vanmald

My suggestion to your friend is to get rid of the 500 w/ the CVT. I loved the way it drove, but problems are starting to show up.

The CVT is a weak spot for the 500 and Freestyle. I learned the hard way that it is very important to get an extended warranty with the CVT equipped Fords. I had the AWD Malfunction light come on and paid over $500 for a repair that didn't fix the problem (thanks Sam Galloway Ford in Fort Myers, FL). I was then told that it really needed a part that would cost $4300 (never even bothered with a quote for the labor) to replace a large part of the AWD system which included the DEM (Differential Control) which they suspected to be the problem. The DEM, if it was supplied as a part alone probably would have been around $1000, but instead Volvo decided to only supply the package which was much more expensive.

I then called Ford Customer Service. (I should disclose that the car was at 66k miles, so out of warranty). I requested assistance since I had found out that this was a common problem with this vehicle. Ford refused to help, I was treated rudely and worst of all, I got a different story every time I called. Also, everytime I called, I could tell the customer service agent was not giving me the whole story that was written in the computer for my case.

I then called the dealer I bought the vehicle from and he did some research on the problem. He found out that his dealership (it is VERY large) had 2 vehicles that were exhibiting the same problem, but they determined by working with Ford that the repair really required a new CVT transmission. The repair bill for that was $7000. They were trying to work with Ford to get some help for their customers (including me) and really wanted my car to give them more leverage with Ford. The best solution they had was a used CVT that would have cost $5000.

So, in review, one dealership charged me $500 for a solution that didn't work and wanted to charge me over $4300 for another solution that likely wouldn't have worked (by the way, they showed me in the manual that this is the fix Ford prescribed for the AWD Malfunction problem, so I can't fault them for reccommending this solution) and then would have been charged $7000 for a new CVT transmission all on a car that was only worth about $11,000.

On March 31, I traded in the vehicle (while the problem was still intermittent) on a car that was not a Ford. I have been buying Fords and only Fords since 1990 (6 vehicles total) and Ford was willing to lose me as a customer. My father-in-law is a Ford retiree and I received the A plan but was willing to give that up for fewer headaches.

Good luck to all current CVT owners and call Ford if you have problems. They might eventually wake up and help current owners like they did with the rear brakes.