Shipping a dead Mach-E

[stroszek]

Hi,

My 2021 Mach-E died in the middle of nowhere and the local dealer held it for two weeks before telling me they didn’t have the facilities to fix it so now I have to deal with the hell that is vehicle shipping.

They replaced the LVB but I don’t know how I’m going to keep it alive since it can’t be charged. Assume it’s dead again. Can a completely dead Mach-E (as in 12v battery totally drained) still steer? Maybe I could get the dealer mechanics to trickle charge it and put in neutral on chocks? I don’t know, this sucks.

Anyway once this is all over if anyone wants to buy a 2021 AWD Premium ER with a new (?) or partially replaced (?) battery lmk.

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[ack154]

I'm confused... is this a Ford dealer saying they can't work on it?

And why do you need to "ship" it? Can't they have it towed to another dealer?

Is it still under warranty? Did you get any error messages? How did it "die"?

 

[stroszek]

I'm confused... is this a Ford dealer saying they can't work on it?

And why do you need to "ship" it? Can't they have it towed to another dealer?

Is it still under warranty? Did you get any error messages? How did it "die"?

Yes, it’s a Ford dealer. They said that they can’t replace the HVB because they don’t have ground level hoists. It’s truly the middle of nowhere, there isn’t any other dealer that has those within a 100 miles AFAICT.

It is under battery and powertrain warranty and all indications I’ve been given are that it will be completely covered.

I talked to Ford Motor. They said that some dealerships participate in some program where they will handle the towing directly, but they were only able to contact one dealership near me which does not participate in this program. They said I can have it towed to this dealership and they will reimburse me. I asked if they could use a wider net and maybe find one that does participate in this program so I wouldn’t have to coordinate this., but I haven’t heard back.

It was charging, I got a charging fault, then it gave me Stop Safely Now and eventually completely died. May be related to the recall, meant to get that done earlier but the parts weren’t available when I tried.

 

[CameraCarl]

Just where is this nowhere? Your profile says you are in Minnesota. Does this mean you can't find a dealer in Minnesota to work on it?

 

[stroszek]

Just where is this nowhere? Your profile says you are in Minnesota. Does this mean you can't find a dealer in Minnesota to work on it?

It’s in Houghton, Michigan and I’m trying to get it to the Twin Cities.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

It’s in Houghton, Michigan and I’m trying to get it to the Twin Cities.

Which dealership is it at. There are a couple more in that greater area that might be able to help. Otherwise I’d consider calling the Ford BEV team and getting done help (maybe).

 

[CameraCarl]

It’s in Houghton, Michigan and I’m trying to get it to the Twin Cities.

Wow! That is rather remote. I hope Ford can help you get it to a decent dealership. Posts like yours make me regret that I still have 30 months left on my lease.

 

[Snakebitten]

There's no way I would assume that car needs a HVB.

In fact, I would bet there's a good chance it could be repaired and ready to drive, without needing a special hoist.

Of course I'm speculating, but I just ain't buying the prognosis

 

[stroszek]

There's no way I would assume that car needs a HVB.

In fact, I would bet there's a good chance it could be repaired and ready to drive, without needing a special hoist.

Of course I'm speculating, but I just ain't buying the prognosis

Wouldn’t put it past them to not know what they’re doing with EVs but I think they had an actual EV tech look at it.

 

[stroszek]

Which dealership is it at. There are a couple more in that greater area that might be able to help. Otherwise I’d consider calling the Ford BEV team and getting done help (maybe).

It’s at Copper Country. Marquette said they didn’t have one, didn’t ask the other kind of close one since it’s the smallest Ford dealership I’ve ever seen. I’m sure there are some dealers closer than the TC but Ford said they’d cover a tow to me so I might as well go all the way for convenience's sake.

I talked to a shipper, might just have to drag it onto the truck again, whatever.

 

[Smoke & Bells]

A dealer shouldn't sell a product they can't service. My father was a farm implement dealer in central SD. Even though he could have sold these models, he wouldn't sell the largest tractors because he couldn't transport them or fit them thru the garage door. " I can't sell what I can't service," he said.
Ask about service before buying a product.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

A dealer shouldn't sell a product they can't service. My father was a farm implement dealer in central SD. Even though he could have sold these models, he wouldn't sell the largest tractors because he couldn't transport them or fit them thru the garage door. " I can't sell what I can't service," he said.
Ask about service before buying a product.

Agreed. But he was on a trip to a remote area and the car stopped working. His dealer is able to service, but the one closest to where he was is not.

It’s at Copper Country. Marquette said they didn’t have one, didn’t ask the other kind of close one since it’s the smallest Ford dealership I’ve ever seen. I’m sure there are some dealers closer than the TC but Ford said they’d cover a tow to me so I might as well go all the way for convenience's sake.

I talked to a shipper, might just have to drag it onto the truck again, whatever.

Just ensure they know where the tow hooks are. I’d send them a pic from the manual and clearly mark them. Better yet, have the dealer in the UP show them. Many of us have stickers on the underbody.

 

[AKgrampy]

My advice would be set-up the tow and get it to the dealer that can repair it. You stated Ford said they will reimburse you but I would do it either way as the sooner you get things going the sooner it will get repaired.

 

[rhougey]

Yes, it’s a Ford dealer. They said that they can’t replace the HVB because they don’t have ground level hoists. It’s truly the middle of nowhere, there isn’t any other dealer that has those within a 100 miles AFAICT.

It is under battery and powertrain warranty and all indications I’ve been given are that it will be completely covered.

I talked to Ford Motor. They said that some dealerships participate in some program where they will handle the towing directly, but they were only able to contact one dealership near me which does not participate in this program. They said I can have it towed to this dealership and they will reimburse me. I asked if they could use a wider net and maybe find one that does participate in this program so I wouldn’t have to coordinate this., but I haven’t heard back.

It was charging, I got a charging fault, then it gave me Stop Safely Now and eventually completely died. May be related to the recall, meant to get that done earlier but the parts weren’t available when I tried.

It doesn’t seem to me 100 miles is a shipping job. It’s a flatbed tow job. If it was me, I’d rent a trailer and load it up and drive it there myself. That way I’d know it was done right.

You are obviously frustrated, and having to handle logistics yourself doesn’t help at all, but I think you are inflating your situation to be bigger than it needs to be. Hire a quality tow company to go get it, deliver it to the nearest dealership that has the tools and expertise to do a deep dive if necessary, and send Ford the bill for reimbursement. It is a difficult situation, but it is not Ford’s fault you were in the middle of nowhere when the car broke down.

Good luck to you. Slow down and make deliberate decisions.

 

[Sikkun]

A dealer shouldn't sell a product they can't service. My father was a farm implement dealer in central SD. Even though he could have sold these models, he wouldn't sell the largest tractors because he couldn't transport them or fit them thru the garage door. " I can't sell what I can't service," he said.
Ask about service before buying a product.

The small dealer in the rural area may not sell the product…….people don’t generally get to choose where their car breaks down.

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