ComplaintsforFreeway Ford, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  07/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I made an appointment for Thursday July 20th at 7am for them to fix what they broke in a previous warranty repair. I arrived early, and that morning asked them to add an oil change to the service. While they were doing their work, they managed to lock the parking brake and claimed it could not be unlocked. They also said they could not fix it that day, they could not give me a loaner car to get to work, provide a shuttle home, nor a rental car while they remedied this. I had them call the ************ center in Broomfield to see if they could fix the problem for them. They did. Then they dismantled the parking brake so the car could be moved from the service bay and driven . Now the parking break did not work, the cruise control and lane control did not work, and there was and still is a continuous alert beeping about the parking brake. I drive for Uber and am unable to take passengers with the alarm continously going off. ********** could not get the car diagnosed this week. I escalated to **** central *****************

  Business response

  07/24/2023

  ******************** vehicle is equipped with an electronic parking brake, it is a simple switch similar to a power window switch. We simply set the brake and it wouldn't release when the oil change was completed, **************** uses the term "they managed to lock" the brake as if to imply negligence. We did not have an available technician to diagnosis this type of concern at that moment and **************** lives 35 miles from this dealership. We did offer offered to unplug the connection to the parking brake (not dismantled it) so he could drive it to a dealer closer to his home. Furthermore, **************** was advised that he would have warning lights on because of the unplugged connector. I also told **************** if by chance this concern was caused by Freeway Ford, I would take responsibility, but it needs to be diagnosed first to determine that and he would be responsible for the that cost.

   

   

  Customer response

  08/01/2023

  I post approximately $500 additionally, as I was unable to drive for Uber for one week with this alarm continuous going off. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I brought my vehicle in for preventative service . The manager admitted to me on the phone that a technician had left my door open on my truck for a long period of time. This caused the battery to drain and possibly some underlying damage that I have yet to learn about. I was informed that my truck was not starting after this incident occurred. Since June 8th I have called almost everyday for some type of update or progress report. Everyday I have received the same answer were on it or the tech is looking at it. Somehow we have no results in nearly two weeks today is June 21st. I have been patient and tried speaking with the service manager *** and the service director ***. upon speaking with *** the service director he assured me Id have an answer but June 20th at the latest. When I spoke with both managers today I was hung up on instead of recovering any update or progress report on my truck. For weeks I have been recovering the same answer and none is fixing my truck I just paid them $2000. My truck is under 5 year warranty and they are doing nothing to honor the warranty or fix the truck.

  Business response

  06/21/2023

  ************** is had brought his vehicle in on 6/7/2023 to have aftermarket body moldings installed, we were supplied the wrong hardware. The correct hardware was ordered on 6/07/23 and received on 6/12/23. I addition ************** had in his possession adaptors that were needed to finish the molding insulation, he hadn't dropped those off until 06/14/23. ************** is correct that the battery went dead when the doors were left open while the work was being performed on 6/15/23. I had spoken with him on the 06/16/23 and advised him that we had looked at it in the parking lot for a preliminary diagnosis, but we needed to make a spot for it in the shop because we were dealing with an electronic issue, and we needed some time with it.

  ************** had called the dealership on 6/21/23 and was speaking with the Service Manager and was repeatedly asked by the manager to allow him to respond to his questions but chose to continue to be combative. The Service ****** told ************** that he would call him as soon as he had a diagnosis and hung up. Shortly after he reached me and continued the same behavior, and I told him I understood now why the Manager hung up on him. ************** was demanding answers that I could not give him until I had a final diagnosis and refused to accept that as fact, and I had told him that I was ending the conversation. Has of this BBB response (6/21/23 2:46 PM) the vehicle is now repaired we had found the *** had somehow lost its program. We reprogramed the *** at no charge to ***************

  ************************

   

• Initial Complaint

  03/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On the morning of Monday, March 6th, 2023, at about 8:15 AM, I dropped my car off because of a "check engine light" issue. I was informed that my vehicle would not even be looked at for a minimum of 48 to 72 hours. My vehicle has just been sitting in their lot for 3 full days now (all of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday), with (a) no work being done to resolve the issue, and (b) no one even assessing what the issue may be. What kind of a business does this?

