There is one perk of owning a vehicle made by a brand that is shattering all the records for recalls. Invariably, there could be some owners upset at the problems and all the visits to the dealerships, and it seems Ford wants to try and make things right. By right, we mean financially lucrative for customers who stick with the company instead of taking their business elsewhere.
In simpler terms, Ford is reportedly offering a sneaky new retention program that could give owners stuck with extended service or repair issues up to 10% off the purchase of a new vehicle.
This Isn't An Advertised Offer
Ford introduced the Owner Retention Certificate Program on November 18, CarsDirect reports. It's not an advertised special, though, so if you just walk in to your dealer and ask for it, you're probably not going to get it. According to CarsDirect, it was explained in a letter to dealers as a means "to help retain customers who have lost confidence in their vehicle due to unsatisfactory service experiences."
Unsatisfactory can mean a lot of different things, but the letter elaborates that it's about making owners who have had multiple repair visits happy. Ford has had well over 100 recalls this year, with millions of vehicles impacted. Some have been recalled multiple times, not just for different issues but to take another shot at fixing the same issue. It's understandable that those customers might be a little perturbed.
There's some more fine print, of course. It's not 10% off the new car, it's calculated as 10% of the MSRP of the vehicle you already own. So you can't bring in your $30,000 Escape and get $10,000 off a loaded-up $100,000 Lincoln. The maximum amount is $6,000 off a Ford or $10,000 off a new Lincoln. There are some model exclusions as well, namely halo rides like the F-150 Raptor.
California residents are also excluded, though it's not clear why. Vehicles also can't be "lemon law" eligible as Ford will probably be buying those back anyway, instead of selling you a new vehicle. Though we suspect those buyers might be the ones who need the most convincing to stay with Ford. Then again, if your experience has been bad enough to warrant a buyback, it's hard to imagine having enough trust to buy another vehicle from the same company.
Will Buyers Want To Stay?
One requirement is a real kicker, though, since some of these recurring recalls are on older models. That requirement says that the vehicle in question has to have been in service for less than 36 months and be under 36,000 miles. So it's really only for owners under warranty who've lost time, but not money.
Source: CarsDirect
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This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
