RESOLUTION! $28,000 damage to Mach-E from tow truck hooking into battery rail

[Green Machine]

Can someone please explain what the tow mode is?

Also, why is jump starting the 12v required? It sounded like OP still had battery power left since the car told him to pull over?

I had a blown tire the other day, and used ford towing. I read the tow process prior to truck coming and the tow truck driver read the guide prior to accepting the tow. He showed up, we discussed process he was taking, I agreed and he loaded without incident. I have tire anchor straps and hooks that fit the anchor points in front of front drive train in the rear hatch of the car and encourage everyone to have them. Tow mode is where you follow prompts on user interface and then put car in neutural. My guess is the system will not do correct neutral without user interface which probably requires 12 volt power . We are pioneers here and probably should be careful with who touches our cars, verify knowledge and credentials. Ford is using a normal tow coordinating service, and they will have a learning curve. I had a great experience, but i am sure it is hit and miss.

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[RickMachE]

I have AAA and got fully reimbursed, I have to say I was surprised. However, the car was never the problem all I need was a fast charger what dealers usually don't have. I wanted to proceed to Winemucca because they have EA chargers there. It never occurred in my mind that I should take the vehicle to a Ford dealer.

Glad it worked out for you. I think this is a great example of why it's important for people who spend $60,000 on a vehicle to read the information that comes with it. Ford clearly spells out the terms of the 5 year towing. People don't read it. It's located on the Quick Reference Guide that comes with the vehicle:

ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE

LOCK OUTS
It’s embarrassing, but it happens. We’ll get you back in, fast... and it’s free. Key replacement cost is the customer’s responsibility.

TOWING
Your car’s not working... and you don’t know why. Just make the call and we’ll be there. Warranty Towing, Non-warranty Towing and Collision Towing are available.

HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY OUT-OF-CHARGE
As a Mustang MACH-E Roadside Assistance customer, if your vehicle does not have enough power to drive, it will be towed to the nearest location:
1. Nearest public charger.
2. Your home.
3. Ford/Lincoln EV Certified Dealer.

TRAILERS
If your vehicle requires towing while hauling a trailer, Roadside Assistance provides coverage for towing up to a maximum per event. Please see your Ford Motor Company reserves the right to modify or discontinue Owner’s Manual for details.

 

[Green Machine]

My insurance company says it doesn’t think they will cover it ….. doesn’t fit in one of their categories!

I would say that is possible if Insurance is Canadian, but if US, my guess is they will pay. If US it can depend on state and rules in each, which are regulated by the Insurance commissioner. I would get an attorney and sue the tow company and include ford and transport company, as well as coordinating service. Someone will step up and pay. Clearly they damaged when they touched it.

 

[karioka]

That's great that AAA reimbursed you. (They probably contract with the same truck.) I've had them for fifty years and they always come through. It may have been recently installed but EA show two CCS 150kW and two CCS 350kW chargers at Safeway in Lovelock.

When I got stranded there these stations were still being installed. I'm glad they are working now.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

”Pull over Safely” came up on the dash, so we pulled over to side of highway and called Ford Road Side Assitance. A tow truck was dispatched. Car was dragged on to tow bed with a winch. The first winch snapped. The Ford dealership I was towed to had never worked on an electric car. We were halfway between our home in Canada and our winter place in Florida. On the recommendation of Ford Customer Care, they arranged to have the car transported down to a dealership in Florida. The tow company hooked into the battery rail and damaged the batteries. $28,000 repair bill. Now Ford customer care tells me I have to deal with Agero- claims for Road Side Assistance, that it’s not Ford. Agero denies the claim because it can’t be proven that it was the tow company’a fault it could have happened when the car was transported to Florida. Ford says it’s not their fault. My insurance company says it’s not claimable through them. So I am left finding lawyers in both the US and Canada to deal with this. Then I am sent a survey asking if I would refer Ford to a friend!

Good morning, Dawn! Could you please send us a private message with your VIN and dealership information? I would like to look into this battery rail concern for you on my end. Thanks!

 

[s7davis]

Well looks like this notice and the InsideEVs post got Ford's Attention. Looks like they are will to help figure out whats going on. Good luck OP hope it turns out better for you.

 

[Mari76]

Well looks like this notice and the InsideEVs post got Ford's Attention. Looks like they are will to help figure out whats going on. Good luck OP hope it turns out better for you.

It sucks that it takes all of this to get fords attention.

 

[Orangefirefish]

What a mess, sorry. Sure, fine print and all that, but if Ford designates a “roadside assistance” service, which in turn makes the car more marketable, a minimum level of customer service I’d expect here is that they fix the vehicle and then they deal with the tow company and hold whoever caused the damage responsible. Not the other way around. After all, it was the warranteeable problem that caused all of it to begin with.

