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An Air Bag Recall and A Free Rental Car

It’s been an odd week. On Monday we took our oldest car, a 2008 Nissan Versa in for a minor recall and an oil change. We got the car back only to receive a call from Nissan North America about yet another recall on the same car for a Takata front air bag. What happened next was so surprising I had to write about it.

Takata Airbag Background

For those who do not know, Takata is a large airbag manufacturer. They produced many of the air bags in over 19 different automakers vehicles from 2002- 2015. Anyway long story short there was something defective in their manufacturing. The inflator for the airbag would corrode over time. If the inflator ruptured metal shards from the air bag would be spread throughout the cabin. 11 people have died from this issue and over 180 injured. It has prompted the largest safety recall in us history involving more than 40 Million vehicles.

My Versa is Recalled

So what does this have to do with my little Versa? Well they added it to the list earlier this year.  It now requires the driver side airbag to be replaced. The only thing is, there is a 4 to 6 month backlog on the replacement parts. This is where things get interesting and we start to tie into personal finance a bit.

Class Action and a Free Rental Car

Under the terms of a recent Class action settlement Nissan has agreed to provide owners up to $500 dollars, a free rental car while awaiting repairs, and reimbursement for reasonable expenses. Not to mention free repair of the defective airbag. That’s right, here I sit with a brand new 2017 Nissan Sentra that I will be driving for free for the next 4-6 months while I await repairs of my Versa.

Public Safety Announcement: Check if Your Car has a Recall

Now, before I interpret what this means financially let me point out that you should semi regularly check your cars vin for any recalls, especially if made between 2002-2015. The US Government provides the following site for just such searches: Safe Car. Consider the initial part of this post almost a public service announcement that you should determine if your vehicle is effected for your own safety.

Nissan is Not the Only Air Bag Recall

That out of the way be aware similar settlements to Nissan’s are happening with many manufacturers, and similar delays also exist. The ramification can be very advantageous (or not so much) to the customer depending on the scenario. I wanted to explore the ramifications of this particular loaner a bit more in both the hopes that more people will get their cars repaired and perhaps some people may profit.

A Financially Advantageous Recall?

So first we have to admit our Versa is not worth very much. To a private seller in good condition it might bring $4,000. So in our case a rental of a new Nissan Sentra with 20 miles for 4 months could easily exceed the cost of our Versa. The dealer is picking up all costs except insurance. So they cover tires, oil, etc. Add to that the potential for a 500 dollar check at the end and our car is almost assuredly worth less than the mitigation steps Nissan is taking. In theory an arbitrage scenario may exist for someone to buy a poor condition Versa for 2K.  They could drive around a new car for 4-6 months and receive a 500 dollar check.  Then be able to sell the car at the end for what they paid. Your mileage may very depending on the wait time for the repair parts but it does offer an interesting opportunity for those inclined.

Recall Good Deal or Bad Deal?

But this all got me thinking, what about cases where this was not a good deal? What about those with nicer cars? I did some searching and in some cases people with cars significantly more expensive them mine were getting rentals of the same or even lesser caliber then mine. If you had a 2015 high end infinity and got a Sentra rental car your probably not making out ahead even with the $500. Why?

Cost of A Car Sitting

Well here is the thing, there is a cost to your car sitting in the driveway for 6 months.

