Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  11/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a vehicle from the dealership in July, 2024. I paid via loan all appropriate fees to complete the sale and was told that the vehicle will be registered to my current licensee plate in PA. I have not received my registration. This causes my vehicle to not be able to be inspected by PA law. Also, i tried to refinance my loan to a local credit union that will reduce my rate by 2.0%. This is causing me to unnecessarily pay extra financing fee. I need my vehicle registration so that i can complete the two tasked mentioned above.

  Business response

  11/04/2024

  Dear Mr. *********,

  I do apologize for any inconvenience this has caused to you.  We had to keep calling for the title and then when they sent us the title, they didn't sign off on it.  I have been in contact with ***** *****, and they are aware of the situation. It has definitely taken longer than it should have. We send all our out of state title work to a third party.  They review everything and send it to the closest DMV or titling agency closest to your address.  We have submitted everything on our end and just waiting for this to be completed.  We even sent you another temporary plate until this is resolved.  The third-party company is called *** ********** titling corporation.  They informed me that it will go out Wednesday November 6, 2024, and right now Pa is 10-15 business days.   Once completed at the Bureau of motor vehicles you will receive your registration via UPS.  

  ********* ****

  Chenoweth Ford Inc

  Comptroller

  Customer response

  11/13/2024

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait until for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

  Regards,

  ***** *********

• Initial Complaint

  03/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Bought a car from them in January 2022 with a 3 year or 150,000 mile warranty. Advertised to me that if my car ever needed repairs, they would provide a loaner vehicle while mine is in their shop. They are now refusing to give me a loaner car while they have my car in their shop. They estimated that they will have my car for 14 more days.

  Business response

  04/04/2024

  First I should say that **** ****** is no longer employed by Chenoweth Ford. The new General Manager is ****** *******

  Re: ******** **** *** ******** ****

  Customer called and stated she was driving her car when the check engine light came on and it started to make a noise. She said pulled over and was having it towed to us. We gave her an appointment date several days after the vehicle broke down. As per her purchased Service Contract, we cannot give her a covered loaner until we diagnose the concern with her vehicle to insure it is a covered repair. She had her vehicle towed in the day it broke down and we informed her it would not be looked at until her appointment time. We have to schedule tow ins just like other repairs to be fair to all customers. When we were able to determine the cause of the concern and a loaner became available (we are only allowed to have 10 in service at any given time), she was given one 03/26/2024 at no cost to her. She is still in the loaner and will be for the duration of her repairs. Please see attached for her appointment date/repair order and the rental agreement for the date she was put into a free to her loaner.

  Her request for $9000.00 for being without a loaner for 6 days is unreasonable.

   

  **** *******, Parts and Service Coordinator Chenoweth Ford

   

• Initial Complaint

  12/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 3/14/23, I purchased a used 2018 **** ****** from Chenoweth Ford Inc. I put $3000 down and I make monthly payments of 377 dollars. In may of 2023, I had to put front brakes on it. In late June, I had to take it back to the dealer for a battery. They said it was "normal" for new cars to need this amount of work and wanted to charge me around 400 dollars. I was able to obtain a battery from **** auto and and at least knock it down to 210 dollars. On 10/20/23, the transmission went out going out into the on ramp onto the interstate. They rebuilt it. It took them 2 1/2 weeks and they charged me 110 dollars. Now it's leaking oil and the transmission is not shifting right. The low beam headlights (both) are out.

  Business response

  12/26/2023

  Upon learning of ********* transmission concerns with the vehicle he acquired from our dealership, I promptly engaged with our service department to address the matter. Emphasizing the advantage of his extended warranty, I assured him that this coverage would contribute to the resolution of the transmission issues.

  
  Subsequently, several weeks later, ******* contacted me to report persistent problems with his low beam headlights, despite multiple service appointments. Recognizing the importance of ensuring comprehensive customer satisfaction, I liaised with our service department to confirm the ongoing resolution of his transmission issues. Additionally, I sought approval from our General Manager to authorize the complimentary servicing of ********* headlights, demonstrating our commitment to addressing his concerns comprehensively.

  
  As a result of these concerted efforts, I believe that the issues have been effectively resolved at this juncture.

