5632.09

My wife has a 2015 Ford Fusion. We bought it used and it was in very good shape. Clean, low mileage and we got a good deal on it. It had 34,000 on it, but it's her everyday work car and she drives 80 miles round trip, plus we've taken it to visit my oldest son in Texas several times, which is a bit over 900 miles from where we live, so it now has 154,000. We made the last payment on it last month and I jokingly said, "You know as soon as we pay it off, it's gonna blow up"

Should have kept my mouth shut.

About 2 weeks ago, it starts acting weird. It starts and runs, but will just die going down the street [ thankfully it never did it on the highway ]. It would restart with no problem and then run fine for a couple of days and then do it again. So, into the shop it goes. To make a long infuriating story short, it needs a new engine.
At 154,000 miles.
The mechanic said he called Ford to figure out why and they told him basically " we don't know, it just happens on some of them". Problem is, the percentage of bad engines is not high enough to force Ford into a recall, so if it goes, it's your ass in the fire.
Got the call yesterday that it's ready to go. I asked "how much ? [ they had given me an estimate before but I wanted to know just how much this was gonna hurt ].
$ 5632.09.
The engine comes with a full warranty and all that jazz, but I still wanna know what the hell went wrong on an engine with only 154,00, that's been well maintained, but Ford just shrugs and says I dunno. I told her that when we get it back drive the sh** out of it and if the least little thing goes wrong, somebody is getting a free colonoscopy courtesy of my boot.

Feel free to add any expletives you can imagine you'd use in this situation because I can promise I've used every one and even made up a few new ones.

a reply to: DAVID64

No offense but your mechanic sounds like a hobbyist. Any decent mechanic would be embarassed if they couldnt tell me the issue is cam, compression, rods, valves, etc. I wouldnt even pay for that diagnosis of "engine is bad, *shrug*". That would definitely end up in small claims.

That kind of money deserves a second opinion.

a reply to: drewlander

This was a mechanic at a Ford dealer. He told me he's seen other Ford models do the same thing at 30 to 50,000 miles and Ford just says "sh** happens".
He said coolant was getting into the oil and fuel and I asked "blown head gasket, cracked block ?" He said [ and I quote] I called Ford and they said a tear down is a waste of time it's easier to just replace the short block "

FORD - That is the problem. Their QA went in the tank decades ago. Honda and Toyota all the way!

a reply to: jtrenthacker

I got 3. One from a good friend of mine who is the head mechanic for a large shop here in the area. They do everything from cars to farm equipment. He also said to just replace the short block, but his estimate was about $650 higher.

a reply to: DAVID64

Wow! I have a neighbor that does cnc. He says when they work on some engines like mercedes they have a number to call to report the issue so the company can track problems. I guess ford doesnt do that. Dispoable economy. Anyway, since you provided those details I found there is a potential lawsuit brewing. Cylinders are cracking.

lawsuit

a reply to: drewlander

THANK YOU !!

If that does turn out to be the problem, you can bet my name will be on it.

a reply to: DAVID64

Good luck with that. I was unfortunate enough to purchase one of the ‘ticking time bombs’. I believe they were in 04-06 F-150s.

Engines going bad after 40k miles. More than you can count. They had issues with the oil pressure reaching the top of the engine.

I bought mine with 70k miles. Showed signs of the problem within two months of purchasing. Turns out it was such a rampant problem, people found a short term solution. Drop diesel oil in it (thicker) and they appear to run like a charm. For a couple months that is - so you could resell the vehicle to another poor victim.

No recalls whatsoever. Fu## Ford! You charge 50k for a new pickup, the engine better last at minimum 250k (if maintained properly).

No accountability.

originally posted by: drewlander
a reply to: DAVID64

Wow! I have a neighbor that does cnc. He says when they work on some engines like mercedes they have a number to call to report the issue so the company can track problems. I guess ford doesnt do that. Dispoable economy. Anyway, since you provided those details I found there is a potential lawsuit brewing. Cylinders are cracking.

lawsuit

Sounds good, but we all know that if this goes forward and if it ever comes to fruition, the lawyers involved are going to make major bank while the principles in the lawsuit - the aggrieved parties - will get a letter in the mail congratulating them on their successful lawsuit along with a check for about $11.49 - what will be left over for each plaintiff after the shysters get their cut.