    • The first cost is you are still paying insurance on your parked recalled car. Your rental car will usually be covered by your existing car coverage.  (A note be sure to double check as per one commenter in some states this coverage is limited to 30 days. You can read more on rental car insurance here.)  If so you’ll be paying insurance at the rate of your existing car, not the rental car. I.E. you may be paying more than you need to be. Not a concern for my Versa, but if you were paying insurance on a sports car and they put you in a Versa you might be ticked. If you do get in this scenario I would recommend you call your insurance company and see if something can be worked out.
    • Cars don’t do well with sitting still. The longer a car sits the more likely something will go wrong. At one time we had an old Ford Escort in the driveway someone gifted too us. It became an issue because our brake lines rotted out when we didn’t drive it often enough. Batteries go dead. Tires flat spot. You might end up with a repair bill at the end if you are not careful. This is especially true as by accepting the rental car you must sign a waiver saying you will not drive your car except to and from the dealer until the repair is complete. In our case I can mitigate this one somewhat as we have a large driveway where we can move the car around at least enough to circulate the fluids.  I plan to do so about 2x a month. Also I will disconnect the battery when not in use. If you take this deal I would recommend you do the same.
    • Speaking of storage, many car dealers don’t have space to store these cars. You may need to store the underivable car for months.  In our case I have to store the car at my home until the parts are available. This means instead of our driveway supporting our normal 3 cars, I’m not parking 4 cars there. In my case due to space this just means a rare bout of shuffling, but if you lived somewhere with limited parking this could rule out this action entirely. Unfortunately I can not provide much advice here.
    • Your existing car is still depreciating. I don’t have to worry about this much with the Versa since it’s not worth much to begin with. But if you had a newish car it will continue to have its value depreciate while it sits. It might be worth a 1/3 less in 6 months. Unfortunately part of the deal is you cannot sell the car until this is all over. Depending on your vehicle the depreciation which may cost you more than buying a new car.  Again, I do not think there is a way around this one.
    • Speaking of sell that might also be an issue for those with car loans if they have trouble paying the bill. Then again this may be a problem even without taking the rental car, since selling a car with a death inducing airbag might be a tough sell. Hopefully none of my readers have placed themselves in this scenario. Still it’s a good reminder not to get underwater on a car as you never know what could happen.

Death Obviously Still Wins

Still, all these things seem to beat the alternative, Drive a vehicle that could kill you. If you have one of these cars regardless of circumstance I would recommend you do not drive it.

A Recall Opportunity?

If you don’t have one of these vehicles and are in need of new wheels this may present an opportunity. Find one of the cheapest cars on the recall list and investigate if it has recall supply issues and what type of settlement the automaker has cut. If there is a significant wait and a good payout deal you might want to consider buying a lesser quality one and taking advantage of the potential arbitrage. Obviously your mileage will very, but you might accomplish two things:

  1. Getting a death trap off the road potentially savings a life
  2. There is a possibility you could sell the car after repair for about what you paid.  This could provide you with a free few month rental car to drive around in.  It also may provide some extra cash once the settlement completes.

Anyway something to consider. Either way, it was such an interesting an unexpected scenario I just had to write about it.

Have you ever experienced a car safety recall? Did you ever end up driving around in a dealer rental car for free for an extended time period?

52 Comments

  1. Dividend Diplomats
    Dividend Diplomats October 18, 2017

    Safety recall arbitrage haha That is definitely a new one that I have not heard before. I personally don’t know if I would go through the hassle, unless it was a major repair like a new engine. Seems like an awful lot without substantial upside.

    That being said, a recall can ad value to a car that is old and depreciating. It could also help you replace an expensive part that was at the end of its shelf-life. So there are some positives to the recall.

    Bert

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance October 19, 2017

      Perhaps. Honestly it’s something I never contemplated until the rental car landed in my lap. My wife still looks at me daily and asks if a 6 month free rental car is for real.

  2. FullTimeFinance
    FullTimeFinance June 16, 2018

    Recently a comment was placed asking about next steps if you get the recall letter. Unfortunately it was deleted.

    That being said to answer the question your first step should be to find out the terms of the recall. Is a rental car included? Do you have a place to park the car? How long is the wait? Those would define your next steps.

    • Patricia Perez
      Patricia Perez June 21, 2018

      Did you have to purchase insurance..I went today due to a recall on Ford fusion airbag..I gave all the information when the car was brought to me the guy had me sign an agreement and said I need to purchase the insurance on the car which would be 619. A month..I wasn’t told this until leaving he parking lot…I was here for 2 hours cause this guy did not want to go get the car in the rain..just wanting to know did you have to purchase insurance through Enterprise..I showed him my insurance and he took the info.

      • FullTimeFinance
        FullTimeFinance June 21, 2018

        You shouldn’t need too. Personal car insurance typically covers a rental car. I’d check with your insurance company. That being said I’ve never heard of a rental company forcing you to buy the insurance.

