13 Day Old Brand New Ford Focus TDCi Just Died

[iceman29]

I got my tonic blue Ford Focus TDCi with Powershift from Ford Pampamga last October 29, 2009. I was very happy with my purchase, it had the power i wanted and the handling was superb.
Then on Nov 8, 2009... the driver window wouldn't go all the back way up and have to keep on pressing the button to finally make it close all the way. it was minor so i thought it'll just get worked out during the 1000 PMS check.

But on Nov 10, 2009...
I was just crusing on Romulo highway on the way back to Tarlac at 5 PM running at around 70 to 80 kph, i was preparing to overtake a slow moving truck, engine rpm was about 2200 and then it suddenly drop to zero... engine malfunction light came on... steering wheel started to lock up, brakes also hard... no power at all... ESP, oil light, and battery light indicators all came on... ALMOST GOT HIT FROM BEHIND... was able to forced the wheel to point to the shoulder and bearly able to park on it... turned the key back to off (I) i turned off the radio and air con... tried to restart... it cranks but it never starts... upon turning key, "engine malfunction" already showing before cranking... that's all that happened... a bit shocked with the incident... stayed in the car the whole 3 hours waiting for the tow truck to arrive. the towing service brought the unit back to Ford Pampanga but i didn't go with them anymore.

I'm really disappointed with this brand new car... it had no business just dying in the middle of the highway running at speed... it is unsafe...

I went to Ford Pampanga the following day... they couldn't diagnose the problem of the vehicle yet and couldn't make it start... They apologized for what happened and they gave me a loaner (2007 Ford Focus Trend automatic). I told them that even if they repair the unit, i wouldn't accept it back anymore... I Do Not Feel Safe with it anymore..... they said they'll still have to finish their reports and try to fix the car... I got Ford Philippines number from them and tried to call them the whole day Thursday but never got a return call but i left them several messages.

The casa said there was an error P0606 coming out of their diagnostics...it could be the fuel line, eletrical or the PCM (computer box, i guess)...

On Friday, I was finally able to talk to a Mr. Carillo from Ford Philippines and i told him my concern that the unit was unsafe and would prefer a replacement unit instead of that one... He said he'll give me a callback...
In the afternoon... A Ms. Joyce Laxamana called me up and said the company has decided not to replace the unit and would try to repair it instead... I told them that i'm in touch with a lawyer and we'd pursue a case against the company and opt instead for a full refund if they insist on giving me back that unit... but she said that the company would still follow their policy of repairing the vehicle... Ms Laxamana said that she'll give a diesel automatic loaner instead of the Ford Focus Trend that Ford Pampanga gave me...

I bought this brand new vehicle for peace of mind, i got their 5 year extended warranty and even bought the Act of God insurance for it...

But to have it die on me in the middle of the highway??? it's UNSAFE...
What if it happened again even if they replace the PCM which they said they've isolated to be problem yesterday... What if i was on SCTEX and a car was tailgating me at speed or worse a Bus behind me on EDSA, my engine suddenly dies again... i couldn't go to the shoulder fast enough and get hit from behind... what's all that insurance and warranty when i am dead... the company wouldn't be talking to me anymore but to my family and their lawyer..

sorry for a long post.. i just wanted to get my point accross...

[scharnhorst]

Keep in touch with your lawyer. May "Lemon law" ang Pilipinas.

btw, it seems more likely to be an electrical or ecu problem. hindi kaya binaha yung unit na yan?

[iceman29]

I specifically asked if this was from Ford Libis which was flooded during Ondoy... and both Ford Pampanga and Ford Libis are owned by the Laus Group... they said it came straight from their car assembly plant in Santa Rosa.

Sad to say... there is no Lemon Car Law in the Philippines.. it was passed by the senate but not by Congress and it never made it into law... only thing we have is the Consumer Act of 1991...

Does anyone know anyone from DTI, they appear to be the lead agency in Consumer protection here.

[niky]

Man that sucks... but even if the Lemon Law was passed... the rule would have been "three strikes"... since this is the first strike, it wouldn't have helped you.

I can understand your feelings, though... if my brand new car did that, I wouldn't want it back, either!

[Djerms]

Uy nakakatakot ito ah. Though this is the first time that I knew of such case. I'll be monitoring this thread as we just got our TDCi this last month.

[renzo_d10]

They could be lying. It might have been flooded then ford didn't repair it fully or missed some parts I guess....

