ComplaintsforKelly Ford

• Initial Complaint

  04/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On March 27, 2024, I purchased a used 2017 **** Transit Connect van from Kelly Ford for use in my part-time business. Kelly Ford failed to honor the sales agreement by not conducting and completing the **** Blue Advantage 139-point inspection which stated all the items on the list were checked and inspected, and those that did not pass were repaired or replaced. The form was signed by a **** Technician and approved by two Kelly Ford managers.Several of the items including the engine air filter and cabin air filter, both items on the 139-point checklist, were dirty and moldy, the suspension system had broken parts and worst of all the transmission was failing. All these items were claimed by Kelly Ford to have been inspected, repaired or replaced when all they actually did was correct the items that could be seen by walking around the vehicle on the sales lot.I had to purchase, using my own funds, replacement engine and cabin air filters that Kelly Ford failed to replace as stated on the completed 139-point checklist.When I raised the issues with Kelly Ford GSM *********************, he stated I would be refunded for the filters I had to purchase at my own expense. **** had billed themselves $133 internally for the cabin air filter alone (which they never inspected or replaced).I have subsequently been refunded for the defective vehicle based on the falsely completed 139-point checklist, however, the $30.76 I paid for the parts is separate and independent from the vehicle refund. I have provided Kelly Ford with the invoice for these items and have not been reimbursed as promised.

  Business response

  05/07/2024

  Good afternoon, last week we had a check cut and mailed to Mr. ****** in the amount of $40.00 to satisfy this claim. I apologize for the late response as I've been out of the office. Thank you

  Customer response

  05/07/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ******

• Initial Complaint

  10/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On Friday, August 25th, Dave T*****, a salesman from this business reconfirmed that I would receive $28,000 for the vehicle that I was selling to the dealership. At no time did he mention that I would not be paid when I dropped the vehicle off or that they would renegotiate on delivery. The vehicle had 100 or so miles on it so it was essentially brand new. After signing the papers, I was told that early in the next week, I would receive my check. I had to keep calling and asking for my check since that turned out to be a false statement. The check was mailed to me approximately one week late after I repetitively requested it. With the Parts Department, the refund on an item that was ordered and then canceled has taken almost 4 weeks since canceling and still has not been resolved. I have had to make 6 calls so for to Ford Corporate.

  Customer response

  10/12/2023

  From: <noreply@bbb.org>
  Date: Fri, Oct 6, 2023 at 10:09 AM
  Subject: Message from BBB.org
  To: ******************
  
  
  Please close my complaint. The business has resolved the issue. Thank you. Complaint ********

