After putting about 20,000 miles on the Lariat in the first year, I have only driven it about 300 miles in the last month. I sent the arbitration papers back to the State about a week ago. they have 20 days to respond, another 20 or so to have a hearing and ford has 40 days to execute the refund if I win. In the meantime, I am driving a 95 Dodge cargo van. It is a swb, V-6, auto, AC. I had a JVC cd player and Kenwood speakers installed. A new fuel pump, new bearings, rear helper springs, and had the windows retinted. I also completely tuned it up and put new tires and a Draw Tite hitch on it. It has 104K miles on it now and runs great. I am totally used to it now. I drive it on the freeway at 80 mph. with no problem. I don't think I'll replace the F-150 with another truck.

I wanted to test drive a Lightning last week and my salesman got really snippy with me. I did not bother at that point. I fired off a semi-nasty e-mail to the dealerships website. I got an immediate call from the service manager. He is a very nice guy but apparently hasn't dealt with the Lemon Law before. He assured me they would fix the truck on their final attempt. They have already had their final attempt. They do not get another attempt.

I am now convinced that my engine problem must be something to do with a head gasket or head crack or leak. I have a very stong anti-freeze smell with the window down sometimes. At times the truck runs fine while other times it stalls before I get out of the driveway. I had mysterious spots on my driveway oil or some type of fluid. I washed them off when I moved the truck in to the backyard and they have not been back. It must've been the truck leaking oil or something. It has been the most frustrating thing I've dealt with ever.

 

I really feel bad for you when I hear of all that you've been through with this truck. I can see why you'd not want to get another but remember - lemon's are the exception & not the rule.
Hang in there seacrow - you appear to be nearing the finish line here. I really hope all turns out well for you!

 

seacrow:
i know i sound like a broken record, but, did you get an atty?
not sure about fla. but here they have 30 days to settle after the letter is sent to them. if not then a court date is set, sometime within the year. they have the oppurtunity to settle out of court anytime before the hearing.
ours took approx. 3-4 mos from start to finish. according to our atty. ford will usually settle within the first 30 days in order to avoid higher costs.
after the first 30 days, the manufacturer is responsible for all legal costs, as well as having to pay as much as twice the price of the vehicle due to your inconvenience.
when we did it, i settled up for just the price of the vehicle plus atty fees, even though the atty wanted to get more out of them. (not ford when i did it)
one thing to be aware of is the fact that when they decide to settle it is very fast, if you need to replace the truck as we did, you should already have one picked out. they told us we would have plenty of time for shopping, but we looked anyway for a replacement. good thing because they called me at 10:00 am and said they needed the truck at 2:00 pm the same day. luckily my g/f had already picked out a new f150 to replace the suv she was driving.
the best news is that, just when you think it's taking way to long it ends. so your on your way to happiness soon. it will all be over before you know it,and you can put the nightmare behind you. believe me i know how you feel.
anyhow good luck, sounds like the van could work out for you for awhile. maybe wait for the new cobra to come out and use it just for a toy.

 

wildchild, I called every consumer related law office in the Tampa area. They all said they did not handle the lemon law because it is so consumer friendly in Florida. I e-mailed several I found on the web that handled Florida cases and I never received a response. Yes, you do sound a little like a broken record. I tried to find a atty. but apparently it is not really necessary in Florida.

At this point I am not interested in a replacement, I just want my money back which will be offset by my mileage. Unless, of course it is financially better for me to accept a replacement. I know that a lot of cases are settled before the hearing. If they will allow me to replace the truck with an equitable truck, I may consider it, but only if I can get a 5.4. No more 4.6 V-8 for me. I don't expect this to be easy after what I have gone through so far. I fully expect to attend the hearing and jump every other hurdle they put up for me.

I just mailed another payment today. I haven't been within 20 feet of the truck in almost two weeks. One thing about a Lariat, they look nice sitting in the back yard.

 

seacrow: well it's good to hear that the lemon law is consumer friendly in fla. that way maybe it will go easier for you. here it is easy to do if handled by atty. just the way they set it up i guess. gotta make sure the atty's get their's you know
good luck with all of this. i can't even imagine the amount of anger i would feel at having a truck sucking my money while it sat in the yard because of being undriveable.
when we did it the truck was in the garage every time we made a payment. really made it hard to fork over the money for a payment knowing the thing wasn't even at home.
on a side note, i don't think the replacement is the way to go. seems like everyone who has done that wound up putting more money into the co's pocket for another vehicle. cash out is better, i would think.

 

I have this teory with the major auto makers. Most build good cars, but it seems when someone has a problem with a particular maker they never have any good luck with them. So my theory is if you have bad luck with them buy a second car from the maker at your own risk. (that's why I don't like GM)

 

I received my repsonse from the Florida Attorney General. My case has been approved for a hearing with the Florida New Vehcile Arbitration Board. I will be contacted by an attorney that is handling my case number. Now I wait for the hearing, attend it, argue my case, wait 20 days for a decision, and then Ford has 40 days to comply to their decision if it is in my favor. Maybe in another 8-10 weeks this thing will be over.

In the meantime, a strange turn of events has taken place. My step- father has decided to retire. He is selling all of his real estate including the commercial piece right next to my dealer. WE are going today to talk with the GM of the dealership about buying this property. When we were there the other day, my salesman saw me and asked if I were there regarding the truck. I said no, he said didn't ***** the service manager call you. I said no, he is a f*&king moron anyway and I am tired of wasting time with him. I will wait for my lemon law hearing and I will never buy another Ford. My stepfather chimed in and said, C'mon, man, what's wrong with you guys, get the boy another truck already, he'll take a blue Lightning. My salesman said bring the truck in on Friday and we will sit down with the GM and some other big shot and make you happy.

So not that I expect a damn thing, and I certainly don't expect them to replace it with a Lightning. I will take the truck to them and entertain myself for a short time for a grin. And if the guy will hear me out, I will explain to him how I feel about this whole mess. IF that happens I will be happy.