July 15, 2019

To:
Jennifer Rowley
BBB Auto Line

From:
Jake Thiewes
Case FRD1917869-1R

Re: Corrections to Ford Manufacturer Response Form

Dear Jennifer,

In reviewing the Ford Manufacturer Response Form that you passed along today, July 15, I
found some inaccuracies that should be addressed either prior to my arbitration hearing or as
part of the in-person meeting.

Mr. Charles Hickey completed the Manufacturer Response Form after reviewing the submitted
repair orders for my 2018 Ford F-150. In the form, Mr. Hickey claims “no single non-conformity
was subject to four (4) or more repair attempts.” This is patently false with regards to my
primary complaint – the engine rattle when cold – as the vehicle was at two dealerships for a
total of four (4) repair attempts and 47 days out of service for this single issue. Mr. Hickey
ignored one service invoice altogether, and included a dash (--) when counting “days down” for
the longest period the vehicle was off the road at a dealership’s service department. Below is
the correct information, presented in Ford’s selected format.

Dealer RO Number Date Mileage Actions Days

Down
Ted Britt Fairfax 330839 1/10/19 – 13,817 TSB 18-2354: Reflashed PCM to 1
1/10/19 latest level. Dealer claimed “noise
is a lot better.”
Ted Britt Fairfax 351706 1/28/19 – 14,217 Verified rattling noise accel & 8
2/4/19 decel around 1700 RPM. Dealer
claimed “normal characteristic of
this 2018 5.0 engine.”
Battlefield Ford 6055774 2/21/19 – 14,754 Found rattle noise internal to VCT 8
2/28/19 solenoids. Performed hotline
research. Dealer claimed “normal
operation.”
Battlefield Ford 6058005 3/16/19 – 15,476 Rattle noise still present. 30
4/16/19 Contacted hotline. Dealer
instructed to release vehicle,
“noise is normal operation.”
Mr. Hickey continues, claiming “the servicing dealership was never able to duplicate the
concerns of the rattle noise.” Again, this is false. The service managers of both Ted Britt Ford
(Rob Teasdale) and Battlefield Ford (David Ledgere) discussed this issue with me at length, in
person and over the phone. Mr. Ledgere agreed that my particular truck produced a rattle
noise far louder than the brand-new trucks he drove as samples – but claimed Ford Corporate
instructed him to not work on the truck after extensive investigation – hence the 30 days out of
service as he researched and went back-and-forth with Corporate in March and April.

Mr. Hickey states that “Ford sent a Field Service Engineer to inspect the vehicle and after
extensive road and diagnostic testing (emphasis mine) … was still unable to duplicate the
concerns.” The Repair Order for this Field Service Engineer’s “extensive” testing shows a one
mile difference between the “Mileage In” and “Mileage Out” records – 17,124 and 17,125.

Finally, Mr. Hickey concludes that the Field Service Engineer “found the vehicle to be operating
as designed.” Given Ford issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB 18-2354) on November 27,
2018, claiming that “some 2018 F-150 … equipped with a 5.0L engine may exhibit an engine
rattle noise during a deceleration tip-out throttle maneuver from 1500 RPM to 800 RPM and/or
during an acceleration tip-in maneuver around 2000 RPM” – I truly question the judgement of
Mr. Hickey, the Field Service Engineer, and Ford Motor Company at large.

“Some” does not equal “all.” Ford has admitted there is a problem, they have discovered that
the PCM reprogramming does not rectify the problem, and are instructing dealership service
managers to claim “normal operation” for an issue that, per their own Technical Service
Bulletin, is anything but. Over 100 owners/lessors of 2018-2019 F-150s equipped with 5.0L V8
engines have discussed this problem, and lack of solution, on F150forum.com, the link to which
I provided in an earlier communication to you.

I look forward to discussing this matter further on July 26, 2019 at my arbitration hearing.

Thank you,

Jake Thiewes
jthiewes@gmail.com
703-508-2252