  3. Tara
    Tara June 17, 2018

    Odd questions perhaps, what is a good rental choice for me and my 11 year our son? I have a 2009 Ford Fusion. V6, Leather interior, heated seats, back up sensors. Etc I realize it’s an older model but can I request a Rental that is comparable as far as features and options as my current vehicle? And if you think this is possible how do you recommend going about being firm and that I feel like I need to receive a vehicle with comparable options? Of course I am a bit concerned, being a single mother that they might try and take advantage of that and give me a less than stellar option.

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance June 17, 2018

      They probably won’t give you an exact match. You should be able to push them to at lease provide something of similar capability. IE. it would be reasonable for them to provide something of similar size to the Fusion. There are no guarantees on the leather interior or heated seats. All 2018 and newer models require backup sensors so if it is a new vehicle, which is likely, that should be available regardless of the rental.

  4. Stepha brann
    Stepha brann June 19, 2018

    I also have the recall and it says ford will pay for a rental car. Just had a question. Do i have to put the rental on my credit card or does ford do all that? Do i have to go to the rental angency and do all the paperwork or is that all taken care of by them?

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance June 20, 2018

      Similar to a hotel room they will likely put a hold on your card for a few bucks so they can charge it if your wreck and your insurance fails. ( your normal insurance would cover you). But if it’s like my Nissan experience they won’t actually charge you instead paying the rental company directly.

  5. Heather
    Heather June 20, 2018

    I have had recall letters and class action “cards” coming to me for about 2 years now. I just got a letter from Ford offering the rental last week. I have been in contact with them and haven’t heard back just yet. Thing is, my family car isn’t a family car if you happen to get into an accident and you are aware that anyone in the car could have metal shards hit them, so really my 5 passenger car is a one passenger car…still have to go to work and get groceries, you know. Accidents are scary enough…I don’t want to keep driving a car that I know is not safe. The rental is good for my case since my Milan is a 2008. It will save me on miles for sure. The last letter I received stated that Takata filed bankruptcy and that is not helping the replacement process. I believe that was late last summer. I called Ford again and they said they hoped the parts would come in by July 2018. I’m not holding my breath on that, as they don’t even know for sure, but this rental car should have been offered a lot sooner than last week!

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance June 20, 2018

      I gather they are doing it based on likelihood of airbag issue (age and location). It certainly doesn’t justify it, but also with millions of cars impacted I can’t see how they’d manage them all at once.

    • Kelly Cloutier
      Kelly Cloutier June 23, 2018

      I so agree!!!! You are exactly right. It was almost like I wrote this. You would think that it would be less money for the dealer to offer a buy out depending on the amount of time they truly think it will take to replace them. A loaner car should have been offered sooner. I don’t have the loaner yet. In process via Ford garage that I am dealing with. But I have signed paperwork stating that I would not drive while I have the loaner. Not sure what I will be getting to drive but the Ford Edge affords me room and comfort. Hopefully they will come close.

    • Jimmy
      Jimmy June 25, 2018

      Hi- we are in California and have a 2008 Ford Edge with the recall. They are paying for a rental for us and it has to be comparable to our current vehicle. There is a $50 hold on our credit card that will be “refunded” by Enterprise car rental when our repair is finished. Our current insurance covers the rental so we have a free rental until the repair is done, and they don’t even have a parts manufacturer yet for ours. The Edge and Fusion are in the same boat on this (they do have parts for the Ranger and Mustang). We got a Jeep Grand Cherokee as a replacement free rental car so it’s a really good deal for us. The repair could take weeks or months but they don’t know yet. The rental car place says that they have seen long term rentals like this for 6 months to 2 years.
      We have to store our Edge and start it up every once in a while but it’s good for us because the Jeep is newer, safer and has all the bells and whistles (and better mpg).
      If we don’t like the Jeep we can switch it out for something else if the rental place gets new inventory.
      If you got the mailed recall notice that says you’re eligible for free rental I’d check it out because it could work out well for you as you wait for the repair.
      Don’t drive your old car until you get it fixed though- not worth the risk.

