My Custom 2020 Ford F-150 is a Big Mess

DEAR SUZANNE

By Suzanne Henderson
LETTER 39 – September 2022 | Annoyed and Agitated

Dear Suzanne,

I don’t know where to start, but I guess I’ll kick off somewhere. So I made a custom order for two trucks because I have a particular taste in vehicles; right now, only one of the trucks has arrived and it is giving me huge concerns. It is a 2020 Ford F-150 and I would have thought that making a custom order is going to give you a perfect masterpiece, but it seems I had it wrong.

AIR NOISES INSIDE CAB

It has about 24,000 miles and I can confidently say that this truck has been giving me issues since day one. My first visit to the Ford dealership for repairs was around 5,000 miles. It began when I started hearing some air noises inside the cab. At first, I thought it was normal, but it kept getting worse by the day and it was driving me nuts. Why can’t I drive my vehicle in peace?

The noise was unbearable and I was also scared that something had broken. So I took it to the dealership and after assessing it, guess what they had to say about it? ‘It is normal for a truck.’ I felt very disrespected because I was 100% certain that this isn’t normal. I’m a car enthusiast and this isn’t the first truck I’m owning and never have I heard such loud noises emanating from my trucks. Due to my persistence, they did a software reset and sent me on my way.

TRANSMISSION TROUBLE

Although the noise subsided, I wasn’t still satisfied. A couple of days later, I noticed what seemed like a transmission problem. Anytime I started the engine, the car jerked violently — as if it wanted to take off. The first time it happened gave me a huge scare because someone was in front of my vehicle. And after that incident, my thoughts were that it was a ‘one-time’ thing — until it kept happening over and over again. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when the truck slipped from drive to neutral on its own while I was on the move.

I then took it to the dealership again to have them examine the slippage and jerking. After they looked at it, they still dared to tell me nothing was wrong with it and that another reset would fix it. I was annoyed because when did resets start fixing vehicles? They insisted on it and did the reset. And if I were being honest, I didn’t feel the jerking when I restarted the vehicle. Maybe resets do work after all, or so I thought. Not until I had to take the vehicle in for the same transmission issues about three other times.

ELECTRICAL ISSUES

That was an account of the transmission problems I had with the car. I also had reasons to take it to the dealership for episodes of electrical problems. Something about this vehicle is that when you’re at the red light, there is a button to press to stop the motors. It’s like turning off the engine, but in a way that restarting the vehicle would be faster. I use it frequently when I’m at traffic lights and when parking for a short time.

One day, I was at a stop and when I pressed the button, the radio came on. You should have seen the confusion on my face because since when did this button become my radio power button? Funny thing was that when I pressed it again, the radio went off. I tried it about four other times to confirm that it seems the button has become a radio power button. I also took it to the dealership then and they got it fixed.

LEMON CUSTOM JOB

There was also a time when my truck’s bottom skid placements fell off while on the move. I took it in for that to be fixed. And all of these visits were under the warranty because the truck doesn’t have huge mileage on it yet. 

What is intriguing is that this is a truck I bought via custom order. One would have thought that they would have put special time and attention into making it, but with over ten visits to the dealership, it is apparent that they didn’t. If it were a regular truck, I could have assumed that it was a production problem. But this is not acceptable because if the first truck is giving me these problems, what would the second one do? 

I recently tried to contact Ford to buy back the vehicle. They rejected it and I heard that if I file a lemon law case against them, they will have no choice but to buy it. Is that true? And if yes, does my vehicle qualify?

 
Annoyed and Agitated in California

Over Ten Visits? That Screams Lemon

Hello Annoyed and Agitated, 

Before I start talking about anything, I must say that ten visits to a dealership for repairs are outrageous. That makes a very solid lemon law case as long as each visit was under warranty. 

NOT THE BEST IDEA

About your contact with Ford, sorry about the encounter, but approaching the manufacturers directly is never the best idea. You should be thankful that they didn’t propose any deal to you because they never give you what you truly deserve — it is just another business deal to them. So the best approach is usually by opening a lemon law case and provided that you have a good lemon law attorney, you will get the best option.

Your car is still relatively low on mileage so you should act fast to get the best value for it. In your case, there are three options. The first one is called a buyback. It is the most preferred option for most lemon owners; let me explain it.

FORD BUYBACK

As the name implies, Ford will buy your truck from you. They will refund you on all the payments whether it is down payment, monthly, installments, or anything, you will get it back. If you took out a loan to pay for the truck, Ford will pay back your loans. And the good thing is that all these refunds will make your credit score go up. The only thing they will try to fight for is what we call mileage offset.

Mileage offset refers to how long you drove the vehicle without problems. They get this number based on the first time you visited the dealership. Since you mentioned that it was around 5000 miles, it is a relatively small amount, the charge shouldn’t be so much. However, the fact that they can do it doesn’t mean your attorney will allow it. They can try to get Ford to waive it in full or half.

Find out more about the Ford Lemon Law buyback process, its mechanics, qualifications, covered models, reported issues, and your legal options.

CASH AND KEEP

If you don’t like the idea of them deducting any amount at all then the second option comes in; it is called cash and keep. You may also want to consider this option if you are attached to this vehicle because you mentioned that it was a custom order. Here you still retain full ownership of your vehicle but Ford is tasked to give you compensation for all that the vehicle has caused you. If you opt for this option, you will retain your truck and after receiving the compensation, you agree that you can’t refer to it as a lemon anymore. 

If you opt for cash and keep, and the vehicle continues to troubleshoot, you accept that it is now your problem — you cannot file anything against the manufacturer again. However, what most people that choose this option do is collect the compensation and then resell the vehicle. Since used vehicles now cost more, it is a win-win situation in most cases. And since you agreed with the manufacturer, you won’t disclose anything about the lemon claims to the new buyer.

VEHICLE REPLACEMENT

Since your mileage is still relatively low, there is a third option that I never really recommend. It is an option to trade your vehicle for another one with the same miles, value, and other striking similarities. But I’m not a fan of it because you risk getting another lemon, especially since it is Ford. For reasons I don’t seem to understand, Ford has had tons of problematic vehicles in recent years so I don’t think it is a risk you should take. Either way, the decision is yours to make.

 
As for the costs, you don’t have much to worry about because California is a customer-friendly state. They enforce that since the manufacturer is responsible for the problems in the first place, they should handle all costs including attorney fees. So whether you win or lose, you are not paying for anything. I believe I gave a good description, so it is up to you now, good luck!

 
Suzanne

Free Legal Advice About Your 2020 Ford F150 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 CA Lemon Law 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 CA Lemon Law Attorney to get proper legal advice about your lemon law claim.

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Featured Image:

• 2020 Ford F150 ©Bull-Doser (Public Domain License)