Do I have a lemon on my hands?? (long) (1 Viewer)

[Leroy]

Here's the story:

I bought a 2002 Ranger Edge (V6, Auto)on April 20. Just a few days and 300 miles later I have an error light start blinking. It's my O/D light that signals a transmission problem. I take it in and after 5 days they deterine that it was a low transmission fluid level and send me on my merry way.

A few days after that I notice an unrelated problem, the gauge cluster cover (clear cover) looks like it has smears in it. I wipe the cover thinking it was just haze from whatever they used to detail the car for delivery. It turns out the stains and scratches are on the inside of the cover. I have that replaced.

A few days after that, the transmission problem reoccurs(sp?). I take it in after having made an appointment to have it looked at. Well 8 days and a replaced transmission later: I pick up the truck and drive about 1 mile from the dealer and BOOM!! the same problem.

I am so pissed at the moment. I've had the care for 47 days, and counting today I've been without it for 15 of those days. I'm wondering if I have the basis for having this declared a lemon and replaced. Since under one of the scenarios, the same problem twice within 12 months/12,000 miles, I may be able to do it. I would think that a possible transmission failure while on the road could cause an accident and thusly could be considered serious enough of a problem to be considered under the previous condition.

Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[Kolya]

States have pretty well-defined lemon laws. Most states have pretty extensive DOT websites.
Google first result is what you're looking for.

 

[Bill_D]

Houston, we have a problem.

In Atlanta, you would just call Clark Howard. He is "the"
consumer's advocate. I don't know if his Consumer Action
Center handles/gives advice outside of Georgia but it would
apply almost anywhere. You can check him out at
www.clarkhoward.com
NO CHARGES OR FEES FOR WHAT HE DOES.
I did find this bit of info on his site:
• Every state now has a Lemon Law to protect consumers. It
allows the car buyer to exchange the flawed vehicle for a
new one or have the manufacturer buy it back.
• In most states, the Lemon Law applies to problems that
arise during the first year or 12,000 miles of ownership.
• You can obtain the rules and procedures to make a claim
under the Lemon Law in your state by calling the
administrator of the state's Lemon Law.
By the generic use of the word State instead of GA, I
would think his crew/advice would be of some assistance
to you in TX. Check out his site.

 

[Leroy]

Well, I finally got to speak with the service manager and he said that this will be their final attempt to fix the problem. Apparantly they haven't encountered a situation like this. He said, though, that after the papers are filed with the state that Ford would be required to try one more time to fix it.

But, if they try anything funny, we have some pretty good comsumer protection reporters in Houston. Namely good 'ol Marvin Zindler (he got the chicken ranch in La Grange shut down, yup the one in the ZZ Top song).

I really do hope that they can get this fixed though. I hate to have to pay for tint and stereo installation again. Besides I really do like the actual truck, just hate that I'm havig so much trouble.

 

[Shawn C]

Hmm..Is there actually anything wrong with the transmission? It might be a computer or just a wiring problem that it making the O/D light blink. Who knows. It still sucks though and it needs to get fixed.

 

[Charles J P]

I'm sure I will get my ass flamed for this, but isnt it a ford? I would not have been to surprised myself. Ford has some of the sketchiest reliability out there, according to independant sources, and now they announce the the public that they are trying to cut $700 worth of production costs for each vehicle they build :rolleyes

 

[Leroy]

Well, what puzzles me is that they have NOT replaced the sensors that control the transmission (2 of them) which are outside fo the transmission(there is anothe inside). But they go by the codes that are pulled rather than actually trying to figure it out. All I know is that i've been in 4 different rentals(plus my truck) and I hat having to readjust my driving for each different car over sch a short period of time. Who knows what I'll be driving if this goes to the arbitration process.
I've had 4 previous Ford cars from various era's and have NEVER had any serious problems (really no problems at all) and that's including the recall prone 1st gen Focus. Of course this is the only Auto transmission I have. The reason being that since I wanted the power(windows/locks)group I HAD to get the option package that included the auto tranny. I should have stuck to my instincts and just made do with aftermarket power accessories and gotten the manual.

 

[Jared_B]

Leroy,
There is absolutly nothing wrong with autos. Maybe back in the day when they were still a new technology they had problems, but today they are very reliable. You just got a bad apple.

 

[Charles J P]

Sorry Leroy, I didnt mean to make a personal swipe at your purchase decision. I'm glad you've had good luck with past fords. This is not necessarily to you, but to everyone out there who argues about car reliability using only a sample of 1 as a proof of reliability.

To me reliability (or unreliability) doesnt mean that every ford owner who doesnt have something wrong with their car is graced by a miracle from above. It just means I think buying a ford is a gamble relative to buying a Honda or Toyota (according to independant data, not just my opinion) because the chance of something going wrong is higher. Now, some people have different opinion on what's important too. Some might not care if the car develops squeaks and rattles early, or if little things break like the coin tray, or if the power windows dont work very well, because it doesnt affect how the car drives. I am not one of those people. I want my car to ride like new as long as possible, and I dont think thats unreasonable. Some people also dont care if things go wrong, as long as its under warranty. Hyudai has a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty. Many people wont own the car that long or not much longer. This thought also doesnt fly with me. Who cares if the repair is free. Do you enjoy sitting by the side of the road waiting for a tow truck because your 8 month old car broke down? Do you like transferring your possesions in and out of loaner cars? Do you like not driving your own car? I dont see how people can defend poor quality with a good warranty. Jeep fans are famous for this. So, I'll take what the independant sources tell me is the most reliable vehicle that meets my needs, not what the Ford dealer tells me.

 

[CapnSharpe]

Leroy,

Sounds like you have a good Ford dealer at least. I took my 2000 Ford Focus to 3 Houston-area dealers 5 times to get similar systems fixed (manual transmission & brakes). Everytime they told me nothing was wrong until something would go very wrong while driving (transmission slipped, clutch spring broke and hit me in the foot).

After 3 trips complaining about the brakes and nearly losing control of the car on the highway, I parked the car near the new 2001 Ford Foci with the words "LEMON" written all over it in the windows. I now drive a 2001 Ford Focus that hasn't had a problem yet (knock on wood).

Good luck with your Ranger pickup.

 

[Kevin P]

There is absolutly nothing wrong with autos. Maybe back in the day when they were still a new technology they had problems, but today they are very reliable. You just got a bad apple.

Based on my experience, and what I've read in a number of places, one of the most unreliable components in many Ford cars and trucks is, you guessed it, the automatic transmissions. Auto tranny technology is mature and it is quite possible to make reliable auto trannies, all the Japanese manufacturers do, and heck, even GM's autos are pretty reliable. But Ford and Chrysler's automatic trannies are notorious for having problems. I don't know about the reliability of the Ranger's transmissions, but from what I've seen, and experienced first hand with a Taurus, I don't think I'd buy another Ford, ever, especially an automatic.

 

[Jared_B]

I have no argument with that, Kevin!

 

[Leroy]

I think the problem is that this is a fairly new transmission for the Ranger. I did some research and spoke to several Ranger owners and all I heard were good things(both manual and auto owners) so I traded in my trusty little Focus and bought the Ranger. Now, after perusing some Ranger forums I see the depth of problems people have.
I wish I had dug a little deeper as now I know that Ford auto trannys are not quite as reliable as I had thought.
Still i wonder why they would basically force you into an auto if you want a certain trim level. Makes 0 sense.
I'm hoping for the best though as I really do like the truck, I just wish I was in it. :frowning: