Another problem. Don't buy a CMax: Broken hatch latch

[valkraider]

I can't recommend anyone buy this car. We have about 15k miles and 9 months of ownership.

 

Add another problem with this car...

 

Our hatch latch broke.

 

We knew exactly what happened because we pushed the button, it shut then clicked shut like normal then during the normal little grinding noise as the hatch tightens itself there was a loud bang, and then the hatch indicator light indicated the hatch was not shut.

 

Upon inspection, the hatch was *latched* but it never tightened itself so the car knew it wasn't shut *enough*. Additionally it now rattled real bad - clearly not shut all the way.

 

So we went to the dealer that evening and I made them write up a ticket with acknowledgement that they saw the problem first-hand, we explained what we heard, and we scheduled a repair appointment for a day it two later.

 

They took the car for a day, and when we got the car back the open hatch light was off - but the work order listed the fix as "adjusted hatch".

 

Here comes the fight. Again.

 

Effing Ford, I never should have bought this POs with such crappy customer service backing it.

 

So now we are driving around, the hatch rattles like its just barely hanging on - but hey, the indicator light is off so it must be OK.

 

Any time we are on an incline the hatch won't shut all the way and the open hatch light stays on for a few cycles of open and close on level ground. The hatch sounds like its going to fall off.

 

I call the dealership, let them know what's up, and we have a hard time getting a good appointment (I am going back to the dealer where we bought the car which is 20 miles across the city and very hard to get to during rush hour - but the nearby dealer is the one we had a terrible time with for the 3.5.1 update so we are not going back there).

 

I dropped the car off 4 days ago. Two days ago I got a call saying they "couldn't duplicate the problem". Standard dealership lingo for "customers are idiots and we are lazy".

 

I asked them if they had tried it on an incline. They investigate and sure enough - nope, they hadn't. But they claim they have no hills nearby so they don't know how to test. Then they decide to try it jacking up the front of the car.

 

A day goes by. They finally call me back and I am guessing they were able to duplicate it because they ordered a new hatch latch and a new cover plate (why the cover plate? Did they break the cover while troubleshooting?).

 

So it's still there being worked on.

 

On a side note, ironically the *new* and *revolutionary* part of the car is the drive train - which has been performing well. It is the rest of the car built around the drive train which appears to be crap. Which is funny because I expected to have problems with the EV/Hybrid part being an early adopter.

 

Apparently Ford hasn't figured out 12v systems, door panels, latches, and infotainment yet - not to mention the dealerships haven't figured out that this is how they lose customers for life.

 

Our second and most assuredly our last Ford product.

 

It's gonna be Tesla and VWAG from here on out...

[valkraider]

And before anyone jumps on me saying I'm just anti-Ford go look at my posting history here. Initially I was a huge advocate for this car, and defended it quite vigorously.

 

Even beyond this website - on other forums and EV blogs and elsewhere.

 

It's the 9 months of broken stuff and dealership nightmares which has burned me.

[Jus-A-CMax]

They better not dump on you Valk and I might have something to say about that. Sorry to hear your issues bro...man, that s*cks.

[armoredsaint]

thank goodness my C-Max is a company owned vehicle. I enjoy my BMWs  :)

 

good luck.

[MikeB]

Youch Valk, sorry to hear that. I too am very surprised that the drivetrain continues to be the least troublesome part of the car.

 

On the other hand, my previous VW diesel had a potential problem with the high pressure fuel pump failing, causing about a $12k repair (usually out of warranty). So it seems that most automakers have issues of some sort or another, and dealers are universally poor places to get repairs.

 

Tesla might be a good choice for you, I'm hoping their 3rd major project will fit my needs as well. And the new BMW i3 looks very interesting, I really like the use of a 600cc motorcycle engine as a range extender.

[Tdefny]

Sorry to hear your problems. Your posts probably helped sell a lot of cars for them.

 

There is still promise for your car. Other than the problems that nobody escaped, mine has been problem free so far. In fact, it hasn't been back to the dealer yet, partially because I am afraid of wasting a day and have been burned by incompetetent people at other dealerships even though my dealer has a good reputation (don't they all?).

 

I recommend that you go to your original dealer and stay away from effing ford. That dealership doesn't sound too good.

[Laurel]

Val maybe I am all wet, but it seems like crappy dealerships in Porltand is the real problem versus crappy car.

[armoredsaint]

i know my ford dealership sucks, switching to a different one and we'll see how it goes. that's the reason on my personal cars like my bmw, audis and mb, i've been spoiled by their professionalism and competence.