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  May 19 2023 My car towed to Chenoweth Ford by ******** ******* ***** **** hired ******** ****** to take the car to Chenoweth Ford to have an evaluation completed on the car for an Comprehensive Claim. The car was nondriveable and Chenoweth Ford was ***** ****s "select service station" closest to us. 5/22/23 Cathy from Chenoweth called to arrange to arrange tow to their location. I told her the car was dropped off on Friday. She said she would look around for it and let me know. Later May 22 Cathy called back and said the tow company still had the car and they would be bringing it over later that day. This was not true though the tow company has gps records where car was dropped off on May 19 and the didn't tell her they had it. Several calls later with Chenoweth over next two weeks, Chenoweth finally finds our car, on their lot, on June 2, 2023 after we called ***** **** and had the situation escalated. 6/9 John (manager of Body Shop at Chenoweth) calls to say the only thing they can find wrong with the car is it needs new brakes and rotors. I told him that the claim has nothing to do with brakes or rotors. I told home the car rolled smoke from under the passenger side of the hood and the next time we tried it there was an awful sound coming from the steering. Told him it was brought to them undrivable. He called back a few minutes later and said you know what, you are correct, I turned it on and grabbed a hold of the steering wheel and you can't hardly drive that thing. John called sometime over the next couple days said he made appt at ***** ***** Chevrolet on June 21 to have Steering evaluated. Said their shop isn't qualified 6/21 - Chenoweth Ford missed appt with ***** ***** Chevrolet 6/26 - John from Chenoweth calls with false estimate for car repairs. SAID MICE JUST CHEWED SOME WIRES HE COULD FIX THAT , BUT THE STEERING RACK IS BAD AND NOT UNDER INSURANCE AND WILL COST 1200 PARTS AND LABOR TO CHANGE. 7/3 we have car towed to new garage

  Customer response

  08/16/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates that the business has not responded to you directly.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Chenoweth Ford Inc regarding complaint ID *********
  
  Regards,
  
  Joseph *******

• Initial Complaint

  07/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I went to purchase a truck they have advertised for $32,477. I couldn’t figure out why the bank came back wanting 12,500.00 down from me when I was already putting $8000 down due to negativity on my truck. Well I asked for a bill of sale to take to my bank. Anyhow I looked at the bill of sale when I got home to see they raised the price of their truck to $37,500.00 with taxes and everything the truck doesn’t Eve come to $34,000.00. It is unfair to me and everyone else that they are doing this to. If the truck is advertised at that price it needs to be sold for that price.

  Business response

  07/19/2023

  Chenoweth Ford's response to the complaint submitted on 7/10/2023 by Stacy Bates, assigned an ID of ******** is as follows:
  
  Customer was also considering purchasing another truck, a Toyota Tacoma. To estimate payments for them, we used the sale price to estimate the Tacoma, by oversight that price stuck in the paperwork and wasn’t updated to the Ranger price.
  
  Thank you,
  **** ******
  General Manager

• Initial Complaint

  04/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Bought a brand new explorer in late December 2022. Spent $50,000. Transmission is slipping with 3500 miles. Made an appointment stating that I had four kids and lived an hour away, and could not provide me with any type of rental vehicle. No apology, no remorse. Most of the time you can’t even get through to talk to anyone. Said it would be late May before able to provide a rental. I bought a brand new vehicle to NOT be stranded with 3 children & an INFANT. All of this should be covered under WARRANTY, considering I purchased all the extras. ********** rents them everyday.

  Business response

  04/20/2023

  To Whom It May Concern, 

  Karita Flippo has been doing business with us since December of 2022 when she purchased her first new vehicle from us. We take great pride in providing the best customer service we can to all of our valued customers. 

  The customer purchased a 2022 Ford Explorer on 12/27/22 prior to the purchase our technicians performed a Vehicle Inspection on 11/23/22. This is a standard practice at our dealership. 

  Karita called in to schedule an appointment for a slipping in the transmission. Our Service Team works very hard to try to bring customers in as quickly as possible, and even more so when the vehicle was a recent purchase. We know how frustrating it is to have a "New" vehicle and it not be running properly. When the customer called for the appointment, she made no mention on needing a loaner vehicle. 

  Loaner vehicles are at a very high demand in our service department due to parts avaliability, and we try to treat all of our guest the same. Therefore, we do have a running loaner list. At the time of her call, we did not have a loaner available, but was willing to add her to the list as a priority. When this happens, we will add them to the list and provide them with the very next available loaner, Unfortunately, the customer was not willing to wait on the next available loner. As the customer mentioned in the letter, "********** rents them everyday." We are limited to a maximum of 18 loaners with limits set by Ford. So we do have to consider the use of these loaners, and have some sort of process. 

  We are happy to serve all of our customers, and we go above and beyond for each of them. Karita is welcome here, and we would like to resolve any issues she may be having with her brand new vehicle. 

  · 

  : 

  . If you have any further questions, please contact us. 

