MirandaRae

So, a bit of back detail...

I bought my car august 29th 2006. In between then and now I have put only 15,500 miles on my vehicle.

I just took the car in Monday for the!! 7th!! Time for the same issue in regards to my fuel tank, I’m in my 3rd rental because of them having to keep it so long.

I called ford yesterday and got a response from them today, of course it was just a bunch of smoke being blown up my ***. Apparently the service manager for ford told them that they returned the car to me yesterday and everything was resolved.. What a lie…if that were true would I be in a rental? Ford has made no effort to help me…literally saying " the service manage says everything is fixed so were going to not do anything else at this time" Which I replied with.. If this is the 7th time don’t you think its going to happen again?

Of course the only thing he said was " I will make a note in your record that your dissatisfied"

I’ve had my fuel tank replaced. And then have brought it in 6 more times because it continues to not allow me to fill up.

So, here is where it comes to deciding about the lemon law. I contacted a lawyer in San Diego who said he has already worked on 26 cases because of the fuel tank in the Mustang. He states that every time he has gone against ford that ford has just refunded the money paid into the loan.

So, for me that would be about 8k...

This is where it gets tricky for me... My credit and income are not as good as they were when I purchased the vehicle. I work in the auto industry and it has hit me very hard. My income has been cut in half in regards to what I earn. When I bought the car I was eligible for the 0% interest rate.. Not so now.

If what the lawyer says is correct I would have to purchase a new vehicle. But because of my credit and income there is no guarantee I can even get a loan approved.. And I know I won’t get 0%. If I go through with this in that manner I end up in worse shape and ford still wins out.

Then, some people say that allot of the times a dealer will swap out the cars (which just happened at my dealership a few weeks ago) But Lawyer Dude says that ford doesn’t like do to that.

So, Here I am.. Pissed and I feel like I’m in a catch 22 because if I don’t go through with the lemon law I get stuck with a bad car, Or if I wait till my income may improve my car may be out of warranty by then.

What do you think I should do?


PS. mods if this is in the wrong section go ahead and move it.. I didn’t know where to post it since its about the s197..And not really off topic,besides I didnt want to get togtfo by a bunch of 15 year olds. (Shrug)

Hufenstang

I have an 05 and the fuel fill up was really bad on those and i went through the same thing you are right now. I didnt want to get rid of my car either. Anyways if you want to keep your car, there is away to fill the car up.. Just turn the nozzle upside down when you fill you car up, wont have any issues filling it up. Ive been filling up for the last 2 years like this because ford couldnt fix my fuel tank.

Anyways, just an option.

JD57

I have the same problem. Do you always fill-up at the same station?
At the Shell station I go to there is one pump that works fine.
At other places I place it at a 90 deg angle and it works that way.

Derf00

http://us.bbb.org/WWWRoot/SitePage.a...FQ0xawodRkaniw

look up your state and contact the office. They will send you info and VERY CLEAR ways that a lemon is identified. If you feel your car fits the requirements for your state, move forward

05xgt

You could just find a "mechanic" not a parts changer, get it fixed. Then submit the bill to the dealer or just sue them in small claimes court. If they couldn't get it right in 7 tries I don't think you will any problem getting reimbursed for an outside repair. JMO from past exp.

MELLOWYELLOW06

Many automakers use the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to arbitrate vehicle buy-back disagreements. Depending on state and location, BBB typically schedules an arbitration hearing within 40-60 days of receiving the proper request forms.

Litigation is when one party sues the other to settle the dispute. The court's decision is legally enforceable, although a dissatisfied party can then appeal the judgment. However, few lemon-law disputes get to this level because of the expense and time commitment involved in protracted litigation.

Arbitration procedures for selected automakers and their contact information follows below. Contact information for the BBB is: Better Business Bureau Auto Line: 800-955-5100, www.dr.bbb.org/autoline.cfm

Ford/Lincoln/Mercury: Ford's Dispute Settlement Board provides an arbitration package for customers to complete and mail in their complaints. Normally, the Board limits itself to vehicles within the warranty period. The company complies with its Settlement Board's decision, although customers are allowed a rebuttal to the decision. Failing satisfaction through this arbitration, the customer can take the company to court. (Customer Assistance Center, Dispute Settlement Board, PO Box 5120, Southfield, MI 48086-5120, 800/392-3673, Lincoln: 800/521-4140, Mercury: 800/392-3673)

MirandaRae

Ah, thanks. I didnt even think about going through the BBB I wasnt aware that you used them for this.. I have just gone through and submited the clame so hopefully Il get some info in a few days.

bodyputtyless

In Maryland you don't need a lawyer to go the Lemon law route. Back in 1988 the wife bought a brand new Cutlass. It was on the showroom floor. She paid $12,900 in cash for the car. We had it for a year and put 9,000 miles on it. The car would fill up with water everytime it rained. The final straw came when it rained and I went out to check the car. It was dry! I reached under the seat and through the opening in the carpet I found sheet plastic. I poked my thumb through the plastic and the water strated to ooze out. I went right to the deler and demanded "a new car or our money". They balked. The GM regional customer manager offered to give us $5,000 grand towards the car. We went the Lemon law route. Wife filled out all the packages and made all the required copies. Had out sit down with the moderator and GM reps. They claimed it was fixed, I claimed it wasn't. Out of the blue the old guy who was the moderator says"lets take it over to the car wash next door, if it leaks then its not fixed". Now I knew no law school student would go for this unless he had already done it. But I felt trapped, so I agreed. As the car went through the automated car wash I was chewing my nails. When it came out the moderator opened the door and reached down to touch the carpet. I was trying to look over his shoulder when he stopped in mid motion and said, "no need to touch that carpet, there's 3 inches of water in here". I was jumping up and down like I had just won the lottery. As I parked the car the GM rep told my wife she could have a new car. The moderator asked if this was an option. I told him, it was when we first brought it back, but since we had to go through all this we wanted a refund. Two days later we were notified that we would receive a check for $11, 275. (They don't refund tax). The moderators ruling is final against the dealer, but the consumer can appeal. Of course we didn't. On a side note, when I was sitting in the car on the showroom floor I told mt wife, "I've never bought a GM in my life, but if this is their idea of the new car smell, then I'm glad I buy Fords". The car stunk, and as it turned out it was from mildew. I often think about some guy in Arizona who is driving around in a 1988 Cutlass...it never rains there. I highly recommend the lemon law route. Good luck.

MustangGT0405

I have an 07 and only once could I not fill up. I went to a different nozzle at the same station and had 0 issue.

If it were me I would try the suggestions above to see if it will fill at 90deg or 180degs. Small inconvience if it fixes it 99-100%.

Barring that I would say you have to bite the bullet and go for the lemon law. If you get an $8k settlement you can find an 05 for around $10-15k depending on condition and options. You wouldnt finance much so it should not be too bad to get a lone for $2-7k.

Try your credit union at work, they are generally pretty good on loans.

Good Luck.

99flhr

I don`t know the severity of your problem but over the years different cars and different nozzles have sometimes required a little "jockeying" to achieve a fill up. This certainly became more common with the new style nozzles. Never considered it to be a reason to hire a lawyer... J.M.O.