  Business response

  03/09/2023

  Good Afternoon.

   

  ***** was made aware of the time to diagnose his vehicle. That has been completed. It is 3/9 and within the window that was given. Please let me know what I have missed here? We are happy to review if we have not complied with our initial correspondence with you.

   

  *************************

  Owner

  Freeway Ford

• Initial Complaint

  02/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  January 2023, freeway ford charged me 1680$ to fix multiple things on my pickup truck. Instead of fixing it, they held the truck for an entire month, they deliberately sabotaged the thermostat and 4x4 system in order to tell me that I needed a completely new engine for 12,000$. When I took it to a different mechanic, they said the thermostat and 4x4 system looked to be intentionally hit with a hammer. They replaced the parts and the truck is working perfectly now. Either Freeway ford intentionally damaged my truck in order to persuade me to buy a new engine from them, or they are negligent enough to damage essential parts of the vehicle while trying to fix them. They also did not fix the problem of windshield wiper fluid that they charged me for. The other mechanic had to fix that as well.Freeway ford took advantage of me and lied to me about what they were fixing, lied about what was wrong with the car, and deliberately damaged my car.

  Business response

  02/24/2023

  Hi ******,

  Thanks for the opportunity to respond to your inquiry. i understand that you recently purchased this vehicle from a third party. Your concerns were all present when we received the vehicle. Much of the time that the vehicle was idle was due to you making a final decision on how you wanted to proceed.

   

  We are sorry that these issues were revealed after you purchased from the third party.

   

  *************************

  Owner

  Freeway Ford

  Customer response

  02/24/2023

   
  Complaint: 19447578
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  the broker that I purchased the car from has documentation that proves these issues were not present before I took the tact to you. There was no problems until after I got the car back from freeway ford. Freeway ford failed to address the concerns in my complaint. They did not address that they didnt do the work I paid them to do. They did not fix my thermostat and they did not fix my windshield wiper fluid and they charged me for both.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  03/02/2023

  ******, back to your original comments about damaging your 4x4. Your receipt from *********************** shows they replaced the integral axle assembly. I attached an image of that part, and you can see it takes some disassembly to replace that part let alone hit it with a hammer, furthermore, it is an extremely common failure. Secondly your receipt states your vehicle was over heating because the engine was low on coolant and the thermostat was leaking. We would have repaired that leak under warranty since we had replaced that part. Lastly you were not charged for your windshield washers we advised you the lines were frozen. 

  ************************

• Initial Complaint

  02/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Had car for over a month and not fixed. Also was in on 12/28/2022 and back again on 12/390/2022. Have to take it back in and changed tune and story on rental cars and willingness to help out with this.

  Business response

  02/24/2023

  Hi *****,

   

  Thanks for allowing us the opportunity to respond. The engine control module that is needed is on backorder. I am sorry for the confusion.

  We do not have additional provisions for extended rental car. It appears we will have to absorb the cost of the 28 days of rental as Enterprise has just produced that invoice. We do not have internal rental cars at our facility unfortunately.

   

  *************************

  Owner

  Freeway Ford

   

• Initial Complaint

  06/30/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Two years ago I had a repair done on my **** Escape. It cost me $400. About a month ago the same repair that I paid for was part of a recall. When I received the notice from **** about the recall I went to Freeway Ford. They said they needed to do the repair again and that they would refund my money. I was completely unable to (and still am unable) reach anyone at Freeway Ford. I was told by Freeway Ford that I would receive a refund of the $400. This was confirmed when I called **** corporate to see if they could help. Big **** also confirmed that it was Freeway Ford that was responsible for refunding my money. They created a case #. I went in person to Freeway Ford last Fri. 6/24 and talked to the service manager in person. He said that I would get the refund, but he needed to go through this process with big **** and it could take months. I told him to keep me in the loop and cc me in the emails--which he said he would send out the following Monday to initiate the process. I have not received any communication with him and am unable to communicate with him via email or phone. I feel like the are avoiding me and don't intend to pay.

