Ongoing Bronco issues, Ford Keeps Denying Buyback

[HuffDaddy]

Hello all,

I am happy you all are enjoying your Broncos, I guess I took one for the team!

I am wondering if anyone has actually had Ford approve their buyback without getting a lemon law attorney involved? My car has been at the dealership for getting close to 3 months since I purchased it in September because Ford has no idea how to fix the USB that connects to the entertainment. While I realize this is a minor issue, it was clear Ford wasn’t going to do anything about getting it fixed unless I pursued a buyback.

I waited patiently hoping Ford would take accountability for this since I clearly meet Texas lemon law requirements with 5+ visits to the dealership and well over 2 months under service so far, but was shocked to hear Ford was denying the buyback. They advised that the vehicle has not been under repair for long enough for Texas lemon law even though I have evidence it has been under repair for much longer, and that there is no one I can talk to to even discuss it to see why they denied it. I am now working with a lemon law attorney….. is this common for Ford to deny buybacks even when they clearly meet every requirement for lemon law? And there is no one I can even talk to about it?… Insane

I can't help but wonder if you can blame all the people in the past who pursued "The Lemon Law" over something as simple as a USB input not working correctly? Does the USB recognize anything? A thumb drive? An i-Phone? Androids don't work with anything half the time, is why I ask.

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[TXBronco1313]

Can someone explain to me what Ford hotline is? Do dealers reach out to them when they can’t figure out the issue and the engineers at Ford look into it and tell the dealer what to do?

 

[Cameront9]

Did they ever figure out the USB issue? My front USB-C port isn't working now, the USB-A port right next to it does though. I've been using the USB-A port for a couple weeks now I really don't want to take it in if it's going to be a big deal for them to fix. Fuses look fine and I cleaned the port so there's no dirt in it.

 

[adam1991]

I am wondering if anyone has actually had Ford approve their buyback without getting a lemon law attorney involved?

I've been meaning to come back here to ask:

what is your concern regarding having a lemon law attorney involved?

You know you don't pay his fees, right?

And he will happily consult with you up front about your case, specifically to see if it falls within the law so he can win it and get paid by Ford.

There is no downside to you. So what's your concern?

I might add, a lemon law attorney does this many times a day every day, and knows all the players. And they know him. It's WAY different from you trying to do this yourself.

And dealers sell cars and parts and service. They have nothing at all to do with your relationship (as outlined in the lemon law in your state) with the manufacturer and its "glovebox warranty".

 

[Retired Old Man]

If the law is against you, argue the facts.
If the facts are against you, argue the law.
If the law and the facts are against you, then pound the table and yell like hell.
I love that quote.
I have sued twice, won both cases.
All large manufacturer are the same.
When you sell millions of products and a few go bad, why worry.
Tomorrow, they’ll sell a million more.
It’s different with Ford, they are spending billions on recalls.
Ford is struggling with mounting costs and they are trying to improve quality control, they have to, and I truly hope they do, great company.
I’ve been working on my Bronco’s problems since week one; as of this writing, I’ve gotten all of them solve, without the company or the dealer’s help.
But, the other shoe hasn’t fallen yet.
I‘m waiting for the day, when I’ll be out driving and notice a 37 inch tire rolling along beside me, then suddenly realizing, it’s my tire.

 

[RTR_Bronco]

I've been meaning to come back here to ask:

what is your concern regarding having a lemon law attorney involved?

You know you don't pay his fees, right?

And he will happily consult with you up front about your case, specifically to see if it falls within the law so he can win it and get paid by Ford.

There is no downside to you. So what's your concern?

I might add, a lemon law attorney does this many times a day every day, and knows all the players. And they know him. It's WAY different from you trying to do this yourself.

And dealers sell cars and parts and service. They have nothing at all to do with your relationship (as outlined in the lemon law in your state) with the manufacturer and its "glovebox warranty".

Honestly I just didn’t like the idea of having to get a lawyer and wanted to resolve it with Ford. But I am pleased to announce, after waiting 3+ months, Ford was able to fix the issue by replacing the wire harness (which was suggested to them when the issue first occurred months ago). Ford also reimbursed me for several months of payments, provided a maintenance plan, and also agreed to settlement compensation for an additional 4k.

So as of now, I am happy and loving the Bronco…however I am having the issue with the hardtop everyone else is having and ford initially approved the claim and the dealership ordered the replacement, then the dealership advised ford hadn’t paid them for any recent prior repairs they had done for the hardtops and that they are no longer repairing hardtops until ford pays them. So now I have been waiting over a month on a new hardtop and concerned this is going to be an issue as well because it sounds like ford has started to drag their feet on the hardtop warranty claims. Fortunately the cracks are still small, but I am concerned what is going on with ford no longer approving the claims when they have had so many issues with it.

