Free Rental Car for Takata recall?

[CaptainObvious]

I'm starting my 4th month of a rental for my 08 Fusion.

Yesterday I re-signed the loaner paperwork - the service manager said he doesn't get reimbursed form Ford unless he sends in a new rental agreement every month.

The dealership I'm using has one of those Rental Express places right  in the service area.

The rep at the counter said Ford is paying $1200 a month for my 17 Escape.

My 08 Fusion is 10 years old and has 101,000 miles on it. At this point why won't Ford just buy my car from me?

They are about to spend more money on the loaner than my car is worth.

 

Also - the service writer said they are probably going to ask all the owners to take their cars home soon - currently they are all parked at the dealership.

They do move them from time to time. But they are only allowed to drive them on the dealership property - not on any public roads.

 

Finally - I chatted on-line with a Ford rep and they said parts "might" be available be the end of the third quarter - or September 30th.

 

 

[Dwebs262]

Every dealer seems to be doing it different, my wife and I were told dealers aren’t storing them, and they just called yesterday and want me to sign what I assume is the I won’t drive it agreement. We have both had rentals since June 3rd. I swapped my first rental, a Pathfinder because the seats gave me a backache, now I have a cheesy Malibu with bad a/c. My local Hertz refuses to swap cars because “the car isn’t broken down at the side of the road”. They also said they aren’t giving any midsize or larger rentals to “the Ford people” because they are running out of cars, and if you call for a rental they have cars for you, if you call and they find out you need a rental because of Ford, they suddenly have no cars available. There is a huge aviation convention coming into town in 2 weeks so they are hoarding their cars because they “can get more money from the rich people that go to the convention” (I actually overheard the manager saying that). Last time I talked to my dealer they had 15 people in rentals and had another 10 they were trying to get a car for. 

I ended up calling Hertz 800 # and they told me to get the car fixed and if it cost anything they would pay for it.

I just want my car fixed so I can get my garage and driveway back. 

Edited July 12, 2018 by Dwebs262

[CaptainObvious]

I have to say the dealership I'm working with has been good about the whole rental thing - once they figured out what to do.

I'm also concerned about my car sitting there - baking in the hot sun.

I put a windshield visor thing in it - to keep the inside a little cooler and stop the sun's rays - but last time I went to check on the car, they must have driven it a little and not put the visor back in place as it was on the passenger seat.

Also - one time my battery was dead. They jumped  it and it seems to be fine, but still, I don't want to have to replace the battery.

 

The service manager told me that several years ago Windstars were recalled because of bad rusting. Eventually Ford gave all owners 125% of book value (which book I do not know).

I wish they would do that for me. I would probably take the money and look at a Mustang.

[Dwebs262]

When I went into the dealer today to sign the do not drive my car pledge, I asked the service writer if there was any update on the parts timeframe, he said the Ford rep told him the wait could go into early 2019. Has anyone else heard  such a long estimate?

[AdamK311]

I’ve heard latest projected date to fix was 3 rd quarter and then possibly end of September, at most.  2019 is new info to me!

 

if that’s the case, Enterprise needs to get with it and start treating Ford customers right.  I gave a rental that has 40k miles,registration tab shows expired and the tires are nearly gone in tread. I called them and they said either take a striped down Sentra or go to Sears Auto to get the car repaired.  Not my car, I’m not waiting HOURS to get their car fixed.

 

But I digress, interesting if the fix date is that far out. Wonder how much this will cost Ford?

[Dwebs262]

I have heard September also, don’t know why that guy threw out 2019. Isn’t it amazing how bad the upkeep is on some of these rentals?  Both cars I had the inside of the windows was so filthy I couldn’t see clearly out of them, and when my first one came due for an oil change and was low on coolant, they said not to worry about it, just keep driving it. 

[con_fusion]

I have a loaner vehicle and I'm waiting for airbag parts on mine. I asked the dealer what to do since I need to move my Fusion to get a smog check for my registration renewal. They said they couldn't advise me. Basically, I guess they can't answer that question or "authorize" me to move my car. Kind of like if I feel I need to move it, I guess that is up to me.

 

 

Edited July 16, 2018 by con_fusion
typos

[Dwebs262]

 

I would document your trip to your inspection.  Take a picture of your mileage, and get a gps logging app like GPSSpeed HD which will map out your route with mileage and time driven and take another picture of the mileage when you park it again. That way it’s totally documented when you add the letter or registration papers, if they question it at all. 

I have Geico for car insurance which gives me limited Carfax records, I got an email that the dealer “serviced” my car. Thought it was odd then I realized that is how they are keeping track of the mileage, by entering it into the normal service record. 