  Business response

  06/30/2022

  We completely understand your frustration. Some of this information is either incomplete or inaccurate so please allow me to fill in some blanks and correct some information that was likely not properly conveyed on our end. 

  The money to reimburse your previous repair is not paid for by the dealership. This is true of any **** dealership. The dealer's responsibility is to submit a claim to the manufacturer, in our case **** Motor Company, and they review the data. At that point **** Motor Company, not the dealership, makes the determination to reimburse all or some of the money that the client paid out of pocket for the previous repair. Again, this determination is made by **** Motor Company and not by the franchise of this, or any other **** Dealership. 

  If the claim is approved for all, or some of the requested refund, **** Motor Company process the refund request as if it were a warranty claim. Meaning that **** Motor Company pays us, as a franchise, then in turn we take those funds and pay out to the customer. So while the dealer will produce a check from the dealership to the client, the money was never the dealership's. It was always the manufacturer. The dealership acts as a "middle man" during the process and is not, at any time, in control of the time in which it takes the manufacturer to review the data, approve or decline the claim, submit to have the dealer paid, and actually send the funds to the dealer. All of this is wholly, totally and completely outside the dealership's ability to influence in any way. 

  We absolutely understand the frustration this causes. And to be sure, you are correct when stating this process can take several weeks to, in some occasions, a couple months. But again please allow me to reiterate, it is never within the dealership's capability to influence the time frame in which the manufacturer completes their tasks and compensates the dealer so the dealer can then compensate the customer. It is a difficult process on any customer who is waiting on the manufacturer's decision and then their time frame to pay the funds to the dealer so the dealer can then pay out to the customer. 

  Unfortunately the manufacturer made the decision, and set the policy and procedure, to not pay out directly to their customers and to use the dealer as an interceder. But as those decisions are made outside the franchises' sphere of influence, the franchise is subject to follow directly their established guidelines and not to deviate from them. 

  I know it seems as if the dealership and the manufacturer are one in the same and it's easy to mistake putting the blame onto the franchise and not the manufacturer. But they are two different entities and by not following the manufacturers guidelines the dealership will not only never receive the funds with which to pay out to the customer, but is also subject to penalty, up to and including financial penalties and risk of violating our franchise agreement. 

  When the manufacturer reviews the claim and makes their decision we will be in touch immediately and when the funds are released to the dealership by the manufacturer we will produce a check that will be sent to you in a timely fashion. 

  In the intervening time both parties, the customer and the dealership, are regrettably in a holding pattern and neither can escalate or expedite the manufacturer to deviate from their established program guidelines. 

  Thank you for your time, please let us know if there is any additional information we can provide. And as stated, as soon as we are notified of an update to this claim we will reach out and provide a timeline to the best of our abilities. 

  Customer response

  07/01/2022

   
  Complaint: 17503681
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I am not concerned about the time frame.  What I want is communication and confirmation that the process has been initiated.  I don't think this is too much to ask.  Give me a receipt or something that shows the refund process has been initiated and keep me abreast of status all the way until I receive my refund check.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

  Business response

  07/07/2022

  I completely understand your frustration. Unfortunately due to the way in which we submit claims to the manufacturer through a web portal that they term OWS, there isn't any documentation that is produced. Once the claim is submitted is essentially disappears from our system until **** reviews and pays the claim. What I can assure you is that there is no benefit or detraction for the dealer to perform this service for customers. And we often do it for **** owners who have never been our customer and just need a **** dealer to provide that service for them. I still believe that the time frame will be met; I've done hundreds of these in the years that I have been a **** dealer and only in very rare circumstances is there ever an issue. Usually when that occurs **** doubts the validity of the customer having previously paid for the repair and suspect a face invoice. Since we performed the initial repairs ourselves there will be no such question and I would expect this to continue without a hitch. If we can discuss in more detail by phone I'm very happy to give you a call if you can provide the best contact number to reach you, and perhaps a time of day that is most convenient.

  Thank you so much for your patience and I look forward to resolving this for you as quickly as possible. 

