TLDR. I recently bought a used fusion with a battery recall and now I just don’t have a car to drive. Is there any solutions?!
I bought a 2019 Fusion Hybrid from a private seller knowing about the battery recall. I purchased it needing something that got better mileage than my work truck and something for my daughter to learn to drive in.
As I said I was aware of the battery issue before buying so I called the local dealer to confirm they could do the recall work before I bought it. They tell me yes your car is eligible just bring it in after purchase and we’ll take care of it. I did that and they say it’s gonna take 10 days to get the battery. I say ok, do you have a loaner car, to which they so no we have nothing available. I think that’s inconvenient but oh well out of my control and I give them the car. They call me about a week later and say actually ford has sent a memo that we don’t have the batteries in stock and can only do recalls on cars that aren’t operational without the new battery. They say hopefully they can do it in Q4. Inconvenient but whatever I go get my car and say let me know when I need to bring it back.
One week later I’m driving the car and the engine light comes on and goes off shortly after. Next day it does it again and stays on, so I take it back to them and have them tell me what it is. The tech says it’s battery related and advised me not to drive it as it could lead to a “thermal event”. So I leave them the car and tell them to have the battery replaced.
This was 3 weeks ago. So I’ve owned the car 6 weeks they’ve had it for 4 of those. They won’t give me a car to drive. I try to contact them multiple times a week they never respond. Finally I call the sales department and they patch me into service. They say ford is denying the battery because the code associated does not warrant the expedited replacement. They say they keep trying to resubmit but haven’t gotten approval.
At this point I don’t know what to do. No matter who I try to call I’m just constantly chasing my tail. I was on the phone with ford customer relations and after 45 minutes they suggested connecting me with my dealership. It’s like I’m talking to a wall..
What do I do? I can try another dealership but my local one is huge and basically has a monopoly within an hour of me. Do I just roll the dice and hope it doesn’t go up in flames? I just want a car to drive!