I have been a Ford owner since 1989 when I bought my first Ranger. Since that time I have owned Rangers, an Explorer and F-150's, all of which were purchased new. I have been so happy with my truck purchases I have helped other people make the decision to buy a Ford and specifically from this dealership, including my mother.

I currently own a 2004 F-150 Supercrew FX4 which I purchased from Sheehy Ford in Springfield, VA. This dealership has been my home dealership for many years and I have purchased 3 trucks from them as well as made arrangements for both my mother and a co-worker to buy there as well. I have history with the dealership and I have been loyal to both Sheehy Ford and the Ford company.

I am writing you to make a formal complaint about the service department at Sheehy and to talk about how they have handled repairing my truck which is still under warranty. I have completed a Ford survey and have contacted the dealership requesting to speak to the manager of the store. The survey led only to a confrontation with the service advisor and the manager has not responded. It has only been 24 hours since I asked to speak to or meet with the manager but I have received no acknowledgement that I even contacted them. Now I am contacting you.

I have two problems: a water sound in the cab and my HVAC will not change the supply from feet to dash to defrost. It simply sticks in one place. I took the truck in the first time some 6 months ago and only for the HVAC issue. I was told they could not reproduce the problem and sent me on my way. The second time was bout 2 months ago and I took the truck in for both things. My service advisor called and said they could find nothing wrong with the HVAC and that my brakes were fine. Interesting that my brakes were checked since I said I heard water when braking but I never said I had a brake problem. When I went to pick up the truck I was upset, and I spoke to my service advisor Ralph. He indicated again they could find nothign wrong. I walked out to my truck and turned on the heat which was blowing from the dash. I tried changing the selector but the air never moved from the dash. So I drove around and asked Ralph to step outside. By the time I got outside the air had moved. Ralph said that it could take 5 minutes or more for the HVAC to change the supply to/from the feet/dash/defrost. Having heard enough I left.

I came back about a week later and there was only one person there as it was after closing. He (Peter?) runs the Quick Lane. I asked him to come out and just look at what the truck was doing. Sure enough he said that there seemed to be a problem. Great. I came back the following Monday and Ralph wasn't there. I asked another service advisor (Tyrone) to ride with me. He was in the truck 30 seconds and said there was something wrong with the HVAC supply. Next was the water. I sped up then applied the brakes, and there was a clear sound of running water. He asked me to do that again which I did. He jumped out and pulled the plastic covering the floor at the door and guess what? Water in the wiring channel. He knew right away what the problem was: leaking third brake light. We went back into the shop and he wrote up a parts order and I was on my way. He was in my truck less than two minutes and he did what Ralph was unable or unwilling to do in two previous visits.

When I was notified my parts were in I made an appointment through Ralph to bring the truck back. That appointment had to then be rescheduled by Ralph to the next (this) week. I dropped the truck off Monday night and Ralph confronted me about the survey I sent in which was specifically for the second tine the truck had been in for the same repair. He went on to tell me there is a TSB on the HVAC problem I have and that "Ford says it can take five minutes to change". I asked to see the TSB and he quickly moved past the TSB point, never actually showing me the TSB. We argued for a few minutes with him continuing to tell me that is normal behavior. I gave up and just waited on him to finish the ticket and left. He never deviated from his story, that my HVAC supply was functioning normally despite the fact that he just took the truck in to have the entire thing replaced because another service advisor was intelligent enough to see something was wrong.

I am supposed to pick up my truck today. This is my last shot at getting someone to tell me what you folks are building. Imagine a scenario: I am driving down the highway in the winter. The HVAC supply is on my feet and the windows fog up. I have to pull over (assuming I can safely) and wait five minutes or more to get my windows to start clearing up because that is how long it takes for me to be able to change my HVAC supply location. Did you (Ford) really engineer a vehicle to respond that way? If so I just bought my last Ford. If not, why do your service advisors lie to customers? And why are the dealerships' managers unwilling to do anything about it? Seems to me that honoring your warranty, especially with customers who have repeatedly demonstrated brand and dealership loyalty would be your goal. Especially with Ford posting losses like you did for 2006. Are those losses a sign to come? The answer is definitely yes unless you start treating your customers with some respect.

I would appreciate two responses, one from Ford and one from the dealership management. I think buying $100,000 in new vehicles from you over 18 years earns me the courtesy of a response, and I am looking forward to it. Thank you for your time.

Ford Motor Company is concerned with the satisfaction of all Ford and Lincoln-Mercury owners. We regret the circumstances that have prompted you to contact us. Excellent dealer service helps us maintain our customers' goodwill. When that service is not satisfactory, we appreciate being advised so the information may be forwarded to the appropriate department. Feedback helps us keep dealer services at the highest possible level.

Ford and Lincoln-Mercury dealerships are independently owned and operated. We are unable to intervene directly in workmanship issues. If you have not already done so, we would recommend you provide feedback to the Management Team at the dealership. We believe they would also appreciate knowing the details of your experience.

Sincerely,
Iris Camille
Customer Relationship Center
Ford Motor Company