 

[adam1991]

Honestly I just didn’t like the idea of having to get a lawyer

so, you see some downsides to getting a lawyer to pursue a lemon law claim at no cost to you. What are your concerns?

I'm genuinely curious, because I don't see any. If there are any, I'd like to know.

 

[RTR_Bronco]

so, you see some downsides to getting a lawyer to pursue a lemon law claim at no cost to you. What are your concerns?

I'm genuinely curious, because I don't see any. If there are any, I'd like to know.

My concerns were 1. Involving lawyers for what should be a simple fix seemed a bit ridiculous so I wanted to work with ford to try to resolve. I understood buying a Bronco there would likely be some issues so I was trying to be patient. Look at how many people on this thread thought I was crazy for even considering an attorney.

2. You can only claim a lemon once. So pursuing the lemon claim for this relatively minor issue is a risk because now that I reached settlement, if there is a significant issue down the road, I can’t claim a lemon buyback and I am forced to work with ford to resolve the issues.

 

[crenca]

$4k in cash, several months of payments (so $3k minimum probably), and a maintenance plan worth what, another $1K? For a usb port...

I'm all for Consumer Empowerment, but damn. Not very smart Ford's part at all, as they have to pass this sort of cost on to the all their other customers.

Ford needs it's equivalent of DOGE/Musk to come in and clean this sort of absurdity up.

Of course at the root of this is the dealership model which is so broken. If the incentives were correct, the dealership would have done the right thing in the first place for a reasonable amount of money charged back to Ford... obviously that is not what happened in this case and far too many others...

 

[tock13]

Hello all,

I am happy you all are enjoying your Broncos, I guess I took one for the team!

I am wondering if anyone has actually had Ford approve their buyback without getting a lemon law attorney involved?

Ford bought my ‘23 bronco back with 271 miles on it.

Both Ford and my dealer were incredible to work with. My Ford case worker was awesome, was in constant contact through the entire process. I had zero issues, never even considered contacting a lawyer. I got full refund minus about $120 for the pro rated miles.

I ordered an exact copy but a ‘24 bronco from my dealer and have had zero issues.

When I asked my dealer to pursue a buyback because ford techs could not get the gateway module programmed they said no problem, they would take care of it. They contacted Ford and got the whole ball rolling, I didn’t have to do a thing.

I had to lemon law a ‘89 Toyota pickup and it was a 180 deg deference in the experience. That one was a nightmare.

I guess long winded answer to a simple question.

 

[Hemisfear]

$4k in cash, several months of payments (so $3k minimum probably), and a maintenance plan worth what, another $1K? For a usb port...

I'm all for Consumer Empowerment, but damn. Not very smart Ford's part at all, as they have to pass this sort of cost on to the all their other customers.

Ford needs it's equivalent of DOGE/Musk to come in and clean this sort of absurdity up.

Of course at the root of this is the dealership model which is so broken. If the incentives were correct, the dealership would have done the right thing in the first place for a reasonable amount of money charged back to Ford... obviously that is not what happened in this case and far too many others...

The price we pay for a modern American workforce...

 

[Imaginary Friend]

The price we pay for a "modern American workforce"...

Fixed.

 

[crenca]

The price we pay for a modern American workforce...

I'm with Stephen Covey on this, it is systems & the incentives they bring that are 96.34% responsible. People and the quality of their work are almost entirely controlled by the system.

In this case, it is the politically protected dealership franchise model that allows dealers to be unaccountable (in time, cost, efficiency, most everything) to both Ford and the consumer.

Dealers are the protected & and value sucking man in the middle who are very powerful in your states house/senate...

 

[emkayw]

Good thing I spent under $30k for my Bronco. Money does tend to charge things up.

Rule #1 with car purchases as far as I'm concerned, KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). I love my Bronco to death but there is no way in hell I would pay what they want for them now. (even a base 2-dr/7-spd like mine.)

 

[Hemisfear]

I'm with Stephen Covey on this, it is systems & the incentives they bring that are 96.34% responsible. People and the quality of their work are almost entirely controlled by the system.

In this case, it is the politically protected dealership franchise model that allows dealers to be unaccountable (in time, cost, efficiency, most everything) to both Ford and the consumer.

Dealers are the protected & and value sucking man in the middle who are very powerful in your states house/senate...

Nope, it's the people...

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