  6. Taylor Jones
    Taylor Jones June 25, 2018

    Hi,

    I have an 07 Ford Fusion with an Enterprise rental from Ford (which took many unpleasant phone calls to acquire), but Nationwide is saying that my full coverage insurance that I’ve had through them for more than a decade now would only transfer over to the rental for 21 consecutive days?? I was reading this part of the article…

    “The first cost is you are still paying insurance on your parked recalled car. Your rental car will be covered by your existing car coverage.”

    ..and I have to ask.. WHAT insurance do you have? I called around to other insurance companies, credit cards, ANYONE who offers some type of auto insurance and couldn’t find a single one who offers cars insurance on a rental past 30 days.

    My insurance company states:

    The endorsement can only be used for vehicles rented less than 22 consecutive days. I called underwriting and was advised if you need a rental vehicle more than 22 days then you will need to purchase insurance from the rental car company but in the event of claim the claims adjuster will determine if the rental car is covered under your policy contract”

    I mentioned “I’ll just rent a car every 21 days then, and they said I would not be covered, as this is the ‘same situation’ causing me to need a rental…?? wondering if you have a better policy I need to try to get, or if this is some BS way of both Nationwide and Ford to get out of picking up all costs, because I surely am not paying $600/month ($20/day) rental car insurance through enterprise. I could buy TWO new cars for that! But I now completely own my Ford Fusion and don’t feel I should be forced into spending anything to have a safe, functional car, as it relates to the takata recall. Help!

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance June 25, 2018

      I don’t have any such limitations on my car insurance. Keep in mind however rules around car insurance are managed at the state level. My credit cards do have such exclusions. I’ll update the article to have people check. That being said my rental company had me come in once a month and sign a new rental agreement. So in effect I never had my rental last longer then 30 days.

      This part doesn’t make any sense. Even if it did you could easily switch between sources every 30 days.
      “I mentioned “I’ll just rent a car every 21 days then, and they said I would not be covered, as this is the ‘same situation’ causing me to need a rental…??”

      A warning about credit card insurance, it often doesn’t cover liability.
      You can read more in general about rental car insurance here: https://fulltimefinance.com/rental-car-insurance/

      • Taylor Jones
        Taylor Jones June 27, 2018

        So I had the same thought as you- I will just ask them to rewrite the contract every 21 days so I will always be covered, right? But when I mentioned doing that, they said “no, rewriting the rental car contract every 21 days wouldn’t work, because you’re renting it due to the same situation/cause – the recall. Now if you have it for 21 days for a recall and then later this summer you had a family vacation where you rented a car for 21 days, you’d be covered – but you can’t keep renting a car every 21 days for the next however many months in order to keep yourself covered.”

        What company do you use for car insurance, if you don’t mind sharing? I’m willing to switch to avoid a bad situation with Nationwide.

        • FullTimeFinance
          FullTimeFinance June 27, 2018

          I have Liberty Mutual though as noted it’d be state specific. Around the time this all started Safeco insurance/Peerless publicly committed to cover Honda’s recall in this situation. It might be that they’ve extended this to other Makes in your state. I would appreciate if you could report back your findings for others.

          • Taylor Jones
            Taylor Jones August 7, 2018

            Back again! So after a month of calling the local dealership, enterprise (who they contract with since all fords own loaner vehicles are out), ford customer service 1-800 people, nationwide, etc etc, I have spent hours and hours on the phone with no answer as to how I’m the one stuck with the bill for the insurance on the car through enterprise, which I never added to the rental contract bc I just can’t afford it. driving with no insurance illegal in North Carolina and I’m still shocked enterprise didn’t force me to add it on. I kept the rental car for about 2 months now and prayed that since in the summer I only have to drive a few miles down the road for work, that nothing would happen to the rental car. We were just about to borrow a family car or think about selling my car (as ford of course has called me offering a “great trade in deal” which wasn’t that great). Luckily, yesterday morning I got a call saying that the piece is ready for my car. If you call the 1-800 number for ford, they can give you a time frame that the part is SUPPOSED to be ready based on your VIN I think. They told me by mid September. Now I’m not sure if it truly just got here earlier than expected (strange considering they’ve missed so many deadlines already??) or if they saw they’re paying enterprise for a rental car every month and I’ve made about 100 phone calls in to them, but my car is in the shop getting the airbag fixed right now. Thank goodness, because I was getting very nervous about no soluation regarding insurance.

