A public Thank You to Econoline for PDFing the pages of the workshop manual that clearly show the process of checking the battery cooling fans and concluding that if they have failed that the high voltage battery (HVTB) must be replaced. This information will be included in my packet that I will present to the Judge.

 

Don't give up. You are clearly in the right and once you get to the correct person at Ford, they will take care of you.

 

If you want an uncensored copy of my dealer invoice just PM me your email address.

 

PM sent. Thanks Tim.

 

Scott, I've been thinking about you taking Ford and your Dealer to small claims court about the fans first. That link I posted about the '12 FEH has a section on mediation with the BBB that may be used by Ford in the small claims court to get a judge to dismiss your claim.

9. The Better Business Bureau (BBB)
AUTO LINE Program (U.S. Only)
Your satisfaction is important to Ford Motor Company and to your dealer.
If a warranty concern has not been resolved using the three-step
procedure outlined on the first page of the Customer Assistance section,
you may be eligible to participate in the BBB AUTO LINE program.
The BBB AUTO LINE program consists of two parts - mediation and
arbitration. During mediation, a representative of the BBB will contact
both you and Ford Motor Company to explore options for settlement of
the claim. If an agreement is not reached during mediation and your
claim is eligible, you may participate in the arbitration process. An
arbitration hearing will be scheduled so that you can present your case
in an informal setting before an impartial person. The arbitrator will
consider the testimony provided and make a decision after the hearing.
You are not bound by the decision, but should you choose to accept the
BBB AUTO LINE decision, Ford must abide by the accepted decision as
well. Disputes submitted to the BBB AUTO LINE program are usually
decided within forty days after you file your claim with the BBB
BBB AUTO LINE Application: Using the information provided below,
please call or write to request a program application. You will be asked
for your name and address, general information about your new vehicle,
information about your warranty concerns, and any steps you have
already taken to try to resolve them. A Customer Claim Form will be
mailed that will need to completed, signed, and returned to the BBB
along with proof of ownership. Upon receipt, the BBB will review the
claim for eligibility under the Program Summary Guidelines.
You can get more information by calling BBB AUTO LINE at
1-800-955-5100, or writing to:
BBB AUTO LINE
4200 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 800
Arlington, Virginia 22203-1833
BBB AUTO LINE applications can also be requested by calling the Ford
Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-800-392-3673.
NOTE: Ford Motor Company reserves the right to change eligibility
limitations, modify procedures, or to discontinue this process at any time
without notice and without obligation.
31
10. State warranty enforcement laws
These state laws - sometimes called “lemon laws” - allow owners to
receive a replacement vehicle or a refund of the purchase price, under
certain circumstances. The laws vary from state to state.
To the extent your state law allows, Ford Motor Company requires that
you first send us a written notification of any defects or non-conformities
that you have experienced with your vehicle. (This will give us the
opportunity to make any needed repairs before you pursue the remedies
provided by your state’s law.)
In all other states where not specifically required by state law, Ford
Motor Company requests that you give us the written notice. Send your
written notification to:
Ford Motor Company
Customer Relationship Center
P.O. Box 6248
Dearborn, MI 48126
http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/g...idWarranty.pdf

GaryG

 

Gary,

I don't see how (but you never know) Ford could make the owner of the vehicle, especially if they were not the original purchaser of the vehicle, go through the BBB process or use that against them if going to small claims court. I would guess that Ford would rather go through the BBB and hopefully settle for less, if anything, than to have to go through court and take a chance on losing it all. Plus the time they'd have to put into showing up in court. If Ford was smart, they would honor the warranty soon because for as long as I am working on getting reimbursed for the work that they did, I will be posting here and wherever I can about how they are treating owners of Ford vehicles.
Maybe someone else who has been through this process will read this and weigh in about the BBB. Thanks for the information.

 

I received this email from Ford Customer Relationship Center tonight. I feel like it's the move Groundhog Day. Someone new looks at Ford's record of my previous contacts with them and as expected they say that they see that I've already been told that the part is not under warranty. Can anyone out there stop and think/reason this out and not just repeat what someone else has written from before?

Hi Scott,

My name is Sharlene and I am with Ford Motor Company. I received your email regarding your request for Ford's agent service of Alaska.

