We interrupt this blog to bring you a small consumer rant. If you have no interest in cars or complaints, please disregard this post.

On Being a Ford Guy

Let me start this out by saying that I'm what they, in a past age, would have called "A Ford Man". I've owned a lot of cars over the course of my life, and most of them have been by Ford Motor Company (memorable exceptions include my first car - a 67 Dodge Dart - and the dilapidated VW Beetle I had in college, but didn't everyone have one of those at some point?). This includes every one of the four cars I have purchased new.

This doesn't mean that I wouldn't consider other brands - I do a pretty thorough search and comparison before major purchases. It is just that when new car time rolls around, more often than not I find that one of their products best meets my needs. And if it is otherwise a tie, the Ford (or Mercury, or Lincoln) product will probably win by default.

Falling for the Fusion

A few years ago, Ford decided to split one of their best selling car lines of all time - the Taurus - into two: A slightly larger car called the 500 (which has since reclaimed the Taurus name, and just received a major makeover); and a somewhat smaller vehicle called the Fusion (for those reading this in Europe, the US Fusion is nothing like the car of the same name sold over there - the US car is more of a size and kind with the current Mondeo).

By sheer coincidence, the Fusion came out right at the time I was ready to replace my old car (a Focus). It was virtually everything I was looking for in a car at the time. Now, that doesn't mean I was "first in line" to buy one. I still did all of the appropriate comparisons, but buy one I did, and it is one of the earliest made (November 2005, according to the sticker - more on that later). I am now the owner of a 2006 Ford Fusion SE, in "Red Fire":

In general, I have been very happy with my Fusion. It is comfortable, roomy, performs well with the 4 cylinder engine, and gets great mileage (well over 30 MPG on the highway). And, until recently, I haven't had any mechanical problems, either.

In the Driver's Seat

I don't buy a car to just look at. I buy it to drive. A lot. When you hear about warranties for "X years or Y thousand miles", you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm going to hit the miles number first. I spend a lot of time behind the wheel of my cars, and I get to know them pretty darned well. I learn every every quirky noise, every bump in the seat, every crease of the dash, on a first name basis.

I've never gotten rid of a car with less than 6 figures (100,000 miles) on the odometer. I understand the concept of "normal wear-and-tear" as well as (if not better than) anybody. I accept them as a fact of life, and if my issues were in that category, there wouldn't be a need for me to write this article. In addition, I also always buy the "best" extended warranty plan available from the manufacturer (Ford calls this their "ESP") to make sure I get to at least 100,000 miles without a major breakdown expense. Until now, I have not regretted it.

"You Will Know a Pioneer..."

I also understand the realities of product design and manufacturing. Nothing is perfect out of the gate. Issues are discovered, and changes are made. Most of the problems are caught early. Many are fixed at the factory before the cars are delivered, and 99% of the time, this fine-tuning goes unnoticed by the consumer.

But occasionally a problem isn't caught, or a design flaw that impacts durability can't be discovered, until well after the cars are sold and people are using them in the "real world". Again, most of these issues are benign, and may never be noticed (e.g. a piece of misaligned trim on the bottom of the dashboard). Now and then, though, one rises to the level of consumer awareness.

In the case of problems that could affect safety, depending on how wide-spread it is, a general or specific recall is issued. Everyone impacted is alerted, and their cars are fixed. Period. Again, if my issues were in this category, I wouldn't be writing. Or would I?

And what about problems that aren't generally safety related? These aren't ignored, but they aren't exactly widely publicized either. They are handled through a process called the "Technical Service Bulletin" or TSB. Sometimes these are referred to as "Hidden Warranties". Essentially, they only get fixed if the customer notices and complains about the specific issue covered. Of course, if you are within your normal "bumper to bumper" warranty period, this won't even be an issue. It will be fixed no questions asked.

But that would be the case even if there wasn't a "known problem" with the design, and it was simply a one-off defect in material or workmanship. A TSB might be issued with with a symptom description like "premature wear". And when the fix involves a redesigned component, you can be pretty sure that the original design itself was faulty.

A "Key" Problem

Here is where my relationship with Ford starts to get a bit shaky. As I mentioned, my car was one of the first Fusions produced. Sometimes these design flaws take a while to manifest, and detecting the problems tends to be time, not mileage sensitive. But I drive a lot, so I hit the standard warranty mileage cap ages ago.

A few months back, I ran into a problem where my key wouldn't come out of the ignition. These days, leaving one's key in the car is not the wisest of actions, so of course I went to a dealer to get it fixed. Upon diagnosing the problem, the dealer noted that the issue and solution was described in a TSB, but because I was out of standard warranty by mileage, I would have to pay the ESP deductible of $100. (All the more frustrating because the repair itself would only have been within a few dollars of that).

While I had been aware of TSB's, this incident brought them to the forefront of my attention. First, I became upset that I had to pay at all to have what was clearly a design flaw remedied. Second, I was more frustrated because when I go in for ANY service, I regularly asked if there are any outstanding recalls or service bulletins that apply to my car.