          • FullTimeFinance
            FullTimeFinance August 7, 2018

            Sorry to hear its been such an ordeal for you and glad to hear you are getting the car back soon.

  7. Dan
    Dan June 29, 2018

    took in my 2010 Ford edge with 102,000 miles and with an hour drove off Enterprise car rental lot with an Infinity 80qx SUV….wow!!!

  8. Jay
    Jay June 30, 2018

    Parked my 2010 Lincoln MKZ and got a new Infiniti QX60 AWD. Not a bad trade for the next few months.

  9. Elaine Sauceda
    Elaine Sauceda July 1, 2018

    I have a 2010 Ford Fusion with airbag recall since 6/2016, and still WAITING for repair……This whole recall isssue leaves many bad thoughts and words in my head…….(if u know what I mean)….2 months after I purchase my used car with less than 36,000 miles on it(way below average), I get the recall notice..After several calls to Ford Im told ” Theres no parts, we will notify you SOMETIME in the future”…A year later I call to check status and get told same thing…Then get a notice that due to recall, NO ONE should be in front passenger seat…So now my 5 seat car that fits my entire family is now and 4 seat car, and family members will have to fight to go in car and someone is getting left out of the family affair…..and this whole recall issue gets me real heated when I pay the dam car note every month…….How are these car companies (Nissan, GM, Ford, Honda etc) getting away with this bs game of ripping consumers off..Paying on a loan for a car that we bought as a family vehicle is now sitting in the driveway, and cant be moved until its fixed, which by the way, the ford dealer rep said ” sometime hopefully by end of the year”…..Im driving a rental which is pretty nice…Got a 2018 Nissan Altima. And my auto ins is covering car under my payment full rental period as the policy states as long as rental car is not due to my own negligence, and is due to recall, rental car covered entire rental period..Thank goodness for that…………………..Consumers nightmare ….

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance July 1, 2018

      I will say the recalls seems to go on forever. I am beginning to wonder if this is the new normal for car purchases. Then again it sure beats 30 years ago when they probably would have just let us drive the cars as is.

    • Becky H
      Becky H August 1, 2018

      I just checked with my agent. My auto insurance company also provides continued rental car coverage in the event of a recall. Whew!

  10. Julia
    Julia July 20, 2018

    It took me about 3 wks to get my rental. Enterprise is running out of vehicles in Huntington, WV. I got a real nice 2018 Nissan Altima but after having it for a little over a week the air conditioner quit working. I called them and they said, “No problem, bring it in anytime tomorrow and we will trade you out “. I took it back around noon. They got in it let it run for around 5/10 minutes and said, “yes, sit doesn’t work we will let you know when we have a car to trade you out “. This place is a 40 min drive!! I’m like we told you that it didn’t work and we need a car with air because I have medical problems. He said, “ well, you have wheels, at least it’s not shooting shrapnel at you.” I said but at least it had cold air. Days later I still have the rental with no air in 90+ degree weather.

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance July 20, 2018

      Ouch. Our car finally was repaired about 5 months after this was written. Thankfully there was no such availability issues here at the time. Hang in there.

  11. Becky H
    Becky H August 1, 2018

    I just called my Farmers Insurance agent, who also happens to be my brother. I have been renting a car for six weeks through Enterprise, that is being covered due to the recall on my 2010 Ford Fusion. In California, where I live, the insurance code only allows for 30 days maximum coverage on a rental car and cannot be renewed for the same situation. I feel that Ford should have to cover insurance past this time, not me! Especially since it could be around $600 per month through Enterprise’s insurance. What now?

  12. Becky H
    Becky H August 1, 2018

    Update- my brother, the Farmers Insurance agent, in CA, just called me back after checking with their underwriting department on this issue. Farmers does make an exception for recall situations like this. So yea! Now I wonder when I’ll ever get to have my replacement airbags. Dealership told me that it could take as long as until the end of this year. Arg!

