“My multi-point inspection didn’t say anything…”
A woman took her Ford Bronco to the dealership for an oil change. Then her car caught on fire.
In a social media video series with more than 30,200 views as of this writing, Ashley (@saltabstract) shares that her Ford Bronco Sport experienced major issues after her oil change at a Ford dealership.
Ashley claims that she started having issues with the Bronco immediately after she bought it.. An oil change from Ford of Franklin only made matters worse, she says.
“I took my car to Ford for a standard oil change. Came out with my car smoking and on fire,” she begins.
Bystanders flagged Ashley down to let her know that her Bronco was on fire. During her return trip to the dealership, she says her car started jerking. Once she got there, a worker floored the gas pedal and smoke came pouring out.
The dealership purportedly told Ashley that they put too much oil in the Bronco and said that the jerking she felt was due to under-inflated tires.
“My multi-point inspection didn’t say anything about the low tire, but they replaced it for free without my permission,” she continues.
Ashley says she had more problems pop up with the Bronco over the following week. She claims she contacted the manager at Ford at Franklin but was left on read.
“He ghosted me. Never contact me back,” she claims..
She believes the dealership kept dodging her so that the statute of limitations would pass, as this oil change took place about a year ago.
Ashley also says that the real cause of the jerking was revealed at a subsequent visit to the dealership. She says they told her, “The jerking in your car is caused by metal shaving in your transmission fluid. It’s gonna cost you 15 grand. It has nothing to do with us over filling your oil.”
Then Ashley took her Bronco to another mechanic for a second look. The mechanic purportedly told her the jerking was caused by the transmission fluid being drained, likely inadvertently. She says he believes they accidentally drained that instead of the oil, which led to them overfilling its oil pan.
“They thought they drained the old oil but they did not… so when they capped it off with new oil, that’s what caused the overfilling,” she says.
Now Ashley says she’s had it with the Ford dealership.
“Ford has screwed me. Nobody’s trying to take responsibility for it. I’m [expletive] pissed… This is highly unacceptable. I never thought going to a dealership for work would turn into them screwing up my car completely. This is crazy,” she says.
In a follow up post, Ashley says she did get into contact with the dealership’s owner. The owner reportedly offered to pay $11,000 of the $15,000 bill which didn’t satisfy Ashley. She demanded the entire bill be covered, including the transmission damage, not just labor. She claims the owner refused, so she told them she was going to pursue legal remedies.
When a mechanic makes a mistake that costs you money, you can take them to court. According to FindLaw, car owners can sue a mechanic or dealership for fraud, faulty repairs, breach of warranty, invalid use of a mechanic’s lien, and false estimates or failing to provide an estimate.
Depending on the amount you’re seeking and jurisdictional limits, this may proceed through small claims court, which is typically faster and a simple enough process to navigate that some opt to represent themselves.
Before filing a claim, there are a few steps to take. First, all evidence should be collected immediately. This will include service documentations, emails, texts, or any related materials.
The next step is to get a second opinion from a different mechanic—the sooner, the better. This provides and preserves evidence that the problems were created by the initial service.
A third approach is trying to settle without going to court, as Ashley says she attempted.
If the business refuses a verbal request for compensation, you or your legal counsel may want to send them a demand letter. This short, formal letter will take note of the damage, cause, and cost, and ask for a specific dollar amount or other remedy, such as fixing the botched job.
If these methods fail to produce the desired result, it may be time to take the mechanic to court.
People couldn’t believe how the dealership allegedly tried to cover up its mistakes.
“Overfled engine… drained the transmission… sent you on the way home… god they [expletive] up,” one person wrote.
Another said, “This is why I do all my own work.. never trust anyone else.”
Other viewers suggested she sue the dealership.
“That’s a [expletive] shame. That’s a [expletive] up dealer. Lawyer up, sue the dealership and keep all paperwork, save emails, messages, everything,” one said.
“Ford themselves ain’t gonna do nothing. Get legal and go for the dealer. Not Ford motor company,” a second advised.
One person said that taking their case to court worked out in their favor, writing, “Small claims court. I just won my case against a mechanic shop who messed up mine.”
Motor1 has contacted Ashely via TikTok direct message and commented on the post as well as Ford of Franklin by email and phone call. This post will be updated if either party replies.
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