I’d Rather Ride a Horse Than Drive My 2021 Ford Mustang

DEAR SUZANNE

By Suzanne Henderson
LETTER 114 – May 2023 | Uninterested

Dear Suzanne, 

Have you ever taken a close look at the 2021 Ford Mustang? If you have, you’d understand why I fell in love with this car and decided to buy it. But if I knew then what I know now, I might have made a different choice. You might be wondering why I’m saying this, but let me share my experience.

Anyone who knows me understands that I’m a huge fan of sleek cars. That’s why I was drawn to the 2021 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500. I bought this car brand new, filled with excitement. However, not long after, my excitement turned to disappointment.

2021 FORD MUSTANG EMITTING BLACK SMOKE

One day, I took my car in for its first oil change at the Ford dealership. Before taking it in, everything was perfectly fine. But when they returned the car to me, I noticed it was emitting small amounts of black smoke from the exhaust pipe.

I pointed this out to the dealership, but they dismissed it, saying it was nothing. Since the smoke was only in small amounts, I figured it would go away. So I took my car home.

The next day, as I was about to head out, I noticed the smoke had increased. I called the dealership to let them know, and they said I’d have to make an appointment with them. Since I couldn’t do that that day, I had to drive my car as it was. So I set out for work, and the journey was mostly uneventful. But on my way home, a near accident occurred.

HIGHWAY HAZARD

By the time I left work, the density of the smoke had increased significantly. I knew I needed to get the car home, so I drove it anyway. While driving, I felt like I was causing a disturbance, but I didn’t realize how bad it was until something happened.

The car behind me tried several times to overtake mine, but the smoke was too dense, and the driver couldn’t see ahead. Eventually, they decided to just go for it. At that moment, there was another oncoming vehicle in the adjacent lane. Since the overtaking car couldn’t see clearly, they almost collided with the other vehicle. Thankfully, the driver swerved just in time to avoid a head-on collision.

That’s when I realized the danger I had put other drivers in. I decided to stop driving the car and called a tow company to take my car back to the dealership. When I got there, I was furious since I had already complained about this issue.

MONTH-LONG REPAIR, NO RESULTS

The dealership said they would see what they could do, but made no promises. Since then, they haven’t returned my car, and it’s been over a month. At this point, I’m wondering if I would have been better off buying an actual Mustang horse instead of a Ford Mustang.

For a car with only 5500 miles on it, this is just too much. I’m not even sure I want the car anymore. That’s why I’m looking into the lemon law. I’m not sure if the lemon law applies to my situation, but I think it does since there are so many issues with the car. I’m hoping that someone out there has some advice on what to do next.

 
Uninterested

Dealership Just Can’t Fix Your 2021 Ford Mustang’s Problems

Dear Uninterested, 

Before we dive into what lemon law entails, let’s first examine your vehicle’s warranty. As a Ford product, your powertrain warranty expires after 60,000 miles or 5 years, covering both transmission and engine issues. The basic coverage lasts for 3 years or 36,000 miles and includes everything from bumper-to-bumper, such as electrical systems, brakes, and power steering.

CASE TURNAROUND TIME

The turnaround time for a lemon law case typically ranges from 3 to 7 months. Since you purchased your car in California, your attorney can take your case entirely on contingency throughout the lawsuit. This means that the attorney fees will be covered by the manufacturer, as they are responsible for that according to the law. As a result, you don’t need to pay any legal fees, and the total settlement received goes to you 100%.

REQUIRED NUMBER OF REPAIR VISITS

Now, let’s explore what lemon law really entails. For your vehicle to be considered a lemon, it must have had at least two repairs done for the same issue at the dealership where it was purchased while still under warranty. If there is more than one car problem, three or more visits are required. Alternatively, if your car has been at the dealership for over a month – as in your case – then you qualify for the lemon law, as long as these events occur while your car is under warranty.

With that said, if you and your attorney can prove that the vehicle has been at the dealership for a month, you have the following options:

FORD BUYBACK

The Lemon Law buyback involves the manufacturers buying back the vehicle from you. They would reimburse you for all that you spent on the car, including any down payment, monthly payments, taxes, and interest. If you took out a loan on the vehicle, they would pay back the finance company, and your credit would not be negatively affected.

However, keep in mind the mileage offset with the buyback option. The manufacturers have the right to charge you for the miles you drove the car without any issues, based on the mileage recorded on your first repair order. Since your vehicle is only at 5500 miles, they probably won’t deduct a significant amount. Nevertheless, your attorney can get them to waive this in full or half because they sold you a defective vehicle. There’s more information about the Ford buyback settlement option here.

CASH AND KEEP

With this option, you can keep the vehicle, and your warranty remains valid. Additionally, you will receive a cash settlement as compensation for the issues you had with the vehicle. The catch is that you might end up stuck with a lemon. However, you have the opportunity to sell the vehicle, and when you do, you don’t have to label the car as a lemon for the next owner.

REPLACEMENT OPTION

This option provides you with another car as a replacement, with the same make, mileage, and market value. While this may seem like a decent idea, you run the risk of being stuck with another lemon. As such, this option is not highly recommended.

If you need more information about any of these offers, feel free to reach out to your lemon law attorney.

 
Suzanne

PS. If you think your vehicle sucks and want to actually do something about it, you definitely can! Find out quickly if you have a case by visiting www.yourvehiclesucks.com right now. This website is owned by our partner law firm Quill & Arrow LLP, California’s #1 “settled” Lemon Law attorneys.
 

 

Free Legal Advice About Your 2021 Ford Mustang Lemon Law Claim

Dear reader, are your vehicle problems ruining your life? Confused about what legal route to take? We’re here to help! Find information about California’s lemon law protections here, fill out the form on this page, or give us a call at (323) 553-7525 to discuss your situation with someone who understands how frustrating it can be to have a lemon car, and what to do about it.

DEAR SUZANNE is a weekly column written by Suzanne Henderson and published in LemonLawyers.ORG. If you have a defective lemon vehicle and have questions about California Lemon Lawyer or how to file a claim in California, please write to [email protected]. While not guaranteed, we will try to feature your letter in this column to provide you the answers you need, as well as enlighten other consumers who may have lemon problems similar to yours.

Disclaimer: Suzanne Henderson is not a lawyer and the points discussed here are intended for general information and reference purposes only and not to be construed as legal advice. Please consult a California Lemon Law Attorney to get proper legal advice about your lemon law claim.

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Featured Image:

• 2021 Ford Mustang ©Mohammed Hamad (CC BY-SA 4.0 License)