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance August 1, 2018

      Glad to hear the rental car insurance worked out for you. My guess is most insurance companies won’t flinch to cover you in this situation. Always good to check though.

      I hope they gave you a good stand in rental car.

  13. Becky H
    Becky H August 21, 2018

    Ford gave me a 2017 Nissan Rogue to use for free while I’m waiting to get a letter regarding the airbag for my car. It’s been 2 1/2 months now and I think that I now want a Nissan Rogue! Guess they should have given me a Ford to use instead.

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance August 22, 2018

      You know I was thinking something similar after my rental car. Nissan really missed a trick in not trying to sell us on the replacement car.

    • Jay
      Jay September 1, 2018

      Same thought here. Now everyone in the family likes the Infiniti rental. Seems like Ford would be better off just issuing fords from their inventory and then when its over sell them as used. The cost each month for rentals has to be much higher for ford. $1700/month for the rental will soon add up to more than my 8 year old MKZ is even worth.

  14. Nikki
    Nikki August 28, 2018

    Just starting today….! 2007 Ford fusion. I love my car. I’m like everyone else the 5 seat family car has now became a no one ride in it but me..
    Went in this morning to the Ford company and they took mileage and copy of insurance and sent me home. Told me they will call me later today after they submit everything and get a claim number. We will see what happens from here… thanks for all the good info… God bless

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance August 29, 2018

      Best of luck with the rental. Let us know what you end up with.

    • Merilee Jackson
      Merilee Jackson September 6, 2018

      Our rental car took about a week to get once we did all of the paperwork. I am on the third one now. The first one had an issue with the steering. They gave me a 2018 Ford Explorer to take for a week long vacation. It was fully loaded with all of the bells and whistles. I had to trade it back in when I got back from vacation because it was too big for the recall. They were nice to do it for me for no extra charge. I am on the third one now. It is a 2018 Chevy Equinox. It is ok. It doesn’t have navigation. I really like nav. I don’t know how many more months we will have to do this. We have had the rental now for over 2 months.

      • FullTimeFinance
        FullTimeFinance September 6, 2018

        Ultimately the Nissan Takata recall kept me in a rental car for 4 months. So it could still be a while from 2 months.

  15. Judge H.C. McArdle
    Judge H.C. McArdle August 28, 2018

    I have a2010 Fussion. I’ve been jirked off for 2 years now . The Latest was the letter from Ford telling me I could get a rental while waiting for the parts for the passenger air-bag. Here are the responses from the two Ford dealers in my area.Keefe Ford in Mojave Ca. “We are to small a dealership to do that “, no rental. Antalope Valley Ford ” Yes you can have a rental as soon as the parts come in”. No rental I am 82 years old and have had Fords all my life. I hope no one at Ford will be surprised that my next car will not be a Ford.

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance August 29, 2018

      Ouch. There certainly is an aspect that Ford typically leaves it up to the local dealers to fulfill the rental portion. I might recommend you try Ford directly. They list the following numbers for direct inquiries.
      Owners should contact the Ford Customer Relationship Center in the U.S. at 866.436.7332 and in Canada at 800.565.3673.

  16. Michael
    Michael September 13, 2018

    I’ve been driving an Audi Q3 since June 2018. Local Enterprise is out of Ford cars. Still no parts available. Date of repair unknown.
    I would like to buy a new car, but can’t trade in the Fusion.
    My insurance (Safeco) covers me during the rental period, regardless how many months or years.

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance September 13, 2018

      A Q3’s not a bad trade off in the interim.