[Recumpence]

My dealer told me Ford pays them nothing for recalls. I do not know about warranty work.

 

Anyway, the issues I keep having is the freaking Sync system. Talk about buggy. Hopefully the updates will help.

 

The C-Max is one of the most advanced cars on the market. That has got to be part of this.

 

Matt

[Wingrider01]

i know my ford dealership sucks, switching to a different one and we'll see how it goes. that's the reason on my personal cars like my bmw, audis and mb, i've been spoiled by their professionalism and competence.

 

So have I, been dealing with the same ford dealer and sales person since 1972, they have always been professional and totally competent with every one of the 12 cars I have leased through them, prefer American iron. Sounds like it is not the car but the dealer. Had growing pains with the car, but suspect it was because mine was the 717th one to roll off the assembly line in Michigan, dealer stuck by it and I think we finally have all the first year model release growing pains worked out. 

Edited August 10, 2013 by Wingrider01

[salsaguy]

agree. have you  put in a complaint to Ford corporate? the dealers have to stay certified and if too many complain they will be in big trouble with Corp.

have you checked out their ratings at dealerrater.com. ?

surely there is a better on within 20 miles of you?

 

Val maybe I am all wet, but it seems like crappy dealerships in Porltand is the real problem versus crappy car

Edited August 10, 2013 by salsaguy

[slampro]

agree. have you  put in a complaint to Ford corporate? the dealers have to stay certified and if too many complain they will be in big trouble with Corp.

have you checked out their ratings at dealerrater.com. ?

surely there is a better on within 20 miles of you?

I had never heard of that dealer rater site. I just went there, and not surprising to me, my dealer was #1 for my zip code. :hat_tip:

[mtb9153]

I can't recommend anyone buy this car. We have about 15k miles and 9 months of ownership.

 

Add another problem with this car...

 

Our hatch latch broke.

 

We knew exactly what happened because we pushed the button, it shut then clicked shut like normal then during the normal little grinding noise as the hatch tightens itself there was a loud bang, and then the hatch indicator light indicated the hatch was not shut.

 

Upon inspection, the hatch was *latched* but it never tightened itself so the car knew it wasn't shut *enough*. Additionally it now rattled real bad - clearly not shut all the way.

 

So we went to the dealer that evening and I made them write up a ticket with acknowledgement that they saw the problem first-hand, we explained what we heard, and we scheduled a repair appointment for a day it two later.

 

They took the car for a day, and when we got the car back the open hatch light was off - but the work order listed the fix as "adjusted hatch".

 

Here comes the fight. Again.

 

Effing Ford, I never should have bought this POs with such crappy customer service backing it.

 

So now we are driving around, the hatch rattles like its just barely hanging on - but hey, the indicator light is off so it must be OK.

 

Any time we are on an incline the hatch won't shut all the way and the open hatch light stays on for a few cycles of open and close on level ground. The hatch sounds like its going to fall off.

 

I call the dealership, let them know what's up, and we have a hard time getting a good appointment (I am going back to the dealer where we bought the car which is 20 miles across the city and very hard to get to during rush hour - but the nearby dealer is the one we had a terrible time with for the 3.5.1 update so we are not going back there).

 

I dropped the car off 4 days ago. Two days ago I got a call saying they "couldn't duplicate the problem". Standard dealership lingo for "customers are idiots and we are lazy".

 

I asked them if they had tried it on an incline. They investigate and sure enough - nope, they hadn't. But they claim they have no hills nearby so they don't know how to test. Then they decide to try it jacking up the front of the car.

 

A day goes by. They finally call me back and I am guessing they were able to duplicate it because they ordered a new hatch latch and a new cover plate (why the cover plate? Did they break the cover while troubleshooting?).

 

So it's still there being worked on.

 

On a side note, ironically the *new* and *revolutionary* part of the car is the drive train - which has been performing well. It is the rest of the car built around the drive train which appears to be crap. Which is funny because I expected to have problems with the EV/Hybrid part being an early adopter.

 

Apparently Ford hasn't figured out 12v systems, door panels, latches, and infotainment yet - not to mention the dealerships haven't figured out that this is how they lose customers for life.

 

Our second and most assuredly our last Ford product.

 

It's gonna be Tesla and VWAG from here on out...

I'm happy for you if you can afford a Tesla?  They build them right down the road from me here.  But too expensive for my taste..  Got no complaints with my CMax

[salsaguy]

hmm you can also check on yelp. the one i gave you before is the one where they hand out the postcard type card to you with that site on it,

after your service and you can rate them. it seems to carry more weight than others. but who knows.