• Initial Complaint

  06/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Let me state up front , i am a mechanic of 40 years so i know something about the service industry. I brought my 2020 Ford Transit 350HD coachmen mini motorhome to them after getting Ford to correct the warranty period on the unit . This unit has the well know issue of transmission shutter which while working on securing the warranty i used a tube of "shutter stop" which all the transit forums recommend. It did make an improvement but i know it is not the permanent fix . The unit ran perfectly while in my possession and brought it there to have the transmission checked out for possible issues . I went by 4 days after dropping it off , it hadn't moved from where i parked it . I texted the service adviser the next day and asked if anything had been determined yet . Reply was " it is in diagnostics" which means it was still outside likely . Got a call the next week from the service advisor sad the problem with the unit is a bunch of "chewed wires " that would effect the ability of the unit to shift and drive properly . I was told it would be $1700 to fix it and she sent me a pic of the wires to show the damage but not one that you could tell the full extent of damage . I had no choice but to have them fix it because it is not drive-able at this point as it had multiple codes they recorded that would make it questionable to drive . *** remember this unit drove the 18 miles to their shop perfectly the day i delivered it witnessed by my wife who followed me down . I get the message that the unit is ready to go , i called and asked if they had ran a check on the transmission and made certain it was shifting properly. Their reply was "it runs perfectly " . I show up and low and behold the bill is $2166.45 , my experience in the business was to just pay and leave and fight the bill battle later. So i got about 8 miles from the dealership and the unit started to act up . The check engine light came on for a little while and then shut off. I could feel the power level of he motor was off. the check engine light came back on again so i pulled off the road and shut it down. I carry a temp sensor gun with me in the unit to watch tire temperature when traveling so i quickly checked the motor trans and catalytic converter temps and all were normal. I called the dealer ship and told them what had happened and the response was to call Ford assist and have it towed back. Not wanting to spend a day waiting for a tow and being about 8 miles from home i told them i will get it home . I drove almost all the way slowly with the light on , 3 miles from my house it started flashing . That indicates a serious possible issue .Again i pulled over and shut it down ., lifted the hood and checked my temps again all normal. I waited 10 minutes just to let it set and took back roads the rest of the way home at 15 to 20 miles and hour to make certain i did no damage . got home and again check all my temps and they were normal , nothing got hot at all which is good. The following day i had my friend who is a engineer for a company that designs Ford wiring systems came by with his scanner. The unit codes indicated a " random multiple misfire occurred #***** and misfire on number 1 ,2 & 3 cylinder ***** ***** **** . Tells me the entire side of the engine misfired . Called the dealer and finally got the service manager and his message was what you would expect , bring it back . I asked if he could guarantee this would not be a chargeable event and he stated he could not but he would make it right . So do you trust a dealer that gouges you $2200 buck to solder 11 wires ???? That is all they did was to solder the broke wires , obviously they didn't test it afterword as it went bad right after i left the dealer. So what i think happened because the unit ran perfectly before and to the dealership if the wires were chewed up by mice it took place in their care . The back area where the truck center is isn't what one would call tidy there are dumpsters back there with who knows what in them . Therefore i want a refund of the $2200 they charged me which is quite offensive for what they did , solder 11 wires would have taken me one your . The wires must have been damaged while in their care and therefore their responsible for the damage . And i now have the issue of one bank of cylinders that misfired i will try to determine myself with help of other mechanics i know .

  Business response

  06/19/2023

  Thank you for reaching out. We have looked into the customers complaints and will NOT be refunding the $2200 he is requesting. We will offer a refund of $283.25 which I will go over in the following comments. The repair order is attached for your viewing. The customer came in with the vehicle shuddering while driving. According to the customer he believes it was the transmission acting up. Shuddering could be conceived as two different repairs on a vehicle, it could be transmission related or it could be engine/misfire related. The vehicle came in with rodent damage. While listening to conversations that the advisor and customer made on the phone the customer stated it most likely happened within the past 4 weeks and is likely. We recommended that he reach out to his insurance company. He did, but during the conversation he had on 6/6/23 at 3:16 PM with his service advisor he stated that they would not approve it due to him having a $5000 comprehensive deductible. Even though the adjuster wouldn't be out for a couple more days, the customer approved the repairs and said go ahead and proceed to fix it. Act dumb when the adjuster comes out and we will see what they say. We proceeded with the repairs. During that conversation the advisor and customer did say that it was going to be $20 in parts and $1700 in labor to repair the rodent damage they found. Due to this, and this alone we would compensate the customer for partial reimbursement. With shop supplies and tax the amount would have been $1883.20 giving the customer a refund of $283.25. The advisor should have reminded the customer at that time that the amount did not include the diagnostic time the technician had into it. That is our fault, and we will do what is right. Once the vehicle was picked up and starting having issues the vehicle should have been towed back to the dealership. Driving a vehicle while knowing that there is an issue could cause severe damage. Due to the customer not wanting to wait for a tow truck and being close to home he decided to drive it instead. While proceeding home the vehicle's check engine light started to flash (this indicates an engine misfire). When the customer called back to Kelly and talked with the service manager he was told the vehicle needed to come back in. We would reinspect the work we performed and if there was an issue with it, we would take care of it at no charge. If it was something different we would give him a quote for repairs. The transit vans have had issues with PCM's causing drivability concerns, water getting in down on the ignition coils, or if the vehicle overheated while the customer was driving it, it could have caused an internal engine failure. All are possible. My thoughts are that there is more rodent damage we did not catch. My guess is that the wiring harnesses going into the ignition coils are eaten away. I have seen it before. The customer stated he is mechanically inclined, this is something he could possibly see himself when lifting the hood. I am not sure. So, vehicle came in with rodent damage, we repaired the wiring that we saw were damaged. Per the customer's friend, the codes the vehicle had in the beginning when it came in were not there so the repair was successful. What is causing the misfire P0300 code, I wouldn't know unless the customer brought the vehicle back which he is more then welcomed to do so. Regardless, I will submit the refund of $283.25 to the customer today. He should see it in the mail in 5-10 business days. Thank you 