If you look at the NHTSA website in this link, scroll down to where it says 7 recalls for 2010 Ford Fusion under that if you click on air bags (2) you can read all of the letters Ford sent to the dealers on how to do the rental car program (it’s $44 a day now)

 

https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2010/FORD/FUSION/4%2520DR/FWD%252FAWD#recalls

[CaptainObvious]

Just chatted with a Ford rep about the  situation.

Ford won't commit to timeframe for parts to come in.

I even asked  if they would buy me out of my car - no dice.

 

A Ford representative will be with you shortly.
Elizabeth says:
  Hello Michael. My name is Elizabeth. How can I help you?
Michael says:
  Yes.
Michael says:
  My car is sitting at a dealership waiting for the parts to replace the passenger side airbag.
Michael says:
  Does Ford have any timetable for parts availability yet?
Michael says:
  It's been almost 4 months.
Michael says:
  For has given me a free loaner - which I appreciate.
Michael says:
  At this point in time Ford has spent more on the loaner than my car is worth.
Michael says:
  Is Ford interested in paying me market value for my car?
Elizabeth says:
  Hi Michael. I'll be happy to assist you. At this time, there are no definite timeframes of the parts' availability.
Michael says:
  Ford has spent at least $3600 on the loaner. My car is only worth that much.
Elizabeth says:
  If you would like to trade in your vehicle, Michael. You can speak to the dealer about one.
Michael says:
  I could - but they won't give me market value - because they can't resell it.
Elizabeth says:
  Thank you. The parts' delay is a concern and Ford is working to resolve it as soon as possible. We thank you for your patience and hope that you can continue to work with us.
Michael says:
  Plus my car has been sitting at the dealership, They say they drive it around the lot occassionally - but I fear the tires and battery will be bad by the time the work gets done.
Elizabeth says:
  We thank you for your patience Michael. You can speak with the service manager about your concerns for your vehicle.
Michael says:
  I have.
Elizabeth says:
  Thanks. The service manager will work with you to make sure that the vehicle comes to no harm. 
  
  Is there anything else I can assist you with Michael?
Michael says:
  I sure wish someone could give me a rough idea when parts might be available.
Michael says:
  Third quarter?
Michael says:
  Fourth quarter?
Michael says:
  2019?
Elizabeth says:
  Thank you Michael. Once the parts are available, a letter will be sent out to you.
Michael says:
  Ok - thanks.

 

[Dwebs262]

I found something else on the NHTSA website, this is a letter from Ford to the NHTSA, here are the interesting parts:

 

The 2 reasons for the delays, we are part of Priority Group 9:

 

"Due to the development challenges and supplier production process concerns previously communicated to the Agency, Ford's production launch, rate and supply forecasting indicates that there will not be sufficient supplies of replacement parts by the June 30, 2018 ACRO3 deadline for certain vehicles assigned to Priority Group 9.
"2010-2012 Ford Fusion and 2010-2011 Mercury Milan Passenger Modules During static airbag deployment tests conducted at Joyson Safety Systems (JSS) in Mexico as part of design validation/production validation testing, engineers identified unexpected deformation on the inflator stop plate for these passenger airbag modules.  Ford and JSS are in the process of redesigning the inflator stop plate and will perform additional DV/PV test to validate the design."
"Manufacturing Issue at Autoliv"
"On March 26, 2018, an event occurred at Autoliv's Promontory, Utah inflater production facility that halted manufacturing operation.  After working to determine root cause and instituting recommended preventative actions, Autoliv has resumed production of airbag inflators for recalls. 

 

"In some instances. replacing the existing Takata airbag inflator with a new Autoliv inflater did not deliver acceptable performance, which required redesigning the airbag "cushion and additional development and validation time."

 

According to Ford there are 181,880, 2009-2010 Ford Fusions and Mercury Milans that need Air bags...Not including Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Zephyr.

 

Fords estimate on the number of replacement parts by the deadline of June 30, 2018 less than 10% available.

 

The next chart has a column that says Owner letter mailing start date extension request, no idea what that means, but the dates listed for the 2009 Fusion/Milan Nov 2, 2018 and for the 2010's it says January 11, 2019. 

There is a footnote that says: "These dates include some additional timing to avoid the need for another extension request in the event of minor unforeseen circumstances.  Ford will work toward an internal deadline to launch as quickly as possible.

 

No other years listed in this letter.  The January date may be what my service guy was talking about.

 

Link to the original letter:

 

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/public_ford_extension_request_pg9_1.pdf

 

 

[AdamK311]

This is very interesting.  I’ve been in a rental for a month and a day now.  Mine is an 08, so I’m not even sure what priority number my car will fall under.