 

I had never heard of that dealer rater site. I just went there, and not surprising to me, my dealer was #1 for my zip code. :hat_tip:

[valkraider]

Oh well. Win some lose some...

[Laurel]

Val we were just kicking in our 2 cents, but none of us have been in your shoes.  I think you have been a huge C-Max advocate and you wouldn't throw in the towel without being pushed to your limit.  I just wondered how much crappy dealerships affected the outcome. 

[salsaguy]

it is sad about the dealership issues. i had the same issues with crappy VW dealers. many times they didn't do the work they said they did or had to redo stuff. i was not a happy camper to say the least. loved my car but not the customer service experience. and it does start you thinking bad about the car if it gets bad enough.

there are only a few VW dealers within 35 miles and the one closest to me moved further away. i had to go thru about 4 bad ones to finally find a good one. not the one i bought my Passat at and not the closest one either but as long as they do it right and treat me right it's worth it to go out of my way a bit.

 

With all the new Ford owners this past year with the success of the cmax and fusion, they need to put more effort and money into the dealer experience but it's not so easy to control them.

Edited August 15, 2013 by salsaguy

[Jus-A-CMax]

Val we were just kicking in our 2 cents, but none of us have been in your shoes.  I think you have been a huge C-Max advocate and you wouldn't throw in the towel without being pushed to your limit.  I just wondered how much crappy dealerships affected the outcome. 

 

Yep, I sense that too...as much as I rave and experienced top notch service from Galpin, I am sure I can find an equal bad service there and the only way you will stop the bad service is to speak up to the owners & management and bring it to their attention. I had one incident my SA dissappeared and some other issues followed and I brought it to the Service Managers attention and they immediately apologized. I also experienced a complete utter top notch service with Jaguar and no matter how bad the issue, I always walked away feeling I was taken care of and the issue was fixed...but we are talking Jaguars, which imo, is really high end.

 

One of the many reasons why my family remain loyal to the Galpin Motor Group in Van Nuys. I hope the Tesla works out well, haven't heard too many thing good or bad about it. But find a great dealer is the tough one. My 2c.

[CMax-Traveler]

Just to throw my two cents in here, I have to agree that the only thing I'm disappointed in with my C-Max is the number of issues I've had with it.  With my previous Honda Civic Hybrid, until 38,000 miles (when I had to have the battery replaced under warranty!!!), and then from that point until I traded it in at >100K, I had zero problems, the only reason I had to service the car was the required oil changes, tire rotations, etc.  With the C-Max, at 2000 miles, I've already been to the dealer twice for service (headliner, PCM update), and I have to go back a third time for two additional issues I've discovered, which are apparently common problems (left strut noise, tabs missing on window molding).

 

So, while overall, the car is great, the whole "initial quality" experience has me wondering what's in store down the road.  Yes, it's the first model year, but still, I was under the impression that Ford had gotten their act together.

 

I also am starting to believe that the service department at my local dealer leaves a bit to be desired, but we'll see.  Worst case, I'll switch dealers.  (Thanks salsaguy for that DealerRate site, btw, that's awesome).

[valkraider]

I've bought 16 autos and 6 motorcycles since 1990. I know how this all works. ;)

 

Yes, the dealers have an impact.

 

Not my problem to solve: it says Ford on the sign, it says Ford on their shirts and hats, it says Ford on my repair ticket, Ford on my loan, and Ford on my car.

[nsteblay]

I have only experienced quality issues related to software programming - Synch and the PCM.  The physical aspects of the car have been good.  It is unfortunate that you have a bad latch.  The dealer should be bending over backwards to help you.  The dealer does get less for warranty work than regular service work.

 

Interesting article: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/fuel-economy/confessions-of-a-car-dealership-service-manager-6311261

 

Knowing it was a new model I bought an extended warranty from Ford with no deductible.

[valkraider]

I have a good extended warranty from Ford as well. We'll see if I keep the car long enough to need it...

[valkraider]

Today dealer service rep said "I'm beginning to not like your CMax" and I replied: "and you don't even have to make payments on it!"

[Wingrider01]

I have a good extended warranty from Ford as well. We'll see if I keep the car long enough to need it...

 

Never bother with a extended warranty,  this car has 13 months left on the lease

[salsaguy]

no problem.glad it helped. best of luck to you.

 

I also am starting to believe that the service department at my local dealer leaves a bit to be desired, but we'll see.  Worst case, I'll switch dealers.  (Thanks salsaguy for that DealerRate site, btw, that's awesome).