Interior water leaking in 06, need some advice
12-14-2009, 08:48 AM
#1
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 263
Update 3/15/10 Interior water leaking in 06, need some advice
Update 3/15/10
Sigh. Mustang.
Since last time I explained my issues, I decided to write Ford's legal dept. a letter basically sending all the documents, water leaks, other issues. I was telling them I was representing myself pro se and that I would like to settle outside of court for all the damn issues and headaches. I gave them a time-line of 30 days to respond. Nothing. (In the meantime, I was in contact with Ford's representatives and they made sure that I took the car in for 7th-8th time to have it fixed. The dealer said they had a hose in for 3 hours and the tech resealed everything. After that, about 2 months later, they finally changed my interior mats and floors to brand new. This is the second time they did this because of smell, mildew and mold. Today, we had bunch of rain over the weekend and the car still leaks a little bit. When I touched the new floors, they appeared somewhat wet again.)
I filed with a law-firm in February, and they basically sent a similar letter like I did 3 months ago. They gave them 40 days to respond and nothing yet. I don't know what to do with this POS car. After 8 times, maybe even 9, it's still leaking. What the heck am I suppose to do? Can I sell the car while it's in the process of a lawsuit?
I really don't know what to do anymore. I can call the dealer AGAIN, and I'm sure they're sick of me as much as I'm sick of them. I have no idea what my options are at this time.
I have been having tons of problems with my 2006 Mustang ever since the day I bought it. First there was this cranking noise when I would shift into first gear and accelerate. The dealer replace a brand new transmission, new clutch as well as other things. Only for the problem to be the drive-shaft. After a few months (I bought the car in Oct. of 06), I noticed water leaking onto my floor mats on the driver side. I took it in, they said they fixed the problem. Two weeks later, we had a pretty significant amount of rainfall, I noticed that both the driver and the passenger side had PUDDLES of water. Literally, puddles. I took it in, demanded that they replace the whole floor since it started smelling like a dead cat. They supposedly fixed the problem, replaced everything else. The car seemed fine for about 3 years.
About two months ago, I started noticing damp floor mats again on my drivers side. As more rain kept pouring in, the problem was back. I took it in, they said the car was no longer in warranty (luckily I bought extended) and I would dish out $100. I was pissed I had to pay because this problem originated way back when I first purchased the vehicle. But, no problem, as long as they fixed the it. The adviser told me the previous water guy they used was terrible so everything should be good to go now. Guess what, two weeks later after more rain the damn thing is damp. I took it in, again, now they said some leaves and stuff was blocking the passage from driving?? And that the water was coming back in? Who are they kidding? It's A CAR. What am I suppose to do, not drive it? How is a car brand new suppose to leak water INWARDS? Took it in, they said should be good (lol).
Just this morning I touched the floor mat and yup, it's back. What the hell do I do? Should I call Ford and speak to someone? Anyone have a number? I don't want to take it back again to the dealership because obviously they don't know wtf they're doing and I don't want to take it to ANOTHER dealer and get charged for the same crap.
Any advice is appreciated.
Sigh. Mustang.
Since last time I explained my issues, I decided to write Ford's legal dept. a letter basically sending all the documents, water leaks, other issues. I was telling them I was representing myself pro se and that I would like to settle outside of court for all the damn issues and headaches. I gave them a time-line of 30 days to respond. Nothing. (In the meantime, I was in contact with Ford's representatives and they made sure that I took the car in for 7th-8th time to have it fixed. The dealer said they had a hose in for 3 hours and the tech resealed everything. After that, about 2 months later, they finally changed my interior mats and floors to brand new. This is the second time they did this because of smell, mildew and mold. Today, we had bunch of rain over the weekend and the car still leaks a little bit. When I touched the new floors, they appeared somewhat wet again.)
I filed with a law-firm in February, and they basically sent a similar letter like I did 3 months ago. They gave them 40 days to respond and nothing yet. I don't know what to do with this POS car. After 8 times, maybe even 9, it's still leaking. What the heck am I suppose to do? Can I sell the car while it's in the process of a lawsuit?
I really don't know what to do anymore. I can call the dealer AGAIN, and I'm sure they're sick of me as much as I'm sick of them. I have no idea what my options are at this time.
I have been having tons of problems with my 2006 Mustang ever since the day I bought it. First there was this cranking noise when I would shift into first gear and accelerate. The dealer replace a brand new transmission, new clutch as well as other things. Only for the problem to be the drive-shaft. After a few months (I bought the car in Oct. of 06), I noticed water leaking onto my floor mats on the driver side. I took it in, they said they fixed the problem. Two weeks later, we had a pretty significant amount of rainfall, I noticed that both the driver and the passenger side had PUDDLES of water. Literally, puddles. I took it in, demanded that they replace the whole floor since it started smelling like a dead cat. They supposedly fixed the problem, replaced everything else. The car seemed fine for about 3 years.