  Customer response

  07/13/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

• Initial Complaint

  06/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I placed a reservation on 7/10/2020 for a 2021 **** bronco. I discovered in 2021 that there were backorders preventing the delivery. During April 2021 asked ****** Freeway Ford if i could upgrade my reservation to a soft top to receive the 2021 model. *****, the sales rep, stated that i could not upgrade to a soft top and still receive the Wildtrak model for 2021. June 2022 I received a call that my bronco was delivered to the dealership. I asked for a picture and it had a soft top. I told them that i had waited two years for the hard top and to update my reservation. I asked to speak to his supervisor, *****, who told me that i would have to pay extra to convert to the hardtop. At this time all i wanted was my reservation updated and placed back in the queue but the dealership told me this was not an option. They said i could either purchase the car or place another reservation next year when the order bank opened. At this time i called ********** and filed a complaint. After receiving threats from the dealership that they were going to sell my car to another individual i escalated the complaint at **** corp. I spoke to someone in the customer service **** that said on November 18, 2021 the dealership changed the specs on my reservation against my wishes and without notification. More features than the hard top were changed. I spoke to the owner of the dealership, *****, who said that i needed to purchase the car by the end of the day 6/15/22 or else they would sell to another customer. I told him it was unethical to force me to buy a car that was different than the one i reserved, esp. after waiting two years for the reservation. (i still have a case open with **** corporate to resolve the issue). I had reserved the highest model with all the upgrades. I am curious as to why so many features of my car were changed on 11/28/22. Could **** sell my model for a higher price as my price was locked in in 2020? Are they trying to sell me a lower model for same price?

  Business response

  06/28/2022

  Dear ******,

   

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond. Your initial order was for a Bronco Wildtrak, which was only built with a hardtop by ***** The order was delayed because of plant restrictions/parts commodities.

   

  Ford eventually allowed for Bronco Wildtrak to be built with a soft top for faster production. This included new and existing orders that had not been scheduled. We contacted all of our order holders and informed them that the Bronco could potnetially be built faster by switching to a soft top. By looking at your interaction with *********************** via text message-it appears you agreed to change the order. Reviewing that same text exchange-the order was officially changed and vehicle was scheduled by *****

  Some time later it seems that you changed your mind and wanted the hard top instead. We explained that it was not possible to change since the order was scheduled to be built. When the vehicle did arrive-you had told ***** that you wanted the hard top and did not want this build. We explained multiple times that the switch was agreed to and enabled the vehicle to be built much sooner. Our Sales Manager ********************* gave you the option to convert to a new hard top through our **************** and that was declined.

  He then offered to switch out the soft top on anything that might come available at our cost. Again this was declined.

   

  I apologize for not being able to secure the Bronco exactly like you wanted. Unfortunately we have unprecedented commodity restraints and part delays from the factory. We are doing this best we can under the circumstances.

   

  *************************

  Owner

  Freeway Ford

  Customer response

  06/28/2022

   
  Complaint: 17430300
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  1.  It is not a factual statement that I wanted the soft top on the 2022 model. The changes to the 2022 mode were made without my approval. Additionally, more changes were made to the reservation than changing to the soft top. I would like a list of all the changes made to my reservation in November 2021. 
  2.  The dealership quoted me $10k to transition to the hard top when the part came in. It should not be my responsibility to purchase as my original reservation specified the hard top. 
  

  my ask is that the dealership ensure my reservation is put back in the queue with the specs I submitted two years ago. I understand there are backorders. That is why I have a two year reservation. Did **** change all reservations to the soft top and stop producing the hard top? 
  

  i have text conversations to back up the communication if the BBB would like me to submit. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************************

  Business response

  07/07/2022

  Hi **********,

  Thanks again for responding. Unfortunately we are under the constraints set forth by ************** We are in a very different environment that will likely continue for some time.

  Our New Vehicle Manager, ********************* will be happy to reorder the Bronco again and build it as close to your specs as possible. Additionally-he will reach out to our regional rep once he returns from vacation. ******* email is ***************************************

   

  Thanks again,

   

  *************************

  Customer response

  07/18/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************************

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