 

[EELinneman]

It seems like this is starting to make the wider automotive news

Towing a Ford Mustang Mach-E Could Cost You $28,000 for a Battery Replacement - autoevolution

 

[Tlm]

I run a towing company and work with agero. First of all agero sucks both for the customers and towing companies.

When there’s towing damage you are suppose to be able to file a claim with agero, they would go over your photos and statements, then go over the towing companies and make a decision. If they side with you they would then pay the bill and deduct it from money they owe to the tow company. Now since this bill is so high they might just have the tow company pay directly, or the tow company will most likely use their insurance (if they have it).

It seems agero is trying to say you don’t have proof, but show them the photos and tell them that’s proof of the damages and that you want the towing company to send their photos and statement of how the car was hooked. Tell them this kind of damage can only occur from a winch cable. Agero will reconsider damage liability even if they previously told you no.

If that fails you should definitely be able to file a claim with your insurance as a roadside damage claim. Insurance would then handle everything and including lawyers if needed. They would make sure to get their payment from agero. It’s possible your insurance company works with agero too.

If all else fails then do what everyone else recommended and get your own lawyers involved. Make it clear to Ford, Agero, and the tow company that you are suing for damages, downtime for your car including any rental expenses, and attorney fees. At the end of the day the tow company is liable and should be paying, but since they are contracted with agero you will need to get them involved as well.

And to you and anyone else, don’t ever use ford roadside or any other dealer roadside again. Call the dealer and tell them you want to use your own tow company and get reimbursed. If they tell you no make an excuse with them that their tow company is gonna take too long, or your worried about your car being damaged etc. Then just go online and find a tow company with good reviews and pay their rate. Us tow companies and drivers love when customers call instead of dealing with agero. Many companies including myself are starting to ban working agero because their pay and service is terrible and sometimes they don’t even pay us when we do jobs. We would rather go the extra mile when a customer calls directly instead of doing extra labor on a call for agero and not getting paid for it.

 

[RickMachE]

And to you and anyone else, don’t ever use ford roadside or any other dealer roadside again. Call the dealer and tell them you want to use your own tow company and get reimbursed. If they tell you no make an excuse with them that their tow company is gonna take too long, or your worried about your car being damaged etc. Then just go online and find a tow company with good reviews and pay their rate. Us tow companies and drivers love when customers call instead of dealing with agero. Many companies including myself are starting to ban working agero because their pay and service is terrible and sometimes they don’t even pay us when we do jobs. We would rather go the extra mile when a customer calls directly instead of doing extra labor on a call for agero and not getting paid for it.

Might be good advice from the towing company's perspective, but not from the consumer's perspective. Ford Roadside is free for 5 years. The dealer has zero leverage with them to my knowledge, and likely won't reimburse a consumer for using another company.

 

[Tlm]

Might be good advice from the towing company's perspective, but not from the consumer's perspective. Ford Roadside is free for 5 years. The dealer has zero leverage with them to my knowledge, and likely won't reimburse a consumer for using another company.

I get it but it’s a shame they wouldn’t reimburse you. Most of these tow companies that cause damage and tow incorrectly and give the tow community a bad rep are the ones doing cheap motor club tows. As a consumer you should be able to pick your own company that has good reviews and knows what their doing and that should be included in the free roadside. If you called me directly and I had no idea how to tow your car I wouldn’t take the job, but agero pressures companies to accept as many jobs as they can or they won’t give them any more work lol.

 

[stanggt50]

Wait minutes! I thought under warranty if battery damaged? ? Made me so worry when I buy new Mach E soon ?

 

[Mach1E]

Wait minutes! I thought under warranty if battery damaged? ? Made me so worry when I buy new Mach E soon ?

Warranty doesn’t cover physical damage for things like this.

When you get into an accident, it’s insurance that pays for repairs, not your warranty. The tow company damaging the car is the same as an accident.

 

[SpringsMarty]

Warranty doesn’t cover physical damage for things like this.

When you get into an accident, it’s insurance that pays for repairs, not your warranty. The tow company damaging the car is the same as an accident.

Most glaringly, in my opinion, is that the tow agreement is between the driver and Ford as part of the vehicle purchase contract. Ford can subcontract performance of that agreement to anyone it chooses but the agreement is with Ford. Ford agreed to provide roadside tows, Ford provided a roadside tow, and the tow damaged the car. I am not a lawyer, but this clearly appears to be Ford’s liability.

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