Lemons and Lemon laws

[Ozz]

From the start, my Ford PSD has had; a 'Clunk', excessive slack in the drive train,you feel a 'bump' as the slack takes up. I have had my truck back to the dealership where I bought it three times, as well as two other dealership service departments. The official answer they gave me is: "The tip in, tip out clearance on torque converters is different on all vehicles. This is normal operation and cannot be fixed".
My answer is that mine is excessive and I will not accept a defective truck. It is also unacceptable that the Ford hotline (The people the dealership service departments call) does not know how severe mine is, they just say it is normal.
I have an attorney that will be progressing under the Lemon Law here in Missouri. He told me that he had 18 or so cases that he was working on with Ford.
I also included the information on my breakdown in the Ozark mountains.
We shall see how this goes.
Ozz

[Wrenchtraveller]

Just be glad that you have a lemon law. In Canada IMO, we have no such law and only rely on our dealers to make things right. My 04 6.0 was a lemon and my dealer did give me a reasonable deal to order my 05 F350 so I was lucky. I think lemon laws are a good thing and a friend of mine in NJ has had good results from lemon laws. Good luck to you too Ozz and I agree that a noticable clunk is not right. I have never had a clunk of any kind in any of my Ford pickups and I have bought brand new a 75, 80, 81, 88, 95, 00, 04 and 05 all clunk free.

[Ozz]

Thanks, Don

[ggranch]

Good luck Jim. The state law here (Mo) is 4 strikes and they owe you a new rig. Hope your lawyer is a good one cause Ford will fight that tooth and nail. Like wrenchtraveller, I have driven Fords for many years and have not encountered a "CLUNK"er. Wonder where that term came from. Again, good luck and keep us informed. Bob

[OntMont]

Wrenchtraveller, and others in Canada, while it is not a "Lemon Law", there is something called CAMVAP (Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan) that provides an arbitration service for people with defective vehicles. Here is the link: http://camvap.ca/eng/consumers_guide.htm
I have no experience with this process, but it seems to be what we have to work with.

[Broome101]

OZZ, Check out DeiselStop.com web site you have been on before. Several of them have been Successful in getting FORD to buy back there trucks, or gotten credit toward newer models.

[richfaa]

We did have success with the lemon law some years ago with a GM product. I recall the attotney saying that the lemon law is written in favor of the consumer.

[Ozz]

Thanks, guys. I sent the files to the attorney via UPS, he is doing all the Ford lemon law claims for Mo. I have used him before, he is a sharp guy.
The cost to the consumer is only an evaluation charge of around $250.00 or so, by a certified mechanic on the problem you are experiencing. No attorney fees at all.
I drove a 2008 today........Oh Momma!
Ozz

[Ozz]

All the cases in Missouri, from the law firm I hired, anyway.
Ozz

[sreigle]

Jim, good luck with this. I had both a 2003 and a 2005 PSD, one an F350, the other an F250. Neither had any clunk in the drivetrain of any kind, large or small.

[Ozz]

Steve, it just makes me furious that they wouldn't repair it, their attitude; (Any brand) is to make you take them to task, as it is cheaper that way, many people would just trade out of the lemon. And they know it.
I love your new truck, rugged and handsome, good job. Many trouble free miles to ya!
Ozz

[OntMont]

Ozz,

I know you are talking Fords, but my first Chev ('01) developed a clunk like you describe. It turned out to be a worn U-joint bearing on the drive shaft. It was fixed under warranty and GM changed the drive shaft design in later model years.

Good luck with yours.

John.

[Ozz]

Thanks, John. Nothing more irritating than a constant noise, vibration, or any sound that doesn't belong.

[bsmeaton]

Good luck Ozz! I have had a similar clunk in SOB, but haven't in this truck. I know it can drive you crazy and trying to get it fixed may drive you even more crazy.

[Ozz]

Yepper.......

[mallardjusted]

Ozz,

Maybe I was speed reading too much, but what is the functional issue with the truck? Is it just an occasional clunking, or is there something the truck cant't do???

[sailer]

Ozz the big thing is all repairs have to be done in the same state as i had a jeep and had 25 days in trhe garage in wis and 29 days in fl and they laughed at me as its not a lemon as it has to be all in 1 state so go trade it in out of state as i traded in nc and they took that jeep in a second and it had 1 tran and 7 drive shafts in 19000 miles as a start and it never stoped , wew only had it 13 months but came out like a bandet in nc

[Fordzilla]

Sorry to hear about the clunk Ozz. Have you tried a larger dealer. I had problems with a local dealer telling me "that's the way they all are" before so, I traded at a Woodhouse Ford (A very large volume dealer) in Blair Nebraska and they have been great at fixing anything I complain about. Often they know what is wrong before I get done describing what the problem is. If you are ever near there store give them a shout. They sell more trucks than any dealer in the country so they know super duty's.

[Ozz]

Thanks, Ron
I had it to 3 very large dealers here, one was a heavy truck dealer. The dealerships will only do work that the Ford call center authorizes, I found. Anything out of the common will not be reimbursed, so they don't do much troubleshooting.
Too bad I am not closer, I would have given them a try. Now it is in the hands of my Lawyer.
Thanks for all your responses on this.
Ozz

[Cat320]

OZZ...don't know about MO/KS, but in AR, a vehicle has to have been repaired at least four times and out of service for at least 30 days to qualify for the Lemon Law. I've had a few vehicles that would qualify for the four repairs...but not 30 days out of service.