wiring has been replaced in the A/C. the wiring has been replaced in the sunroof. Once you get done with your thoughts on the "big wigs" to him, could someone explain those two items to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 (edited) He joins the forums today...and his first post is to complain about a Five Hundred (it's not a '500')....P71...is that you?? Edited May 1, 2009 by twintornados Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syrtran Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Once you get done with your thoughts on the "big wigs" to him, could someone explain those two items to me? Well, AC usually has an electric clutch, and the sunroof has an electric motor. Also, 2 years ago the price of gas in Texas, as collated at the DOE web site (link) peaked at about $3.00 - for Premium. Maybe he's not remembering the wiring problems exactly? I can't figure out what the bigwigs would say. I also can't think of a reason where ball joints and interior wiring (sunroof) would both be bad on the same vehicle - outside of sheer bad luck - unless the car had taken a salt-water bath. That would've caused other problems, as well. Carfax? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halffootplus Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 He joins the forums today...and his first post is to complain about a Five Hundred (it's not a '500')....P71...is that you?? thats the only reason i joined this forum is to look for help to my problem with my 500, oops sorry Mr. Genius, Five Hundred! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halffootplus Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 He joins the forums today...and his first post is to complain about a Five Hundred (it's not a '500')....P71...is that you?? thats the only reason i joined this forum is to look for help to my problem with my 500, oops sorry Mr. Genius, Five Hundred! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Uh huh :shades: and it is nice to know that you have had all these problems that Ford has repaired under warranty and now you want to know what "the big wigs" will do....my guess is NOTHING, seeing as the problems you are having are being repaired by Ford...at no cost to you....geez man, you need help figuring out what is going to be done....they are doing it! Since Ford is making good on their warranty, what else are you looking for? Oooh, let me guess...you want a new car at no charge?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 the brakes are a non-issue. Ford extended the warranty on them beyond what most brake warranties would be. I'm sorry you had a problem with the car. But listening to the problems, it sounds to me like a slaesman left the car on the lot with the sunroof open in the rain. Water damage would explain those electrical gremlins which are NOT a common complaint on this car. Consumer Reports, JDP, MSN Owners reports, 500/Freestyle owners forums et al indicate that these cars are about as flawless as they come, with the exception of the brakes. In fact there are 500/FS/Montego owners here that have nothing but good things to say about their cars. So if you truly have the isues with this car as you describe, it is not engineering nor assembly defect, but most likely ill treatment/negligence at the dealership lot. So if this car has water damage (staining and/or corrosion under the carpet will verify), get the hell out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critic Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 OK, I'm gonna try this one more time, yesterday I had composed an answer, but my browser crashed when I tried to submit it. It purely sounds like a service department problem. WHY? Because your ball joints are actually made in Lichtenstein believe it or not. And their sealed for life. If you had a steering problem at 60 MPH, you'd have noticed a bad wobbly in your steering wheel or the operation of the car long before it blew out on the highway. Someone forgot to snug up the nuts on the control arms after an alignment? Possible, hard to diagnose on the Internet. Another thought that comes to mind; I've seen noises or problems you think are coming from all over the car attributed solely to the Shocks. As your driving it when you think it's coming from the back, it's coming from the front, because of speed and the time you hear it, the sound has past the point of origin. NOW mind you this is all speculation. Go to each corner and rock the car, hear any noises? - shocks. Sunroof Wiring? That would just be a few power leads, a switch and a motor. Yes it could have been something else. But realise that a lot of these are made and usually their flawless. Did you leave it open? I had a chick drive my vehicle on a camping trip once and after a nights rain, when I went to my truck I saw the roof open, I told her she forgot to close it. Pain in the butt to take it to another dealer, but you better entertain the thought. I had a new grill installed in a brand new vehicle because before I got it, they had constantly washed it with hard water and I could not remove the water spots. I stood and watched the mechanic open the box for the new grill and slide the plastic chrome grill across the floor before he installed it. When the service manager told me my car was ready, I had him walk with me to the car and I pointed out all the new scratches on the grill, He re-ordered a new grill right then. What will the big-wigs tell you? That your car will be covered under the warranty. Period. Try another dealer and tell them why you came to them. Bet you get your problems solved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92merc Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 I have a 2007 Mercury Montego, basically your sister car. I have to agree for the most part with the previous post. Get a different dealer. The suspension on this car is a bit noiser than I would like. It'll clunk over the bumps. But I've had no steering issues or anything like that. I did have my rear brake pads replaced under that warranty item mentioned above. I had that done at 20k miles. I'm now around 34k miles, no issues since. The only other warranty issue I've had, and a few others have had, is the trim in the roof gutter will pop loose. I got tired of popping it back in and took it to the shop. That was 2 months ago. They bent the tabs and popped it back on. Been fine for 2 months. So I'm knocking on wood. If you head over to TrueDelta.com, he's an independent that has accumulated data on a lot of cars. The 2007 Fiver/Montego rates one of the highest rated cars for warranty repair items. It's lower than just about any other car out there. So either you did get a lemon (possible), or you're getting bad service. But it sounds like you have a legit gripe. Hopefully corporate will help you out, or another dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 But it sounds like you have a legit gripe. Hopefully corporate will help you out, or another dealer. I agree. These problems are definitely odd given the quality of the car as reported by just about every legitimate