I have a few questions to all of you...
I don't offense any of you. Please advise me if you like.
How come Ford has never made a reliable vehicle until now?
I have recently looked closer to a new Fusion to compare with an Accord, and an Explorer with a Pilot. Matter of fact, I've seen Ford is still having a lot of problems in its vehicles. What's going on? and why?
Why not go to a site like: Reliability Ratings - Yahoo! Autos
use the "Compare reliability ratings side by side" adn see what they show. Every car can have problems. That's why there are service departments. I have a friend that works for Toyota and some Camrys have trany problems. No car is trouble free
I have a 80 Ford F150 with 251,000 miles and never a major problem, a 2000 Crown Vic with 152,000 miles which was a Sherrif patrol before I got it and hasn't had any major problems. I could go on with a comany Astro van with 270,000 but you get my point. Taken care of, they can all be reliable.
I concur. Maintenance is everything. In a fast paced world, most folks can't be bothered to even change the oil at the scheduled interval which means problems are sure to happen. It just starts with driving an extra 1-5K on old, worn oil, and then it comes to not rotating tires properly, which for the most part is included with regular service on new vehicles, but after that program ends, say two years, the driver things nothing of it. So, a couple years later the front tires begin to wear unevenly; perhaps mostly due to driving style and bad road shoulders in that area, but then as the tires wear out more on one side, other front end components are put under great stress and operating at angles they weren't made to operate at. Not only will this person need ball joints, tie rods, new tires, an alignment and so on, but he'll blame the vehicle manufacturer has having a bad product! In such a fast paced world, hardly anyone will realize their neglect and stupidity for overlooking some of the most basic items of regular maintenance.
Then comes the good part. They'll go to the dealer and say that the problems originally started before the warranty expired, but the vehicle owner can't prove it because he didn't go in for regular service and therefor nothing was properly documented. This drive then curses the dealer, the vehicle, and looks to buy something else in the hope that it'll last much longer without problems, all the while still overlooking the fact that some things just don't get better with age.
MSN autos also has personal vehicle reviews from owners, which is a good tool. Edmunds is also a good research site.
I'd like to think that I'm the most complicated person I know. Not because I choose to be, but because it just happens to work out that way. I own a Ford, a GM, a Dodge but no imports. Why? Because I look at how simple a vehicle is to service, how much bits and pieces will cost me down the road, such as a headlight, wiper blades, new wheels, bumper, etc should the inevitable happen. Second, they all cost less than any comparable import and are proven, reliable vehicles in their own right. Why? Because I make sure they are by adhering to my own grueling maintenance schedules. Cheers.
I don't know about that, but let me tell you about my Ford Explorer story.
When I got my new Explorer back in 2003. I got it in Sep/20/2003 exactly date. It was brand new, and I like it pretty much.
Everyone I know seemed not to happy when I told them I got this Explorer. Matter of fact, some of them told me why do you get this car? It's not a good car! I just gave them a smile. Therefore, my cousin bought a new Toyota Camry at the same time too.
Then I took a trip to Texas. When I got there, some problem started with the transmission. There was some noisy sound came from the rear end looked like it came from the transmission. The next morning I took it right to the dealer in Austin for them to check the vehicle. In the after noon, they called me that they found nothing wrong with it, except they had to replace the leakage of the coolant. Of course, when I picked up the vehicle, I paid nothing.
When I was there for work, I had oil change every 4,000 miles as schedule maintenance. Driving every day from home to work, and from work to home. After 15,000 miles, one day, I stood in front of the vehicle while the engine was running, I noticed that there was some smelly thing came out under the hood. When I opened the hood, I found there was a leakage from the water pump. The next morning, I had to bring it back to the dealer again.
This time, of course they replace it for free with out charge, and I drove it back to the road again.
My fellow Americans, if I continue to write, it will go on for good.
When the vehicle was out of guarantee, there was so many thing happened to it. I wouldn't believe it was keep go on with the new problems.
After the water pump, the pin doors went out, then window regulators(rear left and right), then the intake sensors, the oxygen sensors (it made noise from the rear), and the latest problem came back was the transmission problem.
The cost? 2,000 for the parts, plus the transmission cost=5,000.00
I got rid of the vehicle and bought a new Honda Accord. So far, I am very happy with this new vehicle. The only problem I don't really like about it is the comfort of the front seats. My wife and I always complain about them. But so far, we use thicker cushion to insulate the problem. And, guess what? The Camry my cousin bought, she has never taken care it very well, but it's still running with out any trouble; it's a trouble free, just oil change and drive.
For me, I would not come back to a Ford again for good. I just want to say good luck to all the Ford's drivers the best, and I wish Ford will make better cars as what it has now. I do look at a new Ford, and I don't see any different on the quality, except the new design. I like Ford design, but the quality. The part quality is pretty poor. I have to say that.
One more thing,
When I looked at all the parts under the hood or inside the vehicle, there was nothing made in the US or Canada. There are many of them made in China, Vietnam, Mexico, and Thailan.
My fellow Americans, if we support our American automobiles, are those parts supposed to be made in the USA?
What do you think?
I have to admit the Explorer had some problems, but you can't compare a 4wd with a small sedan. My daughter and her husband had a taurus that gave them no problems until about 160k miles and they did not service it right. When a tire went flat. they found out the tires were worn out and needed new ones. Not evey car is perfect. Check this list and check the main page. Your car might be listed there. Most Problematic Vehicles | CarComplaints.com
My friend, I made a few complains there too. The moderators there said that people don't make complains correctly. Many times they just come back to duplicate many complains.
The best way to make complains if he or she posted his or her VIN number of a vehicle, so that they can keep track of them.
I actually posted there twice because the moderators there made a mistake to duplicate it. Now, I don't trust any of those website any more.
There was other websites I was honestly post comments on them and they removed them all. Matter of fact, they think I am telling a lie.
In my point of view, I know for sure which car is best in the market now. Of course, it is not an American car, and I do believe the best car is an American car which is truly made in the USA.
This forum is here to help others with problems, not to cut any products down. I've been a mechanic for 48 years and could tell some stories about all brands. I'm just here to help others with their problems not tell them they bought the wrong vehicle, even if I thought so. If you can offer help, do so. If you want to cut any vehicle down, find a website for that is for that purpose.
It's not a question of good or bad vehicles, it's a question of consumer demand. Ford did great in the late 80's with the Taurus, then they allowed it to go even more mainstream instead of keeping it up with both domestic, and import rivals. Ford is finally starting to change it's ways again for the better, but I believe models that are well taken care of will outsell a similar model. Now that fuel prices have subsided slightly, my Durango for instance, is worth more on the used market now than what it was even a year ago. I contacted the same dealer, twice, a year apart last month for trade in value. Value went up $1600! Comparable Toyota models (4Runner) with no power, more recalls, actually listed for less taking into account the model year and mileage are close.
rtg143 - 48 years!!! Congrats! If it's one thing I've began to notice, it's that mechanics never seem to want to retire. Perhaps there's a reason for this that I don't know about? My last mechanic retired at the ripe age of 77, that's when I began doing a lot of my own work since labour rates around here are terrible.
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