   

  Customer response

  06/19/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ******

   

  lets address the shudder issue :

  I am more than qualified to differentiate between a transmission shudder and a misfire on an engine . The unit has/had a shudder in the torq converter (check all the online forums this is a big problem with these )  which the "shudder stop" i added mostly took care of although it still seemed to shake a little at times. I told the service adviser i had added this to the transmission. THIS IS WHY I BROUGHT IT IN TO BE LOOKED AT .

  The side track to the insurance issue was they told me my insurance might cover it but after looking into it i have a $5000 deductible on my policy therefore i cancel any action with my insurance company.

  So my belief is that as the unit sat for 2 weeks at their lot before repairs and in that time rodents must have chewed those wires . The unit drove PERFECTLY to their facility NO CODES were flashing or showing at that time . Look at their own attachment and you will see the codes that the unit was throwing on the OBDII system . Those codes would have set of the check engine light on the vehicle . There was  no check engine light when i brought it there , period !

  So on the question of driving it home , the check engine light didn't flash until about 3 or 4 miles to my house . my call to the service department where they said have it towed in was the prior stop (as stated in my claim) , Chris told me to have Ford do it under road assist it should be free . I questioned if it might wind up being a chargeable event where it may be electrical not drive train , his commit was' Ford will never know"  !!! I am not playing that game . I told him ( Chris)  that after spending 2200 bucks on this thing i would take it home and work on it myself . Also  I told the service mgr i had a temp gun with me and checked the temp of the motor ,heads , exhaust , cats etc before i drove it at 20 mph home .So don't try and make it look like i did any thing wrong here .
  

  So lets look at the labor for the wires . they posted 7 hours ($1628.00)  to solder 11 wires ???? let that sink in a bit . They soldered on the vehicle 11 wires together . That is a milk man not a mechanic or they are writing off lost hours on time and material job which this is .Dealerships do this  all the time . This is extreme abuse .
  

   

  I now have the top intake off the unit and have done extensive work looking over the coil ,injector and wire harness under the intake and there is no other damage there . I have had 2 other guys i know , one the retired head engineer for the company that makes the wire harness for Ford  , look at it also . I am waiting for new coils and spark plugs to come in which we believe will clear up the misfire codes we got on it when i got it home .

   

  So at the very least I want 5 hours labor credit for this  job as it is utterly ridiculous the time ( 7 hours ) they allotted to do the solder job . Two hours would be a cake walk for any mechanic  . I could have done this in an hour .  And they can't tell me they spent time testing it after wards when it threw a check engine light 5 or so miles down the road !!! 