source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLPRacing Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 (edited) It sounds like you bought a car that you don't like, and since it is having trouble, that has only made your feelings towards it worse. If you liked this car, these problems wouldn't be nearly as big a deal to you. It sucks owning a car you don't like, especially if you think it's a lemon. Cut your losses & trade it in for another truck or SUV and move on... Edited May 3, 2009 by NLPRacing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettech Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Approx 2 years ago I got rid of my Ford F150 Super crew 4X4 because gas went up to $4.00 per gallon! I needed a car that had plenty of room for my me, my wife, and our 3 kids but also got good gas mileage! I went to North Central Ford in Richardson Texas, where I have bought my last 5 Ford trucks or SUV"s. I looked at the Ford Fusion but it was a little small. I found the last Ford 500 on the lot, test drove it, then bought it. I should have suspected something when it was the last one on the lot. It came with a 50,000 mile warranty. THANK GOD! I now have 39,000 miles on it and have had it in the shop 6 times for warranty work! (that includes the trip to the dealership today). The brakes have been totally replaced twice, the front end alligned once due to the fact that the tires were wearing out because the ball joint on the right hand side was going out! (i almost swerved off the freeway at 60 mph). All the wiring has been replaced in the A/C. the wiring has been replaced in the sunroof. All this happened before 30,000 miles. Its in the shop now because there is a noise coming from the left side front end, which just happens to be the same noise that the right side was making right before the ball joint went out. I asked my sales person, who just happens to be the same sales person for all my Fords, to look into getting me out of this vehicle and put me into another one. So between 30,000 miles and now, he has done nothing. Today he told me to call the Corporate office myself. So today I called the Corporate office and told them about all the problems. They told me that they would call me back in 1 to 2 business days and let me know what they are going to do for me, if anything. Anybody have any ideas what the big wigs might do in my case? Did you take it to a new dealership yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLPRacing Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Did you take it to a new dealership yet? Where he's at, there's only about 20 Ford dealers in a 15 mile radius... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Harbinger Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 As your driving it when you think it's coming from the back, it's coming from the front, because of speed and the time you hear it, the sound has past the point of origin. Yeah, if you're driving near the speed of sound... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleed Blue Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 I can only speak from personal experience, but your FiveHundred does not sound typical. I leased a 2005 FH brand new in Dec of 2004. Ours was the very first one on the lot and the first model year. I was a little leary about "first year, new model, work the bugs out" kind of things but went ahead and did it. NO REGRETS. Ours was a 24 mo lease so we only put about 20k miles on it but it was an excellent car. The ONLY problem we had was an intermittent "wrench" light. It would come on and all of the gauges would do a full sweep and then pop back to normal. This would happen maybe once a month or so. Never affected the driveability of the car. No codes were stored so they never really figured it out. I suspected an intermittent ground problem but who knows. That was it. It was a Limited model with every option available except AWD. Lots of areas to have problems, but it was a great car. I would have leased another but the wife fell in love with the Fusion when she saw one the next year. Oddly enough our 2007 Fusion has never had one thing go wrong with it. Just routine maint and gas. Maybe it's luck or something. My Mom talks about "her honda from hell". One thing after another with that car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Extreme4x4 Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 We had an auto repair and towing business for 9 years. It truly does sound like water damage. How the car got the damage, who knows............... and frankly, who cares. I would take the car to an independent shop, that is known for inspecting used vehicles............... and have it inspected for water damage. These days, they can clean them up, so that they do not smell, and basically look perfect. However, odd electrical gremlins is usually one one your biggest "hints." You also need to find out the history on the car. Was it traded for??? Was it originally sold to your dealership??? There were alot of hurricanes and other water related natural disasters that have happened in the timeframe that your car would have been on a lot. Alot of those cars are in circulation, due to unscrupulous sellers. Based on your cars history, I would expect the electrical gremlins to continue. I would have major issue with the dealership, not FMC. The dealership owes you a hell of a deal on a different car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bored of Pisteon Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 [cough] [cough] ...SHOULD'VE BOUGHT A PANTHER. [COUGH] [COUGH] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 [cough] [cough] ...SHOULD'VE BOUGHT A PANTHER. [COUGH] [COUGH] Sounds like Panthers are [cough] [cough] about dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critic Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Yeah, if you're driving near the speed of sound... Total bullshit reply DUDE. A fact.. Want to put it to a test.. Put a bad shock on your front end, go drive and tell me where the sound , sounds like it's coming from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Harbinger Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Total bullshit reply DUDE. A fact.. Want to put it to a test.. Put a bad shock on your front end, go drive and tell me where the sound , sounds like it's coming from. DUDE, learn some physics. Sound travels 1115 feet per second. It may very well sound like it's coming from the back -- but it ain't because you're "driving past the sound". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critic Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 DUDE, learn some physics. Sound travels 1115 feet per second. It may very well sound like it's coming from the back -- but it ain't because you're "driving past the sound". I sat and thought and thought on this, and all I can come up with is.. a guy who's never been there, but since he has driven a car knows all about them. Thanks Noah, you settled that argument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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