Ford New Zealand has strongly backed the work of its dealer in the case of a Ranger ute with a series of faults which appeared on Fair Go over the last two weeks.
The case first appeared last week, detailing the story of Rangi Ehu – the leader of the Navy’s dive squad, who had purchased a brand new Ranger in 2012 which had a number of faults, the most significant being a transmission failure. Ehu had covered 40,000km in the vehicle.
Fair Go covered the story, questioning why Ford and its dealer had refused to replace the vehicle free of charge. They had offered to trade the vehicle in for a replacement at a cost of $7000.
On Wednesday night the show covered Ehu receiving a new Isuzu Ute, following an offer to trade his existing vehicle at no cost.
Ford New Zealand spokesperson, Tom Clancy, says the company backs dealer North Harbour Ford’s actions.
“Ford New Zealand is satisfied with North Harbour’s customer service in regards to Mr Ehu’s Ranger,” says Clancy. “They’ve gone beyond their obligations, providing prompt solutions and added value, even when they were not required to do so.
“We are also satisfied that although the transmission of Mr Ehu’s Ranger failed it was completely replaced in a very timely manner and was covered by Ford’s comprehensive warranty,” Clancy says.
Clancy says Ford is also comfortable with the decision to not replace the vehicle.
“We, as have other manufacturers, have taken cars back,” Clancy says. “It’s not unheard of. But in this case it was all covered by warranty.”
“We ran the whole thing by other manufacturers and third parties and they all agreed with us,” Clancy explains. “And on top of that, North Harbour Ford provided him with some of the best customer service anywhere, of any dealer, any brand.”
Clancy says Ford chose not to speak to Fair Go, believing the show had already committed to doing a story on the case before speaking to either Ford or the dealer. He also noted to AutoTalk the treatment of Hyundai by the show – over a previous dirty diesel case.
“We chose not to appear, live or taped, but provided a statement of service history and the customer service for the Ranger.”
One thing Ford does not argue with is that the ex-customer was a good guy.
“No one at Ford is going to argue against Rangi being a great guy. He is. But a lot of heroes drive new Fords and they’re all covered by the Ford warranty, as was his Ranger.”
As for Isuzu’s role: “Isuzu – saw an opportunity to trade one of their utes for something superior. Good judgement on their part!”
Wingers Waikato dealer principal Paul Burborough was the instigator of the deal, and told AutoTalk it was a combination effort between the dealership and Isuzu Utes New Zealand.
Burborough refused to comment on the overall situation, or on how Ehu had been treated by the competition.
“We were watching the program, and obviously the guy had some concerns with his vehicle,” says Burborough. “We saw an opportunity to take him out of his ute and put him into something he could have confidence in.”
Burborough says the deal included finding a home for the Ranger, which has been sold to a trade customer.
He says the fact the deal promoted the brand and dealership was a bonus.
“I think any positive publicity is good for the brand.”
Ford’s statement to Fair Go:
“Mr Ehu bought his new Ford Ranger from North Harbour Ford in March 2012. Ford schedules a complimentary 3,000km ‘Peace of Mind’ Service for all new vehicles to enable our owners to raise any minor issues they may have experienced with their purchase. At this time North Harbour Ford did address some concerns raised by Mr Ehu and provided him with a loan vehicle so he was not inconvenienced while his Ranger was unavailable.
Subsequently Mr Ehu received notification of a Safety Recall which required a small repair to a seatback latch strap, and we appreciate his prompt attention to this. He has also had the scheduled 15,000km and 30,000km services completed, and North Harbour Ford have undertaken some additional work, unrelated to the vehicle’s reliability, at no cost to Mr Ehu.
After just under 40,000km driving, the transmission on Mr Ehu’s vehicle failed. While this is extremely regrettable, complex mechanical and electronic equipment occasionally suffers faults. For this reason Ford protects its new vehicle owners with a 3 year or 100,000km warranty and a comprehensive 24 hour 7 day roadside assistance package for the same period. Mr. Ehu was able to avail himself of this when his vehicle failed.
The faulty transmission was replaced with a brand new transmission under the Ford New Vehicle Warranty and Mr Ehu’s vehicle was available to him again within approximately 72 hours of the failure.
In recognition of the inconvenience Mr Ehu has experienced, and while he owns his Ranger, Ford has extended his New Vehicle Warranty to 5 years with unlimited distance. Ford has also offered to pay the full costs of the next two scheduled services on Mr Ehu’s vehicle, due at 45,000km and 60,000km.”