About two months ago, I started noticing damp floor mats again on my drivers side. As more rain kept pouring in, the problem was back. I took it in, they said the car was no longer in warranty (luckily I bought extended) and I would dish out $100. I was pissed I had to pay because this problem originated way back when I first purchased the vehicle. But, no problem, as long as they fixed the it. The adviser told me the previous water guy they used was terrible so everything should be good to go now. Guess what, two weeks later after more rain the damn thing is damp. I took it in, again, now they said some leaves and stuff was blocking the passage from driving?? And that the water was coming back in? Who are they kidding? It's A CAR. What am I suppose to do, not drive it? How is a car brand new suppose to leak water INWARDS? Took it in, they said should be good (lol).
Just this morning I touched the floor mat and yup, it's back. What the hell do I do? Should I call Ford and speak to someone? Anyone have a number? I don't want to take it back again to the dealership because obviously they don't know wtf they're doing and I don't want to take it to ANOTHER dealer and get charged for the same crap.
Any advice is appreciated.
Last edited by ssimaniac; 03-15-2010 at 08:21 AM. Reason: Update 3/15/10
12-14-2009, 09:13 AM
#2
6th Gear Member
I'm sure you're aware of the TSB on this but that typically is for water on the passenger side. At the very least you'll have a little ammunition dealing with Ford based on the fact that they've acknowledged a chronic water leak. I don't know if the resolution for the passenger side works for the drivers side but I'd definately consult with a few other Ford dealers until you find one that seems to know how to fix this (at least gives you a warm fuzzy). Be prepared for a battle but I think this is one you can win.
12-15-2009, 12:28 AM
#3
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 855
Oh boy...
I'm having trouble counting how many times you've had it in for service due to the water leak, but I'm pretty sure that if you were to legally fight for compensation (think Lemon Law, or BBB) that the clock starts at the first attempted fix. Of course, Ford is going to try to say otherwise, which is why you got slapped with the $100 bill out of warranty, but if I remember correctly, the mileage started at the first attempted fix.
The bad news is that the car is never going to be the same; you've probably got interior rust and corrosion on electrical components. It's only a matter of time before strange things start happening with your electronics, and it goes down hill from there. My recommendation would be to:
0. Gather your information. Go dig up the water leak TSB document (you can probably find it on this forum) and all of your service records. If you don't have the service records, you might be able to get the dealership to get you copies. Look up the Lemon Law details for your area. I ended up also consulting the BBB Auto Line as well; they were very helpful, since I really had no idea what I was doing. Just make sure you know your rights; if I had it to do over again, I might have played things a little differently. Oh, and DOCUMENT EVERYTHING.
1. Call Ford Customer Care (do a search on this forum; I'm sure it's posted in several threads). Explain the entire situation, when the problem initially started, how many times you've been in for supposed fixes, and that it's still not fixed. Also mention that you know that Ford has admitted to this known issue that these cars can leak (actually before you call, go find the TSB on it; maybe throw them the TSB number if they try denying). Listen to what they have to say about it, but hopefully by this point you will have done your research and will be able to tell if they are just blowing you off or if they are really trying to help. The odds are going to be the latter, unfortunately, but I think having it on record is a good idea.
2. Depending on your local laws and how many times they have attempted to fix the problem, you may or may not be able to just follow the Lemon Law process. In my area, I believe it was 5 fix attempts, then the owner needed to draft a letter to Ford stating that they had one more chance to fix the problem, and if it wasn't fixed after that, then they would need to buy it back or swap cars via the Lemon Law. Just make sure you know what you're getting into (this is where the local laws come in; at this point it may or may not be worth it for you to exercise the law, due to time and mileage, but if they go by the initial fix attempt, you should be good).
3. The bottom line (IMO) is that irreversible damage has been done to your car via a factory defect. Ford is going to try to give you peace offerings like more extended warranties, free this or that, etc. It's all garbage; they are trying to make you go away because they don't want to deal with their known mistake. For instance, Ford wanted to give me their best extended warranty to make me go away. Unfortunately that awesome warranty DOESN'T COVER LEAKS! Ridiculous...
4. If all else fails, I personally would try to offload the car as soon as you can. It sucks that it will probably become someone's nightmare, but...otherwise you're going to own a ticking time-bomb for a car.
Good luck to you. I feel very badly every time I see one of these threads come up. Myself and several others on this forum have been there, and it sucks. I hope you get some sort justice out of the process.
EDIT: Here's a good place to start gathering up info: https://mustangforums.com/kbase/ford...ater-leak.html
I'm having trouble counting how many times you've had it in for service due to the water leak, but I'm pretty sure that if you were to legally fight for compensation (think Lemon Law, or BBB) that the clock starts at the first attempted fix. Of course, Ford is going to try to say otherwise, which is why you got slapped with the $100 bill out of warranty, but if I remember correctly, the mileage started at the first attempted fix.
