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NEWS FROM YOUR VEHICLE CONCERN REPRESENTATIVE

Hello to everyone and a special welcome for the new comers to the Saline Plant. I am Mary Campbell, Saline's UAW-Ford Vehicle Concern Representative and Dealer Panel member. My work is similar to a liaison between the Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealerships service departments and YOU, the customer. I step in to assist when you have exhausted your avenues to get satisfaction with your Ford or Lincoln Mercury vehicle.

Your UAW and Ford Motor Company are jointly committed to providing you a process that is designed to address your needs as an owner of a Ford or Lincoln-Mercury vehicle. If you are experiencing a warranty or repair/service concern with your vehicle, please observe the following steps.

Carefully review your basic warranty. Do you have an extended service plan? Contact your dealership and speak with a Service Advisor (the person who writes your work order). Be sure to clearly explain the problem in detail to this person as he/she will be passing this information on to the technician who will actually be working on your vehicle. For example, if your truck is making a humming noise at a particular speed, make the Service Advisor aware of the exact sound and where it seems to be coming from.

Upon completion of the repair and you do not feel your concerns have been addressed, ask to speak with the Service Manager. Explain to him or her the situation. If the Service Manager does not handle the problem, request to speak with the General Manager. In many cases this is the owner of the dealership. Nearly all matters, if justifiable, can be resolved at this point.

If you do not get any satisfaction after speaking with the owner and/or General Manager, contact the Ford Customer Assistance Center, toll free at 1-800-392-3673. The person with whom you will be speaking with will be documenting the information you supply him or her so it is imperative you give detailed facts including; dates of repairs, names of the dealership personnel you have spoken with, and the vehicle identification number along with the vehicle's current mileage. The action you receive will depend on your issues, your vehicle's mileage and other factors. The Customer Assistance Center does contact the dealership in question within a couple days and sometimes, that same day. Keep in mind that even if you do not get the help you need from them, you have made the initial contact and your concerns have been documented. This, in itself is vital for Ford to track calls and record the different concerns and complaints that customers are experiencing not only with a particular vehicle but with certain dealerships as well.

At this point is when I can get involved to see what options may be left for you in achieving the greatest level of satisfaction with your initial concern. I would also be willing to guide you through the above steps if necessary. My phone number is (734) 429-6833 or ext. 5-6833.

*** IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ ***

In regards to the Firestone recall and the huge number of complaints to both Firestone and Ford, it would be best to directly contact Firestone or Ford. Both have set up toll free numbers addressing only tire concerns. The Firestone number is 800-465-1904 and the Ford number is 800-660-4719.