r/Ford

The Drop-off:

I brought my F-150 to a local dealer for a standard PCM/TCM Recall software update on 5/18. Prior to handover, I had zero active trouble codes and no Check Engine Light (CEL). I even have a timestamped, GPS-tagged photo of my dash in their parking lot at drop-off to prove it.

The Pickup & The Issue:

When I picked up the truck, the CEL was immediately illuminated. We scanned it and pulled codes P0630 (VIN Not Programmed) and U0422. Anyone familiar with this knows a P0630 is a direct indication of a failed or incomplete factory flash.

The Kicker (The Paperwork):

Despite the active CEL, the dealership's own exit paperwork explicitly states: "PERFORMED A SYSTEMS FUNCTION CHECK. THE SYSTEM IS NOW OPERATING AS DESIGNED." They also have zero documentation of any pre-existing codes from when the tech brought it into the bay.

The Dealership's Response:

Both my Service Advisor and Service Manager were incredibly dismissive. They insisted the issue was pre-existing (again, despite my photo and their lack of documentation). They completely refused to fix the programming without me paying a diagnostic fee. To make matters worse, they claimed there was an O2 sensor code causing it, but flat-out refused to put that in writing or show me the scanner.

Ford Corporate's Response:

I escalated to Ford Customer Care. After making me wait all week, I reached back out today. They put me on hold and called the dealer, blindly agreed that it "must be the O2 sensor," and offered zero help. Their actual advice? Go pay a different dealership to fix it out of pocket since it "sounds like you have a lack of trust at the first one." and to let them know when I do so they can see the outcome and decide if I “qualify for any of their resolution programs“.

TL;DR: Dealer did a software update, botched the flash causing a VIN recognition code (P0630), wrote on the paperwork that the system was operating as designed, and now both the dealer and Ford Corporate are refusing to fix it without me paying a diagnostic fee for an imaginary O2 sensor code.

What are my next steps here? I am not paying to fix Ford's screw-up on my truck. Any advice on how to escalate this further

Hi everyone! Just wondering if there’s anything that I can do regarding a lemon car. I live in california and purchased a 2012 Ford Focus SE from a local pre owned dealership. I had a 1 month 1000 mile warranty, and roughly 1-2 weeks after the month mark, the car starting making a grinding noise on the driver side front wheel. After taking it to them they explained it was a “rock in the brakes, causing the noise”. Obviously the noise didn’t go away. Another month passes and my car gets a check engine light, after taking it to them they explained over the phone that it is for the thermostat and that they gave the car a wash, when i picked it up, they gave me the keys and the car was covered in mud on the inside, like they went hiking in the rain type mud. The check engine light went out a week after taking it to them. After this, i gave up taking my car to them. Now my car is currently at a third party mechanic because the a new check engine light popped up because the transmission started going out. They explained that the Clutch Actuator is going out and the engine has a overheating problem. I have checked all over the internet to see if i could get it lemon lawed, but since the year, it keeps getting denied. I feel trapped with a non working car and a loan i need to pay. Please let me know if there’s anything i can do.

The smell is in the cabin. I looked under the seats and trunk and didn't see anything. No smell outside nor in the engine bay. Thought the smell might be coming from the vents but that doesn't seem to be the case either. Where else can I check that something might have crawled in and died.

As a longtime Ford owner, I wanted to share my recent experience dealing with a premature flex plate failure on my 2019 Ford Escape Titanium at approximately 80,000 miles. The vehicle suddenly developed a cracked flex plate requiring extensive drivetrain disassembly and a major repair bill. This is not considered a normal wear-and-tear component, and from everything I have researched, flex plates should last significantly longer than 80k miles under ordinary driving conditions. I also became aware of Ford Customer Satisfaction Program 22N12, which addressed flex plate cracking concerns on certain Ford vehicles with similar 2.0L EcoBoost and 6F35 powertrain configurations, making this premature failure even more concerning. My Escape remained at the dealership for repair from April 22, 2026 through May 19, 2026, leaving my family and me without our vehicle for nearly a month. The repair involved major labor due to the amount of teardown required. Ford did provide under $1,000 in goodwill assistance, which I appreciate, but the total flex plate-related repair costs were substantially higher. What became especially frustrating was the difficulty navigating the escalation process afterward. I initially filed a BBB complaint only to later discover it had been incorrectly routed to Ford Motor Credit despite the fact that I do not even have a Ford credit account. I corrected the issue immediately and filed through the proper Ford Motor Company Consumer Affairs channel, but the corrected complaint was later closed as a “duplicate” even after I provided proof that the original complaint had already been closed due to being improperly routed. What disappointed me further was that once Ford stated their position that the goodwill amount provided was sufficient, the BBB process effectively appeared to end regardless of whether I accepted the outcome or not. Even after I clearly informed the BBB that I did not consider the matter resolved, the complaint was still closed following Ford’s decision to stand by its original position. I also retained photos documenting the cracked flex plate and related repair work. This was not a minor issue. My family and I have been loyal Ford customers for years, which is why this experience has been especially disappointing. I understand vehicles can require repairs over time, but a major drivetrain-related failure at ~80k miles combined with nearly a month without the vehicle has seriously impacted our confidence in the brand moving forward. I am posting this simply to share my experience with other owners and to hopefully encourage Ford to take a closer look at how situations like this are handled for loyal customers.

I was just quoted what I believe to be an insane price of service to replace a sensor.

The sensor in question is an exhaust particulate sensor for a 2016 Ford F250, I was quoted about 900 to have this replaced. I was pretty flabbergasted. Considering the most I could find the price of the part is about 190-270.

This is in Southern California. I have spent about 6k at this dealership chasing check engine lights in the last 5-6 months. Recently had a buddy quoted 12.5k to replace his DEF system stating that his def injectors weren’t working. I could only really see costing about 1/3 of that given the breakdown. They were adding all sorts of stuff like a full exhaust replacement ect..

Is this normal? I think it’s a bit unreasonable. Trying to figure out if this is something I should talk to corporate about.

Have had several near-accidents because we don’t see parts of left side. Large window supports block a lot of view (isn’t about left mirror)
How do folks address this?
Ford CMax Energy 2017

I have a 2019 Fusion 1.5L turbo, I have noticed my fuel economy has been terrible going through full tanks in a matter of 4 days. I usually commute 50 miles round trip to work taking the freeway. But my car is reading I’m going 100 miles round trip. I tested today avoiding the highway, and it called for 20 miles to get home and that matched what my gas gauge said I used. Is there something I need to look into that’s causing my vehicles fuel economy to be so poor?

My company is getting rid of an older (something between 2015 and 2018) Ford Focus with 250kkm.

My guess is it won’t be expensive since construction cars are basically shitboxes at the end and they don’t really need money or care about it.

I just want a second car to get around, so my girlfriend can use my main car. I don’t care if it only does 100000 more and breaks or whatever, I’d just give it to the guy they’d sell it to now to probably ship it off somewhere.

Should I ask for a price or do you think that’s stupid? It drives pretty good, just got cleaned and would basically be a car for me to get to work anyways. What do you think?