  17. Elaine Sauceda
    Elaine Sauceda October 7, 2018

    So my 2010 Ford Fusion recall saga continues on….I got my car rental in June 2018 and have had one ever since. I have to go in every 30 days to renew a new 30 day rental contract period. Ive driven a :
    2018 Nissan Altima
    2017 Hyundai Sonata
    2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid(My new love)
    2018 Toyota Camry

    I was told originally in June it should be repaired in Sept but that time has come and gone. Few weeks ago told early Oct…Still awaiting …….My insurance covers rental car….Now I have muti calls daily from different local Ford dealers wanting me to trade in car…LOL. Not happening…First of all, without the recall being fixed, the value of the car would depreciate alot, (they think customers dont know this),and Second my car has only 70.000 miles, and I have clear and free title, third, I know my value is almost maxed with Ford paying for car rental for 4 months…They want to stop paying for a car thats worth less than what unlimited checkbook keeps paying for, so NO im not interested at this time…Id rather wait out…..Im in rental my 2010 Fusion is sitting and all calm right now , awaiting call for fix…

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance October 8, 2018

      Hope you go out and start it occasionally in the driveway to keep the fluids circulating. Otherwise sounds like not so bad a situation.

  18. bob trudell
    bob trudell October 8, 2018

    Recalled our 2009 lincoln mkx airbag related. Had to sign a paper that we won’t drive it till they call us with the fix. Question: Cars sitting for a long time, even though you start them up from time to time, the battery still goes dead quicker, less you hook up a trickle charger to it, like I do to my collector cars I own. Next the tires will separate all by them selves from just sitting, the flat spots are only the beginning! Your brakes and callapers will seaze up from not being used regulary,Electronics go to hell when they sit from dampness,Inside of car smells moldy and musty, From just starting your engine , letting it run for a while , will cause the oil to collect condonsation in the crakecase, “NOT GOOD” You need to change your oil then, how do you do it when you can’t drive it anywhere? Who’s paying for theses repairs, once they come up with the air bags? I added up repairs when this is all done, and I heard from a good soarse, maybe next year august or november 2019, Comes to $2800.00 !!Tires and battery only..Also your airconditioner will fail if not used, seals will fail and leak, compresser with stop working, etc… They seem to be better off just , removing the airbags altogether, and have you sign a whavor on it, and a nice healthy check to boot! 5 months with a ford edge from enterprise rental. This is not even close to the Lincoln M K X !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance October 9, 2018

      While all those things are possible, they generally won’t happen with a modern car sitting for 5 to 6 months. My newish sports car sits every winter here for 5-6 months at a time with only a trickle charger hooked up. I might move it a foot in the garage at the 3 month mark, if I remember.

      Our Nissan sat last year for 5 months during the recall, not on a charger. We ran it for maybe 10 minutes every week or 2 with no issues. I did treat the fuel with an $8 bottle of Sta-bil before letting it sit. I’d probably recommend an oil change when you put the car back into service. Otherwise I encountered no ramifications from the car sitting and odds are for 5 months neither will most people.

  19. Mike Mt
    Mike Mt November 2, 2018

    We bought a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid in January of 2017 with 90,000 miles, excellent condition and it was garaged. We received the letter at the end of May 2018. I was told Ford would provide a car (had to be a Ford) from Enterprise for up to $30 a day until the parts came in, and was told it would be sometime in the ‘third quarter’ of this year (but it’s Nov 2 now, so that’s not happening). I initially was NOT told the car could not be driven, but I parked it and did drive it a couple of times so that the Hybrid regeneration created by driving and braking could maintain the $2000+ hybrid battery. It has new Michelins all the way around, and gets between 35 and 37 mpg in city driving. It is my wife’s car and she drove it everyday, M-F for almost a year and a half to work. Now we have the use of a 2017 Ford Escape that gets about 20mpg city…and we are going on 6 months with no end in sight. I did just get a postcard in the mail concerning a class action law suit, haven’t looked into it yet. I am beginning to get nervous about this, replacing a hybrid battery is NOT CHEAP. After a month, I was asked to go into the dealership and sign a letter stating I would not drive it-I argued with the service writer then with Ford about this being a hybrid it had to be driven enough to keep the Ni-Mh batteries alive and they agreed I was correct. Since this has happened, I have put a total of 130 miles on it, mostly driving it a few miles a week in the neighborhood. I hate that it is taking up garage space, so two weeks ago I covered it with a waterproof cover and hooked the conventional battery to a trickle charger…now I’ll have to go though the routine of uncovering it, disconnecting the outside electrical connection to the charger, drive it, then cover it up again-and winter is coming.
    This is stupid, and I’m getting worried this is not going to end well. I and my wife really liked this car, now virtually immobile, can’t be sold, deteriorating from sitting, 3/4 of a tank of 6 month old gas, a recent oil change (full syn) back in April wasting and new Michelins flat-spotting. Come on, Ford, you need to do better than this, we are working stiffs with a family and along with paying almost twice as much for gas, I am afraid the investment in this car will be a waste of time and money at some point in the future..

