Pre Certified Vehicle with a hood issue

MARIAV75 said:
It's a 2015 Ford Edge. It is certified pre-owned and purchased it with around 16K miles. Thanks. And I lied, he (body shop manager) told me he test drove a 2015, he actually test drove a 2016- and this is the last sentence from his email he sent me:

"The front of the hood has adequate tension when latched so I don't see a safety concern at the present time. It is my belief this is a result of Ford's newer design perhaps needing thicker hinges or the hood panel design itself may just be too light. This may be addressed in time if enough owners come forward with a similar complaint, but right now I just don't see it happening as the movement doesn't appear to be more than a few millimeters on either vehicle I observed."

...................... its definitely more than a few millimeters, by the way.... passengers in my car notice it..........especially on the highway.
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Did the body shop notice any evidence of damage and repair from a motor vehicle collision?
All collisions aren't reported to CarFax, if someone pays in cash, without involving insurance companies.

You might have a body shop go over the vehicle looking for any evidence of collision, or any other damage (such as act of God).
 
army judge said:
Did the body shop notice any evidence of damage and repair from a motor vehicle collision?
All collisions aren't reported to CarFax, if someone pays in cash, without involving insurance companies.

You might have a body shop go over the vehicle looking for any evidence of collision, or any other damage (such as act of God).
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Yes the competitor (another Ford dealership here in NJ) did and he said it looked like there was damage in transport when they delivered the car (car came from Canada). He said it most likely threw off the hood balance. Then he pointed out a few areas where he can see they made some repairs. He also wrote me out an estimate to have the hood hinges and lock replaced. He further stated if that didn't work they would need to replace the hood.

HOWEVER, when I told him I wanted HIM doing the work to get it over with he came back with this email:

"I had an opportunity to drive a 2016 late yesterday. I took it through an area under construction and another area where there were roads with bumps similar to where we drove yesterday. There was some vertical movement of the hood identical to yours. This is enough to be noticed while driving, but I don't think it is a cause for concern. From what I can see it is just the final fit of these hoods. There is no adjustment that will stiffen the rear edge of the panel, and the hood lock and front snubbers only affect the front edge fit and tension.


I also had a conversation this morning with the head service writer at our Ford service department and he tells me no customers had a similar complaint. Since the gaps around the hood are within spec visually, my only conclusion would be that the vertical "bounce" that occurs at the rear edge of the hood may be common place on this new body style and simply isn't being noticed by more drivers as this area is not really being focused on during normal driving conditions. More complaints of this nature need to be reported to Ford before a hood fitment issue can be addressed (since it seems like more of annoyance than a safety issue until reported to Ford differently).


The front of the hood has adequate tension when latched so I don't see a safety concern at the present time. It is my belief this is a result of Ford's newer design perhaps needing thicker hinges or the hood panel design itself may just be too light. This may be addressed in time if enough owners come forward with a similar complaint, but right now I just don't see it happening as the movement doesn't appear to be more than a few millimeters on either vehicle I observed."


He TOTALLY backed off. This has become a big game. And he test drove a 2016, not 2015, IF it has anything to do with that and just the simple fact my car was damaged and repaired.

Such a joke.
 
adjusterjack said:
I didn't find any Ford recalls for hood latch problems but I did find one recall that you might want to check on:

2015 Ford Edge Recalls | FordProblems.com

There are a couple of websites devoted to the Ford Edge that you can join and see if anybody else has the same issue and can suggest a solution:

Ford Edge Forum, Ford Edge Owners

Ford Edge - Ford Forums & Technical Discussions

Otherwise, you might take it to a non-dealer repair shop and have it looked at.
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Thank you, I've been on one of those forums. The members said my hood should not shake, flop, or move...... yes, as I knew. LOL

I am bringing it Tues to a non dealership place, he said hell drive it on the highway for me. Can't wait to see the outcome.
 
army judge said:
You now to need to investigate prior owners of the vehicle.
Your goal is to obtain a statement that the car had been damaged previously.
You need to know the where and how of that damage.
Using the VIN could help you search nationally using police agencies, rather state reporting agencies.