[bangster]

The recall for my 2012 says it is safe to continue driving. Apparently it is not affected by the backing plate exploding and sending metal fragments...so I guess I feel better about it.

[CaptainObvious]

Mine is an 08 too. 

My guess is  nothing happens until 2019.

Place your bets!

 

[AdamK311]

I like your bet CaptainO!  It’s a win win!  Free rental to run around with! 

[sirtanon]

I was just in at my local Ford dealership talking about this recall, and I brought up that I had been reading about a 2019 date, and I was told that it would not take that long.  The woman I spoke with, and who has been my main service contact at this dealership for a couple years now, did some lookups on her system and told me that it would not take that long - that the current communication says Sept-Oct, at least for our region (Southwest/Western USA).

 

I think the biggest hurdle here is that Takata ( or at least the company that owns them ) has effectively gone belly up, and the replacement airbag hardware needs to be sourced from other companies.  Considering that the issues is far bigger than Ford, I'm honestly surprised the timeline for these parts is still within 2018 and not much farther out.

[con_fusion]

consumer reports article

 

Interesting in the article the update for July 17th - 

Ford’s class-action settlement agreement over Takata airbags promises to give consumers some relief. It’s the seventh such deal cut by the class-action attorneys handling claims against the 19 car companies. The owners of Ford vehicles who agree to the deal will receive free loaner cars while waiting for their Takata repairs, as well as small cash payments for their out-of-pocket expenses.

 

Never heard anything about a small cash payment although I wouldn't expect it to be a lot.

 

I couldn't get an ok from Ford to take my car to get a smog check. They said if I felt I needed to move the car, that was up to me they couldn't provide an answer. I guess because they don't want to take on the liability of telling me it was ok to move it and then have something happen. I finally had to just take it and get it done so I could renew my registration. Which was another PITA because I had to replace the battery which died. When I took it to get the smog check, I hadn't driven it enough at that point to complete the "drive cycle" of the internal OBDII diagnostics. I had to drive it around some more to complete the drive cycle and get the check done. I used a code reader to verify it was emissions ready before taking it back yet again.

 

I do appreciate that they are providing a rental but it's also a big inconvenience. I hadn't considered the idea that they are spending more on car rentals than the value of many of the cars they are trying to repair. It seems like they might consider buying them back from the owners.

[CaptainObvious]

Just did the KBB.com valuation for my car.

Based on "Good" condition, my 2008 SE V6 AWD with 101,500 is valued at a trade-in amount of $3737.

Ford has already spent $3600 on my rental.

With no real end in sight.

Why don't they just buy me out at this point?

 

[Dwebs262]

I realized with my rental and my wife’s, they are paying $2684 a month at the max of $44 a day, if it lasts for us until January that’s $18788 total for just the 2 of us. I checked my 2010 Milan on nada guides and got $6886 for a clean trade with 54000 miles, that’s quite a jump down since I last checked in May. 

[AdamK311]

Just got confirmation from my dealer, my car will be fixed on Monday 8/6.  

[diakimnj]

Just rec'd a call from Ford my airbag is in. They are asking me to bring my car in this afternoon or tomorrow to get it fixed and return the rental car. I'm out of town until Monday evening. Hope they don't give me a hard time.

[Dwebs262]

That’s good news, what part of the country are you in?

[AdamK311]

San Francisco-Bay Area.  Brought the car in at 9 on Monday and it was ready by 1.   Dropped off my rental and picked up my car the same day.

[diakimnj]

On 8/10/2018 at 6:20 PM, Dwebs262 said:

That’s good news, what part of the country are you in?

 

I’m in New Jersey.

 

I just dropped it off at dealership.

 

However when I started driving it, it was making a rattling noise in the front & it sounded like the back tire was flat, like a thumping noise. Got out and checked it was fine. Both noises subsided after about 1 mile. Hope it’s nothing.

 

Car was parked since I got the rental in late June. I started it up every week and a half or so and moved it back and forth up the driveway.

[drolds1]

You probably had flat spots on your tires as a result of the car being parked for a month.  It's fairly common.  As you found, these dissipate after driving for a while and the tires heat up.

[con_fusion]

I had a Ford in house loaner that was a Fusion but I had to return it since they were only allowing so many miles on it and they didn't have any more in house loaners available. They said they were starting to see some airbag parts come in. So they sent me to Enterprise and I've been driving a Nissan Rogue (which I don't really like).

 

I asked about the parts coming in thinking they may have been for the earlier years like 2008, 2009 but they told me they had seen some for a 2010MY (which mine is) but they don't know exactly how they are being prioritized.

 

They said one customer had a loaner for a week and their parts came in. Lucky them... Nothing really new here just frustrated this process is taking this long.

Edited August 28, 2018 by con_fusion