  That would be 5 hours at $199.99 per hour plus tax refund  !!!
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I scheduled a service appointment for 11/29/2022 at Kelly Ford in Melbourne, FL for recall work & an oil change on my 2022 Ford Bronco. My Bronco was in 100% as new & perfect condition with not a mark on it. I even included a note in the appointment request for Kelly to take extra care in handling it to keep it perfect. And when there was going to be a delay in the work being complete because the parts didn't come in right away & then the technician was out, I was further ensured the vehicle would be protected from any & all damage. On 12/2/2022, after the work was complete, Kelly informed me that they need to send my Bronco to their off-site body shop to fix damage that occurred to the door when the technician had it on the lift. Kelly said the damage was more than what their onsite/local spot damage repair person could handle. Kelly promised to do everything necessary to fix it & make things right - meaning starting by getting it fixed to as before and then compensating me for the reduced value of my Bronco as it was a perfect, no-stories, vehicle & will now have paint/repair work. I immediately went to Kelly to get my Bronco; they contacted their off-site body shop to let them know I would be bringing it to them to view and report back to Kelly. I went to the body shop &, because the factory paint on my Bronco is the extra-charge, multi-coat, metallic pearlescent color, it cannot be spot-painted/blended; to ensure matching the entire side would likely need to be painted to correct the damage Kelly had done. They notified Kelly & I was told the repair could be scheduled after Kelly got back to them. Today is 2/14/2023, 10 weeks later. I regularly followed up with Kelly; for the first month I was continually apologized to & promised Kelly's service manager, then the director, were taking care of everything & would get back to me to get things set up. I have received no response to multiple inquiries since.

  Business response

  02/17/2023

  I sincerely apologize. The service advisor that worked with the customer hasn't worked here in over a month, most likely the reason the customer hasn't heard anything. I have since reached out the Christine another service advisor and Steve R**** to call and approve the repairs at ******'s collision and call the customer to have repairs completed. This fell through the cracks, nothing the dealership was trying to get away with. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On August 30th,2022, I purchased a vehicle (used 2011 Subaru Forester) from Kelly Ford. Less than 7 days after purchasing the vehicle I was having trouble starting the car and the radio stopped working. I took it to Kelly Ford and the sales representative who sold me the car said there was nothing financially they would do to help. I brought the car to another shop where they changed the battery and fixed the radio. I was able to speak to another representative at Kelly Ford who reimbursed me for the cost of the battery. When I took the car for an oil change at a Subaru dealership, I was informed that there was an oil leak that appears to have been there for some time. They shared that it appeared someone had attempted to clean part of the oil. I left the car with Subaru to address the oil leak issue. Once Subaru was able to take a better look at the vehicle, they realized that not only was there oil leaking, but there was metal in the oil indicating the car had been run with an inadequate amount of oil at some point for a long enough period of time that the engine was damaged. Subaru has informed me that the car requires a new engine, lights, and a new hub as a lug nut is stripped which totals around $8,000 (more than half of what I paid for the car). All in all, this car would not have passed the state inspection to which it was being registered in (VT). Kelly Ford has also failed to register my vehicle over two months after purchasing the vehicle. I believe Kelly Ford knew about the oil leak issue prior to selling me the car. I would like Kelly Ford to help cover at least half of the cost to fix the vehicle. The GM at Kelly Ford in Melbourne, F.L., where I purchased the vehicle has refused, even after stating he was willing to help out. Pictures provided are taken by the mechanic.

  Business response

  12/20/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/11/23) */ Owner Tim Kelly spoke with Courtney, they resolved the issue with Kelly Ford refunding the customer $3500. Consumer Response /* (2000, 10, 2022/11/30) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) I accept a $3,500 refund as it covers half of the losses.

• Initial Complaint

  10/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I went in for a routine oil change and told them I wanted the normal service for 23k miles. I also said I have an extended warranty for the service. My car was working great, I never had any problems. I park it in the garage all the time and at just 5 years old I am the only owner and do not drive it much. I waited for my car. Without any notice, they then gave me a bill for well over $1062 just over 2 hours later. That is $479 in labor and $472 in parts. I, of course, paid my bill and left. Being 78 years old, female, and on a fixed income, I took that bill to my mechanic's friends (now six different people) and also 2 other mechanics that work on Ford they each independently stated that the bill is bogus and Kelly Ford has scammed me. I had my son call Kelly Ford in hopes that they will listen to him but they have not returned his calls. I am also worried about the condition of my car. They did things AGAINST the car recommendations. They put in "oil conditioner," which" goes against their statement in the owners manual: "Do not use supplemental engine oil additives because they are unnecessary and could lead to engine damage that your vehicle warranty does not cover." Plus, they put in 5w20 oil, and the car calls for 5w30, which means they do put in not as good oil as they should. In fact, The other Ford mechanics do not recommend any of the "BG" services as they are not in line with Ford (like stated above). When I requested the normal service, they violated that and took advantage of a little-old-lonely lady who buys extended warranties. I did not ask for any of those services. Nor were they explained, and they violated the Ford Service policy. I am also worried that if left in my car I no longer have a warranty since it was violated. The throttle body and fuel injection cleaning are billed twice under the fuel induction service.