CarFax reports they do gather Canadian data.

Where Does CARFAX get its data? Car Data Sources | CARFAX®
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Thank you very much. This is all very useful information. I don't feel like I'm totally alone in process, even though were on a forum :)

I am going to do some searching tonight with the VIN and see what I come up with. Hopefully, I can obtain a statement.

Well, at least I know the report I ran includes data from Canada. That's a start.
 
MARIAV75 said:
Thank you very much. This is all very useful information. I don't feel like I'm totally alone in process, even though were on a forum :)

I am going to do some searching tonight with the VIN and see what I come up with. Hopefully, I can obtain a statement.

Well, at least I know the report I ran includes data from Canada. That's a start.
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As an update, the hood is defective. I've had 2 independent body shops provide details and attest that the hood has been damages, most likely in transport. Come to find out the dealership took the latch off and moved it, and there has been repair work done to the hood. Both saw the hood moving as soon as they hit 50-6-MPH. Now... next steps. I have everything in writing. Thanks for all of your help....
 
MARIAV75 said:
Come to find out the dealership took the latch off and moved it, and there has been repair work done to the hood.
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If you can prove (not just say) it with documentary evidence, you are free to get your hood repaired or replaced and sue the dealer for reimbursement.

That's if continuing to "talk" to the dealer gets you nowhere.
 
adjusterjack said:
If you can prove (not just say) it with documentary evidence, you are free to get your hood repaired or replaced and sue the dealer for reimbursement.

That's if continuing to "talk" to the dealer gets you nowhere.
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Thanks, yes I have it documented by an independent auto body and a competitor. Thank you for all of your help, again, and I will keep you apprised of the outcome.
 
MARIAV75 said:
Thanks, yes I have it documented by an independent auto body and a competitor. Thank you for all of your help, again, and I will keep you apprised of the outcome.
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Oh and one last question- should I have it on video (of course, a passenger taking the video) of this hood bouncing around and shaking on the highway? Not sure if I need to do that or not...
 
MARIAV75 said:
Oh and one last question- should I have it on video (of course, a passenger taking the video) of this hood bouncing around and shaking on the highway? Not sure if I need to do that or not...
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That wouldn't hurt your case.

Offering to let the judge examine the car the day of the trial wouldn't hurt either.
 
MARIAV75 said:
Oh and one last question- should I have it on video (of course, a passenger taking the video) of this hood bouncing around and shaking on the highway? Not sure if I need to do that or not...
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A video is an excellent idea. Make sure you bring a portable self contained video player.

A judge isn't likely to have the time or the inclination to go outside and take a test drive in the car.

As for your documents, make sure the people who wrote those documents come to court to testify. Every party to litigation has the right to question adverse witnesses. A document cannot be questioned and is likely to be declared inadmissable if the writer is not there to testify and a smart defendant objects to it.

And the person who takes the video (unless you use a dash cam) also needs to testify as the the circumstances under which the video was taken.

It's called laying the foundation for evidence. While small claims courts rules are a bit relaxed, the basics still have to be followed.
 
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adjusterjack said:
A video is an excellent idea. Make sure you bring a portable self contained video player.

A judge isn't likely to have the time or the inclination to go outside and take a test drive in the car.

As for your documents, make sure the people who wrote those documents come to court to testify. Every party to litigation has the right to question adverse witnesses. A document cannot be questioned and is likely to be declared inadmissable if the writer is not there to testify and a smart defendant objects to it.

And the person who takes the video (unless you use a dash cam) also needs to testify as the the circumstances under which the video was taken.

It's called laying the foundation for evidence. While small claims courts rules are a bit relaxed, the basics still have to be followed.
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You have all been fantastic and very helpful. I feel like I've been completely "had" and I feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
 

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