Jim Butler Fiat

by learykp on 05/02/2016

On 3/31/16 I purchased a 2011 F150 Lariat from Jim Butler Fiat in South County. The morning after the purchase I heard a loud rattle when I first started the truck. Later in the day on 4/1 I heard the noise again after the truck sat for a few hours. Then, the morning of 4/2 I took video of truck being started first thing that morning. Again, there was a loud rattle. I began to research the symptom online and discovered it was a timing chain defect that is common on F150 Eco Boost engines. On 4/3, not even 48 hours of owning the truck I emailed my salesperson and the GM at Jim Butler Fiat and told them of the issue. They said to bring the truck in so the service manager could hear it. I did so only a couple days later and they confirmed there was a bad timing chain causing the noise. I contacted Ford and they told me there is nothing they can do but suggest a local dealership to fix it. I contacted two Ford dealerships and they both quoted me $3,000 for the repair. It's important to know that the rattle only happens after the truck sits for at least a couple of hours. Therefore, I did not hear it during the test drive because the salesman had just started it and pulled it up. Also, when I drove it home after the purchase I was told they would have it "detailed" which I believe they wanted to start it and have the engine warm. For 3 weeks I pleaded with the GM at Jim Butler Fiat and asked that he would help. All he did was offer to SELL me a $2,000 warranty that would not fix the rattle but if the truck broke down I would be covered. Didn't make much sense to me. I asked several times to just buy the truck back and he never even acknowledged that request. I even said I would accept a $1,000 refund check to keep the truck because I thought that would help me pay it down and then trade it away to another dealer. After 3 weeks of the run around I mentioned I would seek legal advice. At that time Brad Sowers the President said he would only discuss this matter an attorney and not myself. They have offered no suggestions to help me. Brad even said he does not see that they did anything wrong. The rattle started day 1 after I purchased. Common sense tells you the defect was there when you sold it. It's unethical to say it was not. The GM even offered to "eat" the sales tax if he can find me a new truck. For him to "eat" the tax sounds like an admission of guilt. It think it's also relevant to know that Jim Butler purchased this truck from an auction. They sold me a truck that needs a $3,000 repair and I have reason to believe they knew about the noise. They won't accept any responsibility and therefore I will share my story with everyone that will listen.

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