Chasing the Wild Goose

So, I did what any self-respecting, Internet-savvy geek does these days - I Tweeted about it. I caught the attention of Ford's Social Media Guru, Scott Monty (@ScottMonty), who brought me into contact with Shawn @FordCustService. After taking my issue offline with Shawn, he eventually escalated me to Joe Wiegland, Program Manger for the ESP program. While he wouldn't do anything about getting my already-paid deductible refunded, he did ask me to contact him when I was ready to have some other chronic issues, that I had chalked up to either "facts of life" or "normal" wear and tear but my new research identified to be TSB items, addressed, and he would get things straightened out.

Here I must note - I appreciate Mr. Wiegland's involvement, but I believe this shouldn't even have been made an ESP issue. These are design flaws, not strictly material and workmanship defects, and should be repaired regardless of warranty status - normal or extended.

For various personal reasons, I was unable to return to these problems until a couple weeks ago. I called Mr. Wiegland's office, but was directed to his voicemail. I left a message reminding him of my situation, and requesting a callback.

That callback never came.

Nevertheless, armed with my list of applicable TSBs (see below), I paid the dealer (Don Hinds Ford, in Fishers, Indiana) another visit. For every issue, I was rebuffed. Frequently, it was "cannot reproduce". But even when acknowledging a problem, they replied with either "not covered", or that it would only be "partially" covered, even if they could reproduce it.

So, I took back to Twitter. Just a few posts saying that I wasn't pleased with Ford. This time, I got the attention of the newly created @Ford corporate account. They said, literally: If we had a clue as to why, we might be able to help. So, I followed them, and when they (presumably auto) followed me back, I provided contact information via a Direct Message in order to discuss it offline.

They never responded.

A Blogger Scorned

I had no desire to write this article. I tried to resolve my problems privately, but didn't get any satisfaction, so I'm turning to the bit-stream. I've laid out my story in language plain enough for anyone to understand. I'll bring it to the attention of the various Ford accounts on Twitter. I will update it with any resolution - or lack thereof -that may be forthcoming.

Note: I still like Ford products in general, and my Fusion in particular. I just want it fixed.

Appendix - The Issues

Here's a list of my issues, their TSB numbers, the dealer's response, and a few comments.

Key stuck in ignition / Shifter binding condition

My listing shows it as TSB 07-2-1, but the dealer worksheet shows 07-14-7

This is the one that started it all. The title is self-explanatory. The repair consisted of replacing the shifter handle with a redesigned unit. I got charged a deductible that I don't think I should have.

2.3L Engine belt squeal - verify proper serpentine belt and tensioner

This is TSB 06-22-13

While I was at the dealer the first time, I also mentioned a pretty noisy squeak/squeal that I get when the car is cold or the air is particularly damp. Unfortunately, the car is warmed up by the time I get to the shop, so the dealer couldn't reproduce the problem.

After I came in with my list of TSB's, however, this was the one where they said even if they could reproduce it, because the repair incorporated a part the ESP doesn't cover (a belt, which is usually considered a consumable), there would be a significant charge.

According to one source "Ford has issued a newly designed shield, belt, and tensioner to correct the squealing problem. Alignment instructions for the new tensioner are included in the TSB"

Redesign a part to correct a problem, the original design was bad. The belt is part of the redesign, and therefore should be covered.

Since it only happens when cold, here's a video I made that illustrates the noise. I kept the volume of the video down so that it isn't too bad in an office. Rest assured, that in person it is VERY loud, and I can be heard coming down the street from a block away.

Video Demonstrating Squeak and Window Issue

Note: this video also includes a segment demonstrating a crunching noise made by the driver's side window. As far as I know, there isn't a TSB on that, but it is also an intermittent issue that I wanted to get on record so maybe I can get it fixed before my real ESP extended warranty expires. My gut tells me this is a power-window failure waiting to happen. Unlike the squeaking, it is most obvious when it is hot out.

Seat Bolster Wear

This is TSB 07-13-3

Here's one that really bugs me. I brought this up well over a year ago to my local dealer's service department. At the time, it hadn't yet worn through the fabric. They said that it was normal wear that they couldn't do anything about. Now I have discovered that it is anything but.

The TSB description lists the cause as a wire inside the bolster cushion that causes "premature wear". The solution is a new seat cover and a redesigned foam pad that the wire can't wear through.

Here is what I get to look at every time I get into my car, and this is the kind of thing that can only get worse.

According to Hinds' service department, the ESP specifically excludes uphostery, and therefore even with this being a known issue, they can't cover it.

Again, redesign to fix means the design was flawed to begin with. Please Ford, fix this!

Rattle Noise Under Vehicle - Heat Shield

TSB 07-11-7

I can't reproduce it "on demand" but it is very disturbing when it happens. Typically during sub-freezing weather. It sounds like I have a gremlin with a jack-hammer under the car.

Cold Start Tip-in Hesitation

TSB 05-26-20

Again, I can't reproduce it on demand, but it definitely happens. Press the accelerator, and the engine skips a beat before revving up. I originally thought it was just characteristic of this particular power-train. Apparently it only happens on very early Fusions, built before 12/9/05 (like mine), and there's a fix for it. I want the fix.

Front Floor Mat Wear

TSB 06-18-14

Here's one that's been known for a long time. "Premature front driver side floor mat wear" according to the text of the bulletin. In fact, Ford did replace these for me once already. The fact that the replacements wore through just as fast means that the issue wasn't actually fixed at the time of my first replacement. Come on Ford, this is just floor mats! One would think these should have been mastered for decades...

That's It

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