I am sorry to hear that your warranty claim was denied. Please be advised that your Dealership will be in the best position to determine the most appropriate next steps to your case. If it needs to be escalated further, to a point of involving the Regional Representatives or the Zone Managers, the Service Manager will be considering every option available and will continue to explore every avenue to resolve this. I know this takes a lot of time, but this is a protocol we have to follow. This is to ensure that every stone is turned to resolve your concerns.

Upon checking your vehicle's records, I have verified that you were previously advised that the cooling fan issue is not a covered component of the Hybrid warranty. We value your thoughts and understand that this may not be the answer that you were hoping for. However, I must stress that at this time, I am unable to provide you with an alternate response.

Thank you for contacting Ford.

Sincerely,
Sharlene
Customer Relationship Center
Ford Motor Company

 

Just keep escalating it. You need to get past the drones and start talking to someone in management that has the authority to resolve this. Always ask to speak to that person's boss. Rinse and repeat.

 

It's almost comical. Almost. Another Ford employee simply repeating what the previous Ford employee has said. That's one problem with emails to large companies like this, when you reply to an email the same person you were talking to previously never receives it and here we go again now with someone else.

In my previous email, I stated had I HAD gone through my dealership's Service Manager and that he HAD elevated it (exactly to whom I do not know, as I have asked the Service Manager for contact information on who he'd talked to in the Ford Seattle office but I received no response).
Also in my previous email I had asked, again, for Ford's Agent of Service for the State of Alaska. That's who I'd serve prior to going to small claims court. Of course no answer to that question.

I will send another email to Christie. Wonder who will get it and if they will respond with anything different from "as you know" and "we're really sorry".




Dear Scott,

My name is Christie with the Ford Customer Relationship Center and I had the opportunity to read your follow-up email.

I'm really sorry about the situation you are currently going through.

As previously communicated, all requests to speak with a Regional Representative can only be achieved through the Service Manager or Customer Relations Manager of your local Ford Dealership. As Dealerships operate independently, all contact information for a Regional Representative is strictly provided through our Ford Dealerships. Please keep in mind, your request will be submitted only if your Dealership deems it necessary. As you know, the cooling fan issue is not a covered component of the Hybrid warranty.

In the meantime, I have documented your concern in our system. I apologize if I am unable to provide you with an answer that you will be more satisfied with. Thanks again for contacting Ford Motor Company.

Sincerely,
Christie
Customer Relationship Center
Ford Motor Company

 

My response to Christie's email to me. I reference Sharlene. She was the person from Customer Relationship Center who responded to my first email:

Whomever,

I am not sure who will receive and respond to this email as it seems that my email responses do not go back to the person to whom I was responding to.

Christie (see below) stated that I can only speak with a Regional Representative through the Service Manager or Customer Relations Manager of my local Ford Dealership. I had told Sharlene (see below) that I HAD gone through my Service Manager and he HAD elevated it. He spoke to someone in the Seattle office. Supposedly, the Seattle person responded to my Service Manager that Ford would not honor the warranty claim. I requested that my Service Manager provide me with the people he had contacted and any correspondence with the Seattle office, but he did not respond to my request.

Given what I have told you above, tell me what you expect me to do differently.

You state that "as you know, the cooling fan issue is not a covered component of the Hybrid warranty". I am saying that it IS a covered component. Other Ford customers HAVE been covered.

Please explain why Ford covers some people who have this exact issue, Ford customers who have Hybrids with this exact same problem, cooling fans that are within the high voltage traction battery that have failed. These people are outside their bumper-to-bumper warranty but within the Hybrid 8-year, 100,000-mile warranty.

For the person who responds to this email, tell me if you are simply reading/repeating what others before you at Ford Customer Relationship Center (or other Ford office/entity) have stated, or if you are actually researching this matter.

My understanding is that the Ford Customer Relationship Center exists for the purpose of helping Ford customers, so please take the time to care about this matter and to do some work to find that the cooling fans are covered under the Hybrid warranty.

I am again requesting that you provide me with the name of Ford's Agent of Service for the State of Alaska. If you don not provide this information in your next email, then I insist that you explain why you are not providing it.