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance November 3, 2018

      Some tips:
      For the gas get yourself some fuel stabilizer for about 10 dollars. Keep it as close to topped up as possible and you should be good.

      Oil will be fine as long as it doesn’t sit for more then a year.

      Flat spotting, move it in the driveway every few weeks.

      Hang in there.

      The battery is the tough part with the hybrid. A normal battery I’d just disconnect or hookup to a trickle charger. I’m not sure what you would do with a hybrid.

  20. Elaine Sauceda
    Elaine Sauceda November 13, 2018

    Well my 2010 Ford Fusion remains parked in my driveway since 6/2018, and Im currently on my 5th rental car…. Seems as if everytime Ive renewed the contract (used to renew every 30 days, but in mid Oct I was told its every 14 days now), Ive had to return car Im in due to “maintenance” and Hertz wont let me keep car or even wait out “maintenance” on vehicle…..Last time I renewed they gave me a piece of crap..Rental had 1/4 tank of gas(supposed to be full), check oil light came on when driving home as brakes also squeaked bad…..Soon as I got home I called Hertz and was told ” sorry we have no more cars available”, call other location in morning as they are closed now!!!!! I couldnt drive crappy rental and wasnt able to trade out until next afternoon…and had to drive 45 min to other location…..Given 2017 Ford Escape with all bells and whistles, but this rental really is bad on gas milage….Coning up on renewel in couoke of days..ughhh…im grateful for rental but seems like Hertz is starting to give out crappy rentals to Ford recall customers.Ive been told it will be awhile till air bag repairs are done……..Ive calculated that rental charge has exceeded the value of my car(high val)…Wow thats alot of $$$ Ford paying for this recall, when so many older cars are still sitting and waiting……

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance November 15, 2018

      Sorry you had such a bad experience. I do wonder if there were better approaches these companies could have persued.

    • Jay
      Jay November 16, 2018

      That is odd that they are making you renew every 14. Mine is also through Hertz and I used to go by every 30 days to renew the same vehicle. Then they said to just call in and renew by phone and when I do that now they seem to not even really be concerned that I do that. I’ve had the same vehicle for 5 months now. I wonder why Hertz would have such different policies. And yes the rental fees have equaled the value of my car now too. I’m sure the logistics of offering to buy back cars would have been hard for them to do, but if they could have done that and stored them until repaired and then sold as used they would surely be ahead of the scenario we are in now.

  21. Becky
    Becky November 14, 2018

    I just realized that I have had my rental car from Ford (through Enterprise) for over five months now. The daily rental rate on my Enterprise contract is costing Ford $50 per day. 50×150= $7500, which is the current Kelly Blue Book value of my 2010 Fusion SEL. So every day going forward will amount to more than the actual value of my car! Seems like they should just give me an equal amount of trade-in credit towards a new Ford and be done with all of this nonsense. But I realized that my car is as useless to them as it is for me right now without the replacement airbags.

  22. Becky Hames
    Becky Hames November 29, 2018

    After close to six months, my airbag replacement for my 2010 Ford Fusion was replaced. I hadn’t driven my car during those months when I had a rental car, so my car’s battery was dead and was not able hold a charge. Ford would not cover the battery replacement. Their excuse was that it was not a Ford battery. The battery was only 2 years old. So I was forced to buy a battery from them. Hoping I can recoup this, and other costs. through the class action lawsuit.

    • FullTimeFinance
      FullTimeFinance November 30, 2018

      That’s unfortunate. Was your old battery at least still prorated via manufacture warranty?

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