The bad news is that the car is never going to be the same; you've probably got interior rust and corrosion on electrical components. It's only a matter of time before strange things start happening with your electronics, and it goes down hill from there. My recommendation would be to:
0. Gather your information. Go dig up the water leak TSB document (you can probably find it on this forum) and all of your service records. If you don't have the service records, you might be able to get the dealership to get you copies. Look up the Lemon Law details for your area. I ended up also consulting the BBB Auto Line as well; they were very helpful, since I really had no idea what I was doing. Just make sure you know your rights; if I had it to do over again, I might have played things a little differently. Oh, and DOCUMENT EVERYTHING.
1. Call Ford Customer Care (do a search on this forum; I'm sure it's posted in several threads). Explain the entire situation, when the problem initially started, how many times you've been in for supposed fixes, and that it's still not fixed. Also mention that you know that Ford has admitted to this known issue that these cars can leak (actually before you call, go find the TSB on it; maybe throw them the TSB number if they try denying). Listen to what they have to say about it, but hopefully by this point you will have done your research and will be able to tell if they are just blowing you off or if they are really trying to help. The odds are going to be the latter, unfortunately, but I think having it on record is a good idea.
2. Depending on your local laws and how many times they have attempted to fix the problem, you may or may not be able to just follow the Lemon Law process. In my area, I believe it was 5 fix attempts, then the owner needed to draft a letter to Ford stating that they had one more chance to fix the problem, and if it wasn't fixed after that, then they would need to buy it back or swap cars via the Lemon Law. Just make sure you know what you're getting into (this is where the local laws come in; at this point it may or may not be worth it for you to exercise the law, due to time and mileage, but if they go by the initial fix attempt, you should be good).
3. The bottom line (IMO) is that irreversible damage has been done to your car via a factory defect. Ford is going to try to give you peace offerings like more extended warranties, free this or that, etc. It's all garbage; they are trying to make you go away because they don't want to deal with their known mistake. For instance, Ford wanted to give me their best extended warranty to make me go away. Unfortunately that awesome warranty DOESN'T COVER LEAKS! Ridiculous...
4. If all else fails, I personally would try to offload the car as soon as you can. It sucks that it will probably become someone's nightmare, but...otherwise you're going to own a ticking time-bomb for a car.
Good luck to you. I feel very badly every time I see one of these threads come up. Myself and several others on this forum have been there, and it sucks. I hope you get some sort justice out of the process.
EDIT: Here's a good place to start gathering up info: https://mustangforums.com/kbase/ford...ater-leak.html
Last edited by HypromanGT; 12-15-2009 at 12:32 AM.
12-15-2009, 01:04 AM
#4
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 855
Ford Motor Company
Customer Relationship Center
P.O. Box 6248
Dearborn, Michigan 48126
1-800-392-3673(FORD)
TDD for the hearing impaired:1-800-232-5952
Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM local time
Board of Directors
Ford Motor Company
PO Box 685
Dearborn, MI 48126-0685
Customer Relationship Center
P.O. Box 6248
Dearborn, Michigan 48126
1-800-392-3673(FORD)
TDD for the hearing impaired:1-800-232-5952
Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM local time
Board of Directors
Ford Motor Company
PO Box 685
Dearborn, MI 48126-0685
12-15-2009, 11:40 AM
#5
Cut & Paste Expert
Join Date: May 2007
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 13,322
Ford Motor Company
Customer Relationship Center
P.O.Box 6248
Dearborn, Michigan 48126
1-800-392-3673(FORD)
TDD for the hearing impaired:1-800-232-5952
Monday - Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM local time
Customer Relationship Center
P.O.Box 6248
Dearborn, Michigan 48126
1-800-392-3673(FORD)
TDD for the hearing impaired:1-800-232-5952
Monday - Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM local time
12-17-2009, 11:49 AM
#9
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 263
No I drive with my windows down, at all times 
Btw I consulted a lawyer and we might have a damn good case vs Ford. Time to settle or something like that. Under the Lemon Law if the dealer tries to repair it 3 times or more for the same problem, in VA, it constitutes as a LL. Mine has been 5 times, still not fixed.
Btw I consulted a lawyer and we might have a damn good case vs Ford. Time to settle or something like that. Under the Lemon Law if the dealer tries to repair it 3 times or more for the same problem, in VA, it constitutes as a LL. Mine has been 5 times, still not fixed.
12-17-2009, 06:50 PM
#10
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 855
No I drive with my windows down, at all times
Btw I consulted a lawyer and we might have a damn good case vs Ford. Time to settle or something like that. Under the Lemon Law if the dealer tries to repair it 3 times or more for the same problem, in VA, it constitutes as a LL. Mine has been 5 times, still not fixed.
Btw I consulted a lawyer and we might have a damn good case vs Ford. Time to settle or something like that. Under the Lemon Law if the dealer tries to repair it 3 times or more for the same problem, in VA, it constitutes as a LL. Mine has been 5 times, still not fixed.