Yes it is very unsafe, good thing you're just still running at 70-80kph at that time ( which is also unsafe ) but what if you're running at let's say around 150-180kph. Damn you'll end up in a morgue by just driving you're newly bought vehicle.

I have a number of DTI here ( 751-3330 ) just not sure if it's still working.

If I were in your case, I wouldn't want to get the car back either. My life is in stake in driving that crappy brand new vehicle.

Goodluck on your fight though, and may you have a safe driving experience with the " temporary " replacement vehicle that ford has given to you.

Drive safe.

[cocoy]

didnt some toyota's have this problem too?

[speed unlimited]

Let them replace .You bought it brand new .

[renzo_d10]

^^ They wouldn't replace it if you just asked them. They'll most likely will just repair it. But if you bring it to DTi and have proven the claims, they might replace it with a brand new one.

[iceman29]

thanks for the input and concern...

there is one thing i noticed about the car when i picked it up at Ford Pampanga when i bought it... there was a smudge on the chrome plate in the front... the one on the front of the hood... they couldn't remove it even when they used polishing, rubbing compound... i complained about it and they opted to remove it and exchange it with one of their stock ford focus there.... was that a sign of poor quality control for a unit that was supposed to have just came out of the assembly plant? or even that the car had water damage before it was sold to me?

and also... the steering wheel wasn't centered... it was veering to the right so if i wanted to go straight, i had to steer to the left... i had to had that brought back to the CASA and they took all day to center... wheel balancing and wheel rotation for a brand new car...

[southpeak]

sad to say but you have a lemon sir..
be ready with your looooooooooong patience cause it will be tried to the max .. goodluck.

[niky]

You can elevate your complaint to FGP and ask them to verify the delivery date of the vehicle in question if you're unsure of whether it was damaged goods or not.

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You might want to also ask around at http://forum.fordclubph.com to see if anyone else has similar experiences. We haven't seen anything of this kind for the TDCi before. We know of two turbo failures, but one was a flooded vehicle (might be solenoid for VGT) and the other was likely an abuse issue (was covered under warranty).

Don't know much about the PCM on the new TDCi, as it's a different unit from the PCM on the previous TDCi MT (different manufacturer, too).

-

I'd only accept the vehicle back if they could show, for sure, that the problem was the PCM.... since PCM issues are very rare. I've met people who've had PCM failures (various makes) and had them replaced, and even up to the second or third owner, they don't show up again.

If it's not the PCM and it's a problem with the wiring, then you shouldn't accept it... as wiring problems almost never go away (from bitter experience with my flooded Sentra) as there are parts of the wiring harness that are almost completely inaccessible, and it's hard to diagnose these.

[iceman29]

i've already contacted Ford Group Philippines... they're the ones giving me a diesel automatic loaner later...

[scharnhorst]

hindi pala napasa yung law na yon.

grabe that really is a lemon unit.

The best option probably would be to go to DTI

[parakitoJDM]

wow that must had been a horrible experience...esp. fm. a brand new car. what a great way of Ford to ruin your Focus TDCi experience... do let us know how it turns out.

ask how can the PCM (aka ECU or computer box) fail in such a short period of time, didn't they do reliability testing?

[iceman29]

they're ordering a PCM from Thailand... but i told them that i don't want that unit anymore....
I'm gonna try to talk later to the DTI officer here in Tarlac and ask for help regarding this later....

[1997]

baka nabaha yung unit na yan or Lemon talaga...

[Altis6453]

I hope you've already conveyed your decision to Ford in writing (re: non-acceptance of the unit). Yes, there is no lemon law, but our Civil Code provisions on Sales imposes an obligation on the seller to warrant that the thing sold is free from hidden defects. In this case, there can be no doubt that the defects you experienced with your car manifested only within 2 weeks of delivery, which defects posed serious safety concerns for you and any passengers you may be carrying at that time.

Don't wait. Get your lawyer to file the case fast and you'll get your new car in a jiffy.

HTH!

[oldiskuul]

my brother in law just bought ford focus....nung sat lng nya nakuha...wala pa naman sya nakikitang problem...pero i warned him na about FORD kya... magsisisi sya if ever my mangyrai sa new car nya. he choosed focus kc sa sobrang baba ng downpayment 90K lng.

[foifoi05]

my aunt had a similar steering scenario sa brand new escape and she wanted it to be replaced but instead pina upgrade nalang sa kanya to a higher trim (nbx?) and the problem is still there... nakarating sa media ang problema, she got her refund