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Rising fuel prices may have some Canadians considering buying a hybrid vehicle, but one Calgary man is actually reconsidering his purchase.
Gary Lambert, who considers himself environmentally conscious, bought a Ford Explorer Hybrid back in 2020.
“I’ve been a tree hugger for a while,” he told Global News. “This is the first vehicle designed specifically to tow a hybrid trailer.”
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Unfortunately it has been parked at the dealership a lot since I bought it.
“I picked it up in November (2020) and the first problem occurred in January 2021,” he said. “I got an error message saying there was a powertrain failure and the engine needed to be checked.”
“I took it in and they reprogrammed the control module and a few other things and said, ‘It should be fine.'”
Gary Lambert’s vehicle sits in the lot.
Credit: Gary Lambert
But unfortunately, he said, the only place it ended up going was back in the store.
“I’ve had three more transmissions like this in the last year and I’ve checked engine-related incidents,” he added.
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After several repairs, the dealer diagnosed the problem as a problem with the vehicle’s lithium battery, Lambert said. The store ordered a new one, which finally arrived about five months later.
“I brought the vehicle on May 9,” he said. “They said it would take two days to replace the battery.”
“That’s the last time I’ll own the car. It’s been at the dealership ever since.
The dealer, the manufacturer are trying to do good
“We are doing everything humanly possible to get Mr. Lambert’s vehicle to him,” Marlborough Ford service manager Gordon Goulding told Global News by phone.
When asked what the problem was, Goulding said the dealership was having trouble getting the parts they needed.
Lambert doesn’t dispute the growing concern about supply chain issues. But he questions Marlborough Ford’s expertise and employee training on hybrid vehicles.
“In January they said it was a battery,” he said. “Then after nine months of testing, when I bring the car in, they turn around and say we need to do more testing – it might not be the battery.”
Ford started production of hybrid vehicles in 2009.
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“I wish they would find the problem and fix it. Replace the battery. Or if they really want to continue this testing, take it back to Ford and give me a new vehicle.
Ford Canada also responded to inquiries from Global News.
In a statement, the automaker said: “In recent testing of a customer’s vehicle, it is running without issue.
“Due to the inconvenience, we have offered this customer two months’ worth of payments and apologize for the time spent without a vehicle.”
Global News repeatedly asked about Lambert’s concern that Ford may not be adequately prepared to deal with the challenges of hybrid or electric vehicles, but did not receive a response.
We also asked the Canadian Association of Vehicle Manufacturers the same question, but were referred back to Ford.
Gary Lambert is waiting for the vehicle to be repaired.
Global Calgary
Lambert told Global News that he has now heard from Ford. He said he was told the store didn’t replace the battery, which he called “frustrating.” But he said they had replaced the battery controller module, which the manufacturer said seemed to fix the error code problem.
He hopes for the best and is glad to finally have an explanation.
Regarding choosing a hybrid, he told Global News that despite the rush, he has no regrets.
“I really like the fuel efficiency, I like the environmental impact,” he added. “I really like it when it works.”
© 2022 Global News by Corus Entertainment Inc. department.
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