  : 

  Thank you, 

  Krista Flowers 

  Chenoweth Ford Service Support 

  
  

  Customer response

  04/20/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  In the letter, they straight up lied in their response stating I didn’t request a loaner but then said I didn’t want to wait on a loaner. ( June when one would be available) Obviously, I needed a loaner with 4 small children and one being a newborn. Also stating going above and beyond for your customers is incorrect, as I wasn’t offered any type of apology for YOUR inconvenience. I’m sure FORD MOTOR would disagree with your establishments way of treating customers. 
  
  Regards,
  
  Karita ******

• Initial Complaint

  04/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I visited Chenoweth Ford on 5/31/2022 for an alignment on my 2019 Lincoln MKC. At the time of service my tires were at 7/32 tread depth, my vehicle only had 16,000 miles on it and Star said there was no reason I shouldn't be able to get 20,000-30,000 more miles on my tires. I only drive 5,000-6,000 miles a year as I work from home, so you can imagine my surprise when I got my oil changed on 3/11/2023 about 5,500 miles later and was told my tires were down to 1/32. I work for a series of Ford dealerships out of state and take meticulous care of my vehicle, and I knew there was no way that could be the case in only 5k miles. Tires don't wear like that, unless the alignment is not done properly. I took my vehicle to two other shops and my home shop and all three confirmed that indeed Chenoweth did not do the alignment even close to properly. The dealership I had replace my tires and do the alignment said it was the worst alignment job they had ever seen. I had to fork out nearly $1,000 for an entirely new set of tires and an alignment so I understandably very angry. I handle customer complaints as part of my job, so I tried to be courteous and reach out to the GM Carl Ramsey before filing a complaint. I reached out several times before getting ahold of Carl. Carl said to send all the documentation over to him via email, so I did. I have now called a dozen times and sent multiple follow up emails and he will not contact me back. I have been more than nice, but this is a blatant lack of customer service and certainly not how I treat my dealerships customers. I would like Chenoweth to pay for the damage they caused to my vehicle by failing to do a proper alignment.

  Customer response

  04/26/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I was finally able to get in contact with the service manager at Chenoweth Ford Inc regarding complaint ID ********. He is taking care of me so this can be closed.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* *****

• Initial Complaint

  07/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Chenoweth Ford told me I'd get a $1,000 off my 2022 Ford Ranger ordered on 12/27/2022. When I went to close the deal on 6/20/2022 they said there was an issue generating the certificate for the incentive. That it was from Ford and they couldn't give me the $1,000 off now. I paid the extra $1,000 so I could get my truck and planned to contact Ford myself to get the $1,000. I called Ford Customer Care at 1 (800) 392-3673. They transferred me to Marketing at 800-334-4375 and generated case#*********. When I called back to more information on the case, the representative told me that it was up to the dealer to honor the $1,000. So both parties are pointing their fingers at the other one saying nothing they can do. The program number for the incentive is #*****. It states Customers will receive a $1,000 Ford Retail Order Bonus Cash Certificate for all vehicles ordered between April 1, 2021 and May 2, 2022 under the following order types: 1, 3, A, X, Z. My order type was X and I ordered a 2022 Ford Ranger on 12/27/2021.

  Business response

  07/27/2022

  Chenoweth Ford's response to the complaint submitted on 7/1/2022 by ****** *******, assigned an ID of ******** is as follows:

  
  

   The $1,000 rebate is offered by Ford and not Chenoweth Ford, Inc. Chenoweth Ford, Inc. is not financially responsible for this rebate. The customer does qualify for the Ford Retail Order Bonus Cash Certificate, effective April 1, 2021 and ending May 2, 2022, and since Chenoweth Ford Inc., prides itself on 100% customer satisfaction, we are willing to pay our customer the $1,000 directly and we will follow up with Ford our self regarding this unpaid rebate to refund us for paying to satisfy our customer.

  
  

  Thank you,

  **** ******

  General Manager

  Customer response

  07/27/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait until for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

  Regards,

  ****** *******

• Initial Complaint

  04/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Purchased a car on 4-02-22,had issues with electrical called dealership they told me to replace fob batteries which I did still not working took back to dealership waited 1 hour plus then told they would make appointment with ********’ no response after several calls I then went to a mechanic and replaced second battery in car solved problem now dealership will not reimburse or return calls . Car did not start or unlock my first visit on3-22-22 when I gave a deposit they said would replace both batteries and they finally told me on 4-02-22 it was ready I took test drive and had my mechanic look at the car not thinking about batteries drove fine but after signing went to car and key fobs did not work dealership has basically said to bad and no additional response, salesperson offered to pay out of pocket but said dealership will not

