03-25-2013 CMax Service Results --> Issues=12, Resolutions=0

On Monday, 03/25/2013, I brought my 2013 Ford CMax in for service, again.  This time I was ready.  This time I provided the Service Techs with a written list of 12 issues, and a link to this blog with the video evidence I've collected to date.  This time I was sure they would try everything possible to find and fix the issues.  My hope was that they would at least be able to fix "some" of them, and that they would report the rest to the Ford Engineers so they could investigate further.

I was wrong. 

I received a 2-page list of FAQs related to the gas mileage with "tips" for improving it that were nothing new to me.  I have been driving this car with all the helper indicators on (braking coach, empower gauge, etc.) since I obtained the car.  Those tools are all quite helpful, but have not changed the fact that this car, combined with a careful driver using all of them, does NOT help the car achieve a fuel economy that even comes within 25% of the EPA Estimates. Just to re-iterate:  The best MPG my car has achieved thus far has been 35mpg, and winter fuel economy has been 31mpg.  I'm not reporting this problem because of what Consumer Reports has stated publicly regarding mpg.  This is based on my own personal experience.

One item is known to be a problem (car won't move in Reverse after having been parked without first moving forward about 6 to 12 inches).  There is supposed to be a Tech Service Bulletin coming for this (it's been in the works for more than a month or two now) but it still has not been released.

All other problems I listed, and even had videos for, were listed on the service report as "NPF" which means No Problem Found; they could not reproduce the issues, and therefore they did nothing to try to fix them (or so the Service Record would indicate).  Apparently the videos were not helpful to the technicians.

I got my car back the same day I brought it in, even though they told me they wanted it for a couple days to really give them time to work on it.  Apparently one day was all they were really willing to spend trying to reproduce the problems.  I don't really blame them.  Why waste valuable technician time and car rental money when the problems are intermittent?  If I were the service manager, I'd probably make the same decision. 

So, I returned the rental car and had my car brought around for me.  On the front passenger seat was the 2 page FAQ about mileage, so I picked it up to read it before leaving.  It was nothing new to me as I stated previously, so I put on my seat belt, placed my foot on the brake, pushed the button to start the car, and ....  it didn't start.  At this point I was beginning to freak out, thinking I must be giving off electrical interference or something.  Why else would it fail for me, but not be reproducible for the technicians? 

I'd had enough.  I tried starting the car again without issue, drove around the corner of the building, and walked across the main showroom directly to the special office of the primary sales managers, dealership managers, whatever they are.  I was fuming.  I was so angry I was shaking, but decided it would not be in my best interest to scream at people.  Instead, I asked who was in charge and a man kindly stated he would be happy to help me.  I stated very clearly to him that I was extremely upset and disappointed with my car, and that I was sick and tired of bringing it in for service, only to receive no solutions.  I asked him "why do most people lease or buy a new car?"  He replied quite promptly with "to avoid having to keep bringing their old one in for repair."  I provided him with a summary of everything I had been dealing with since I obtained the car, and he said maybe I had received one of the first ones built, and that the newer ones didn't seem to have the same issues.  He then explained he manages the used cars, so he asked one of the people who managed new car sales if anyone who purchased a 2013 CMax in recent months had reported problems, or poor fuel economy, and the other guy said that he was not aware of any complaints at all.  He further stated that people had been very happy with their new cars.  At this point, he said maybe I should work with Ford directly to see what they might be willing to do for me.  I explained that I already had been working directly with Ford, but so far I've simply been told to keep bringing the car in when there are issues.  I had calmed down considerably at this point, but was still angry and I told him so.  He said he was actually impressed with me because I was remaining calm and trying to work with him, unlike some others who, according to both managers present, come in screaming and name calling, etc.  I simply explained taht I was not raised to believe that I would achieve much good with behavior like that.

But I digress...

It was getting late, and I needed to get home, so I thanked him for his time and told him I would see what else I could do with Ford.

I walked back out to my car, started it up, and the center console caught my attention.  The clock was an hour off, my phone was no longer recognized by the car, and after checking the navigation system, I noticed all my favorite destinations had been erased.  The anger returned and I shut off my car and walked back over to the service department with my service report in hand,

I requested to speak with the Service Manager and after several intercom pages, the person who helped check my car in that morning came over to let me know that the manager had gone home for the day.  He asked if he could help me with anything, and I said "yes".  I handed him the report and asked him to show me where the technician had noted that he/she had done anything that would have reset my phone, clock, and navigation system.  We both read through the entire report together, and agreed there was no indication that anything had been reset by the tech.  The tech had also gone home for the day, so I asked him to call me the next morning to explain what happened.

I drove home feeling so angry, disappointed, and just plain sick and tired of all this nonsense.

03/26/2013:  I received a call from a service manager.  He had spoken with the tech, and the tech told him that he had performed a hard reset, or reboot of the system per Ford's standard direction if/when computer/software problems cannot be reproduced, because "sometimes" it resolves the issues.  He apologized that the tech had not noted it in the report.  He was supposed to list everything he had done, and neglected to do so this time, probably because it's become something that they just do out of habit at this point.  I'm going to speak with my Ford CSM about all of this, and insist that Ford do something to make things right. 

By the way, my phone records calls automatically, just like the customer service phones that "record for quality purposes", so I have the whole conversation recorded.  When I get some extra time, I will upload the recording (with any personal information removed for privacy reasons) because what I was told regarding this "standard reboot practice" was quite interesting and informative.  I will simply add it to this same post to keep things together, so keep an eye out if interested.

I guess my next steps will be to call Ford and/or begin the process to report this particular car to the State of Minnesota as a "lemon" if Ford isn't ready to work with me directly to make things right.  I am out of patience, and left with few options...