Brake_L8

Thanks. It is a very painful process of herding cats and associated information, but holding Ford's feet to the fire matters to me given how they have treated this TSB. My other half is an attorney, so he's intimately familiar with the arbitration process and is helping me prep for the 26th. I plan to show up in a full suit and be polite and articulate while coming in swinging hard with documentation, facts, and research.

ninjamac

Awesome! Please update!!

ps if it turns into class-action, and the ecorattles are included, I’m definitely in

Brake_L8

Update: I am no longer headed to arbitration this Friday.

Because...

I WON MY CASE. Apparently BBB sent along my "response letter" that I wrote after Ford submitted their official written response, and Ford decided to just stop fooling around. They extended an offer to repurchase the truck, and it is the same offer I'd receive in a "best case" scenario after the arbitration hearing. So, I agreed to the offer and am waiting on final numbers.

In Virginia, the "program summary" between Ford and BBB Auto Line states that in a repurchase of a lease, the lessor must be made whole on all payments made, minus a usage charge. The charge is calculated by [Miles Driven -- 100 Miles / 100,000] x [Gross Capitalized Cost - Rebates]. So, if you add up the payments I've made, subtract the usage charge, I think I will walk away with a couple grand in my pocket. I think. In any case, I am very excited to have this process almost entirely behind me.

I have another vehicle to drive while we wait on final numbers and to hear back re: when/where to drop this F150 off. The F150 is currently parked and will accrue no more mileage until I drop it off or Ford picks it up. It's got 38 miles to empty showing on the info screen and oil life is at 25%. It's been an okay 18,874 miles although the hours spent running to dealerships, explaining myself in detail over countless phone calls, and miles accrued in base-model Focuses, Escapes, and F150s (and one lone Grand Caravan) are all something I don't need to re-live with the next vehicle.

No idea what I want to purchase next, but I need something that can pull my 6500 lb enclosed racecar trailer. I am staunchly anti-GM so their offerings are out. May go back to an 11-14 F-150 like I had, or explore some other brands' offerings.

For those on the fence about what to do next with your trucks:

• Document EVERYTHING.
• Check out the BBB Auto Line process and the rules for your state
• If you are within the Auto Line's requirements, submit a claim! VA's requirements were:
  • 30 days continuously out of service for a repair OR 4+ attempts to repair the same defect
  • Claim submitted within first 18 months or 18k miles
  • Defect substantially impairs use, safety or value of vehicle - I argued it affected my use given how often it was in the shop for an unresolved fix, and offered no value when I couldn't use it for towing given it was in the shop

I will stick around here to answer questions and follow up with the final steps in this process. A big thank you to all who provided words of encouragement and even shared your tales in this thread. I hope others can also find appropriate resolution. Remember, Ford is counting on this process to be difficult and for you to give up because it's not worth the hassle. If you stay organized, polite, and firm, it can be worth it.

coyotekeith

Did not work on mine. Rattle is still there.

BeninCT

I suspect if you drive with window open next to a wall when engine is cold you will hear it in all of them. Be curious about your feedback.

chahalz

So I got my 2018 5.0 back from service. Service advisor told me engine was consuming oil. I have done my fair share of head butting with Ford about the rattle issue but since they have claimed it to be normal, I’ve been ignoring that issue completely. Back to the oil consumption issue , they have asked me to log the oil level every week or every 320 kms. They said if it consumes more than a litre oil in the next 4800kms they are going to replace my engine. I’m hoping it keeps on consuming oil so I can get a new engine. Maybe that ll solve the rattle issue too.

kriminaal

Hmm, so if I take out some oil to make it look like it's consuming oil. Then I can get it fixed?

Stu Cazzo

Can you keep us posted? Not wanting to jinx your new motor but if the off-throttle comes back?

Truck22

My engine was replaced due to excessive oil consumption, and the rattle is just as bad as it was with the original engine.

RJ06FX4

Did your replacement engine rattle from day one or did it take a while to show up? I can see how people think it takes a while to show up because I haven't even payed attention to mine lately and don't even notice it unless I focus on it and work the throttle to make it rattle. I'm just wondering if I drove the truck over 5000 miles before I even noticed it.