One thing to remember. REPLACE YOUR OIL WITH SYNTHETIC as soon as you buy it. Use cylinder treatment every 6 months with that. if you can afford it,get racing cylinders installed that are beyond Ford OEM recommendation.

a reply to: DAVID64

you know, if you would have gotten the insurance that some asshole keeps trying to get me to buy, this would have been free. Post your phone number here, and I'll forward it on to them. They only call about 4 times a day, so it's not super irritating all the time, just some times.

Kidding aside, that sucks, but it's cheaper than a new car. I had a Honda Oddesy van that had trans issues. Apparently everyone had them, all at about 140K. Since I didn't get the trans serviced, I got 0 help. That was only about 3 grand, but the rebuilt one died a month out of it's warranty. So I had to rebuild it twice. The second time, I sold it right after. I was unhappy back then, but now, I don't even think about it. Until now. And now I'm sad again...this sucks.......

a reply to: DAVID64
That is what happens with a Ford!

Found On Road Dead
Fix Or Repair Daily
Fourth On Race Day
F'd Over Reproduced Dodge


All jokes aside, OUCH! $5k^ I am glad I am a mechanic. I became one because I wouldn't pay those kinds of ridiculous prices. I sold my shop in 1989 and only do my and families work. I can't tell you the nightmares of incompetence in chain shops, not dealer's so much.

a reply to: DAVID64

My wife had a 2011 Ford Fiesta... ENOUGH SAID. If you know anything about that damn car, you know what i mean.

After not owning that car for 2-3 years we got a few thousand in a recall.

The Ford dealership mechanics could never figure out what was wrong. They didn't believe me about how it would drive. They told me you have to drive it differently...riiight...

We ended up taking it there over 10 times. We we're the original owners and the car didn't even have 100k on it. It got so bad it wouldn't start when it was cold (No battery issues or wiring). So when it started to warm up outside, we crossed or fingers, started it up and took it to another dealership as a trade in.

I used to have a 2008 escape. I took it to the same mechanics over 6 times for the dash, radio and internal lights not working.

I finally said eff it after they at least got the dash to work.

#FordsNoMore

... Unless you wanna give me a Rousch Mustang 😉

originally posted by: DAVID64
a reply to: drewlander

...Ford just says "sh** happens".
... I asked "blown head gasket, cracked block ?"
He said [ and I quote] I called Ford and they said a tear down is a waste of time
it's easier to just replace the short block "
emphasis mine, David.

First off, I'm sorry for the exploding block. Sometimes just shoddy casting
processes can make a flawed thinwall where you least expect them to pull.

The emphasis is where I'll cite hundreds of thousands of MoPAr owners with
minivans. Did I hit a nerve yet, 80's Voyager and T&C owners? Torsion-bar
suspended animation in the crate from the SAME RUN of JUNK... and with the
exact SAME brand-new problem? My heart wishes you luck but I can't look...

Yeah, it's a lot easier for the dealer to just bill warranty and give your sled another
25K miles until the coathanger snaps again. Twitch, yes I had a Tradesman 100 light-
duty with the same junk in front. 'Bout ready to go, it sounded like spurs trinklin'.

a reply to: spirit_horse

That's what just pisses me off. Ford USED to be good vehicles. I had an old 86 F150 with over 300,000 before it finally went kaput. Now, I wouldn't take a new one if it was free.

a reply to: DAVID64

That sounds to me that your catalytic converter is stopped up. This (allegedly) 10% alcohol in the gas is the culprit. Never, ever put E85 gas in your tank. We had a '77 Ford LTD II with a 302 and it did the same thing you are describing. I removed the converter and tried to look through it, couldn't see anything. Its made of a honeycomb ceramic material and I should have seen light. A tire iron remedied that. Stuck it back on and we traded it several years later for another Ford.

Ford is notorious for not giving a crap about what happens to the vehicles once they leave the factory.

One thing is for sure, with Ford around auto mechanics will always have work.

a reply to: DAVID64

1.5 liter Ecoboost?

It doesn't sound like an engine problem. Fuel delivery would be my best guess. You got shafted.