First off, I have been a member of this forum for a few years, but have not been very active. Matter of fact, this is the first time to even look in here in a few years. Anyway, looking for some help/advice and figure this is a good place to start.

My blood is Ford blue. I have bought nothing but Ford products my whole life. Never had many problems.

I currently have a 2004 EB Expy Premier that is the biggest POS I have ever owned. The day I picked this vehicle up, it had a bad steering linkage. Took a week to get the part in. At 5000 miles we put the 1st replacement ring and pinion (2 days down). At 5100 miles, they replaced the whole third member (3 weeks down). Now at 25000 miles, we are back to putting another ring and pinion (2 days down). Including the original, that is 4 rear ends in this car since the day we bought it.

This thing also has a gremlin in the tire air pressure sensors. Usually on long trips, mainly when it is hot and almost always when your are 100 miles from the nearest dealership and it is after hours, this thing will through a air pressure system fault (not a low pressure problem, an actual sensor problem). This is really bothersome when you are in the middle of no-where. I have had it checked 4 times and the only thing the dealer can say is bring it in while it is throwing the error. This system is not tied into the ODBII, so it does not throw any traceable codes. Great engineering!!!

Also had to have the middle row seats replaced since the leather just started to flake right off the middle of all the seats. There are a few other small things we have had to have done, but you get the jist.

I have been informed by the dealer that I have a lemon law case. I have two avenues I can take. Work the lomon law through the state or work with the dealership in getting out of the car. BTW, the dealership is awesome. I am friends with one of the managers there and they will bend over as far as they can to help me. Problem is Ford is tying their hands. Ford's response is to give me an ESP and left me keep bringing this POS in for service instead of driving it. Well, I have a freaking ESP. I don't want to be in this car anymore, period. It is a shop queen and if I have this many problems with this few miles, what is it going to be like when it gets good and broke in? I don't want to find out.

What would you all do? Work the state? Go higher up the ladder with Ford (i.e. beyond the district manager)? Just work with the dealer? I don't want to try to sell it. Even at 0% financing and on the X-plan, the resale values are so bad right now I would be a few $k in the hole (thanks Ford, once again). Any and all opinions appreciated.

Take care,

Mike

 

Sounds like you need to get your lawyer involved.

 

I had those EXACT same problems with my 97 (first model year) f150. I mean... To the T.

I bought another 1st model year f150 (04) havent had any problems yet.

Ford has always had problems with first model year vehicles.

Sounds like you are either too picky about stuff or you just got a bad one.

Good luck.

 

'03 was the 1st year of the new body Expedition...

If having 4 rear ends in a vehicle in 18 months is being too picky, then I guess that I am. I have 38 year old Mustangs with their original ring and pinions in them...

 

Ahh. I thought you had an 04 f 150.

Why are you getting the rear ends replaced? Maybe go to a new dealer? My 97 had an underfilled 8.8 with no modifier in it. It threw some teeth on the gears.

 

Tomball Ford in Tomball Texas is doing the work. They are a competent shop...

The original ring and pinion lasted 5k miles before it had a growl at around 30 MPH. Not a whine, but a growl. They pulled it apart and said it had a funny wear pattern (it actually had a duel wear pattern). The replaced the ring and pinion with a new one. It lasted about as far as it took me to drive 5 miles down the road before it started to growl at take-off. They pulled it apart 120 miles later and found the same dual wear pattern and could only figure the housing was not cast right, so my truck spent 3 weeks apart at he dealership while they ordered a whole new third member.

This lasted about 20k miles before I started to get a whine at 40MPH. They just replaced the ring and pinion again to fix this problem. Ford claims to have found a problem in the materials used for the ring and pinion for the '04 Expys and that it is corrected. I just don't want to find out if this is true since if this ring and pinion lasts at least 10k miles I will be outside the 36k mile warranty.

 

Well, I don't have much of an update, but things have been happening. I have been working through Tomball Ford for a few weeks on this issue. They are trying what they can to get me out of this car and into another, but they are falling short. They are knocking almost $13k off the price of a 2005 Expy, which is good. The problem is with my vehicle. They can only offer my $21k for it. I owe almost $28k. I am not willing to eat this cost. This really sucks. The market for these vehicles sucks. I have made 18 payments on this car @ 0% financing and it is still upside down :boiling:, and that was with an x-plan purchase :banghead:. Part of the bad resale value is just the general market. The other part is the black eye Ford has from the Explorer/tire recall fiasco. When I had my 2001 at 2.9% we were in the black at 18 months with an x-plan purchase...

Anyway, this info is now at the lawyer's office. I am hoping that the lawyer can convince Ford it is in their best interest to pay $7k now to get me out of this vehicle instead of $30k+ later on a complete repurchase. If it goes the repurchase route, I doubt that I get back into another Ford product...

 

That is incredible.

 

I could not agree more.



Good luck and God bless!