  Customer response

  05/11/2022

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Chenoweth Ford Inc regarding complaint ID *********
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *******

  Business response

  05/12/2022

  Chenoweth Ford's response to the complaint submitted on 4/21/2022 by ***** *******, assigned an ID of ******** is as follows:

  
  

  The customer did purchase a 2007 Mercedes S-Class from Chenoweth Ford on 4/2/2022. As the customer stated in the complaint, Chenoweth Ford allowed the customer to test drive the 2007 Mercedes and have his own mechanic check over before purchase. The customer purchased the 2007 Mercedes "as-is". However, Chenoweth Ford will pay him up to $380.00 for battery cost, as our dealership values customer satisfaction.

  
  

  Thank you,

  **** ******

  General Manager 

• Initial Complaint

  03/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My vehicle was taken to Chenoweth Ford, by a towing company, February 11 2022. The vehicle was taken up there because something in the motor was making noise. They requested we make a payment of $520 to cover the cost of tear down in case warranty did not cover said cost. As far as we know and with what they have told us, the only thing they did was remove the oil pan. I am looking for them to finish the job that was requested of them or a refund of the money that they obtained for said job. I want them to submit the claim to warranty, to find out if warranty will cover or not so we can go from there. There has been a constant struggle with getting them to submit this claim to warranty for the last month.

  Business response

  04/13/2022

  In response to BBB Concern ID *********

  Customer's vehicle was towed in on 02/11/2022 at 59,378 miles on the odometer with a customer concern of "engine noise and check engine light on."

  As per Ford Motor Co. manufactured's warranty or extended service plans purchased through Ford Motor Co., when concerns occur there are diagnostic procedures that must take place to determine vehicle condition and cause of concern. The condition and cause of concern must be manufacturer defect in order to be covered under either of Ford's warranties. The first step when the concern is an engine noise is to verify engine noise heard is outside normal operating parameters. If this is confirmed as abnormal then engine condition must be determined and the number one thing checked is engine oil.

  When the Ford Certified Technician observed the abnormal noise, he checked the engine oil level which in his words "was low and dirty in color," so he checked for any leaks and none were found so he let the Service Advisor know we needed to obtain oil change records to verify proper maintenance as per Ford's maintenance schedule (Maximum allowable distance is 10,000 miles and 12 months between oil and fitter changes) had been performed. Service Advisor spoke with the customer and requested all records for maintenance not performed at the dealership. Dealership records show customer purchased vehicle on 09/03/2020 at 26,802 miles and only maintenance records on file for customer as owner is
  11/30/2020 at 32,723 miles and an additional Parts Department Counter Sale on 03/22/2021 for oil and filter not tied to a VIN.

  On 02/21/2022, at technician request additional diagnosis time for tear down of engine to determine extent of damage of having tow oil with reduced viscosity, Service Advisor contacted customer to let them know that an additional 4 hours at $520.00 would be required to move forward. This time would determine exact failure and repair needed before determining if Ford or Customer would be responsible for repair. Customer finally agreed and paid additional diagnosis fee on 03/04/2022. Technician then "removed oil pan and crank bearing cap no problem found removed rod bearing caps found worn bearing in wrist pin bearing on two pistons removed valve cover and cam bearing caps found excessive wear in cam bearing due to lack of oil or dirty oil so with worn bearing in head and block" requires engine replacement and without further proof of maintenance it could not be claimed under warranty because the damage was determined by a Ford Certified Technician to be due to low and dirty oil.

  On 03/18/2022 and 03/21/2022, customer emailed multiple business receipts and bank statements circling what the customer said was proof of maintenance. That is not the case. Included were a **** ***** receipt from 01/20/2022 with oil based stain circled and an oil stabilizer circled and several partial sections of bank statements showing only month and year with 5 or 6 transactions circled (circled transactions were for *******, multiple restaurants, gas stations, **** ** tool payments, State Farm, and other miscellaneous places that do not prove what was purchased with any of the charges). The customer cannot provide proof of regular maintenance and since the vehicle was brought in with no oil leak found but "low and dirty oil" and engine damage requiring an engine replacement, this is not covered under any Ford warranty and would be solely the customer's responsibility.

  The customer was notified of the required repair; informed that it would be their responsibility financially to pay for the repair as this is not due to a manufacturer defect but lack of maintenance by customer given an estimate for total repair; and informed of the deposit required to order the parts necessary to perform repair. Customer has not conformed that they wish to proceed.

  Sincerely,

  ***** ************
  Service Manager
  

  
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