  Business response

  11/09/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/17) */ We have resolved this with the customer. Customer came in with a 2017 Ford escape and we offered and explained what we recommend due to age and mileage. Coolant is only good for 5 years. She is out of all her base warranties and has ford extended for another 2 years. Nothing we do is against any ford warranties. As a matter of fact BG offers warranty nationwide after the base warranty is over with their products. Nothing was doubled up on different services. Throttle body service is recommended every 15,000 miles due to it being an electronic motor that gets carbon build up that causes failures. She also needed a battery which was out of warranty. The customer was never "scammed" from kelly ford and not recommended anything but preventive maintenance and a battery for her vehicle which we stand behind. The vehicle calls for 5w20 oil from FOrd which was installed, it does NOT call for 5w30 oil. We have called the customer and resolved the issue with a partial refund. She is paying for the battery and another service. We are refunding her the rest as a customer service. I believe we could have done better at explaining everything and apologize.

• Initial Complaint

  10/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  regarding ford fusion; ***************** service done at Kelly Ford 776 Magnolia Ave Melbourne, Florida, 32935, date of service 10/3/2022. I dropped off my car due to multiple concerns from overheating and the service rep confirmed that that temperature gauge was pointing in the high normal which proved that the gauge was functioning properly. When I picked up the car I noticed the car audio system and the temperature gauge were malfunctioning, I had to drive back to the dealer and they fixed the audio problem but denied responsibility for the temperature gauge even though they acknowledged it was working normally when I dropped off the car. pic is a proof that my temperature gauge was working fine before service

  Business response

  11/21/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/05) */ vehicle came in with an overheat concern. Found coolant block on side of engine corroded and leaking antifreeze. We replaced that coolant block and test drove the vehicle. Found the coolant gauge not working at that time. We confirmed through our IDS program the vehicle was operating at the correct temperature but the gauge was reading incorrectly. The gauge gets the signal through the PCM (computer) when the vehicle does the start up sweep with gauges this one doesn't sweep like the ****rs. started the vehicle later on and the gauge was working. Intermittent issue with the gauge that we told the customer about before leaving. The customer said after he picked up that the radio was not working. The radio was never on when the vehicle came in, so unsure if this was a problem before or not. We disconnected the battery and reconnected it to reset the system and the radio started to work. The vehicle is a 2012 vehicle with 176,000 miles on it. We did not and could not have caused this issue being the signal is being sent from PCM. We would be more then happy to work with the customer to get the vehicle repaired at a discounted rate as a customer service, but we will not be paying for the entire amount. My service manager Steve R**** will be reaching out to today to offer the repair discount. Consumer Response /* (2000, 7, 2022/10/05) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) Consumer Response /* (3000, 14, 2022/10/09) */ Update in response to the "owner" I paid over 1000 USD to fix a problem but left with a new one. I had proof that the temperature gauge was working normally when I dropped off the car and this was acknowledged by Chris but they failed to acknowledge that later. They had no explanation for the temporary failure of the stereo system. Lastly Steve R*** didn't offer any discounts on labor or parts. He just mandated that i delete my negative feedback posts at the better business bureau. I never expect above and beyond service but I demand reasonable service and a service provide to assume responsibility for their faults not lying and changing their Words and posts. I understand it's a high mileage car but not to be blamed for "everything". Business Response /* (4000, 18, 2022/10/21) */ Good morning sir. I do apologize if you do not believe Steve gave you any resolution. As stated previously the temperature issue was an intermittent fault. No fault of yours nor ours. We were more then happy to install a unit and take care of the labor as a customer satisfaction. I'm happy you were able to get the cluster replaced and it is working 100% of the time now. The radio was not on when the vehicle came in and not something we would try after a repair. We reset the system and the radio started to work. Unsure the reason but we resolved the issue. If you would like to submit your invoice I would be happy to reimburse you for the labor you paid for at Ron N***** as a customer service. Thank you Consumer Response /* (4200, 20, 2022/10/21) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Not sure if someone is actually listening or reading from Kelly ford but I think they have good intentions. I didn't fix the cluster problem. I mentioned that I paid more than a 1000 usd to fix the heating problem and picked up the car to find a new temperature gauge problem that was not there when I dropped off the car. The claim that the cluster was "intermittently" working is unfounded. It was working properly before I dropped off the car. I don't have an explanation for the cluster to fail during the time the car stayed at Kelly ford. I think Kelly ford should assume responsibility for the parts and labor. Business Response /* (4000, 24, 2022/11/01) */ The overheat concern that it came in for is repaired. The (pcm) computer sends the signal to the instrument cluster, the cluster malfunction was not caused by Kelly Ford. We would be happy to assist the customer with the repairs as stated previously but he will need to purchase the parts. We are doing this as a customer satisfaction to help the customer. Thank you Consumer Response /* (4200, 26, 2022/11/03) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Kelly ford is not offering anything new or providing reasonable explanation why the temperature gauge failed during the time the car was in their shop. they did not have any data to justify their claim that it was working "intermittently". I am playing any games and have proof for every statement. as a compromise, I am willing to pay 50 % of the authentic ford parts and not be responsible for any labor. Business Response /* (4000, 29, 2022/11/07) */ As a last attempt to close the issue, we would be willing to sell the cluster to the customer at cost with no labor. That is more than fair for something we did not cause. Thank you Consumer Response /* (4200, 31, 2022/11/07) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Again. The business doesn't offer anything new !!. It's the same offer and they fail to acknowledge that the cluster was working properly when I dropped off the car. It doesn't make sense that the cluster just failed while at their shop !!! Now I won't be satisfied unless the Kelly ford provide a clear explanation or be responsible for the full parts and labor cost. Words like it's "no one's fault" or the cluster was working "intermittently" don't make any sense. Again, I am not playing any games. Appreciate BBB's help.

• Initial Complaint

  08/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Van was in to be serviced and when they did work on it, it came back still broke or they said they can't figure it out a month later now they're refusing to work on it

  Business response

  09/15/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/24) */ Customer has brought his van in for repair work. We performed the correct repairs per the codes that were in the system. Customer brought the van back a couple times for different codes, we resolved those issues as well. Customer was scheduled for us to diagnose the vehicle on August 23, 2022. Customer showed up to the dealership, video taped the drive and the dealership without permission, got into his camaro and peeled out sliding around the corner in the parking lot. I personally called the customer and asked was that you, he stated it was. I then told him we will do no further work on the vehicle due to his actions. At that time Josh K***** said ok and hung up on me. Later that day the owner of **************, Cam K***** (the uncle) drove down 30 minutes to talk with us. Greatly apologized for his nephews behavior, was very sincere and a great guy to work with. We agreed at that time as long as we did not see or hear from Josh K***** we would work on his vehicle. He agreed and said if Josh showed up on the lot then call the cops. I can provide his phone number if needed. I actually called Cam K***** this morning after receiving this allegation, Cam stated he would get it taken care of and talk with Josh K***** today. We take pride in our work and how we work with customers, and Cam K***** sees and understands that. He stated he purchased his first car from Kelly Ford 45 years ago. So unfortunately, this BBB case should be dissolved. The owner of the company apologized to Kelly Ford and we are still working with them on this vehicle. Josh K***** is no longer allowed on the property. I have attached the picture of him peeling out in our parking lot next to the transit they own. Thank you

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