NHTSA Complaint #10522236 — 2012 FORD F-150

I OBTAINED THIS VEHICLE NOVEMBER 2012 FROM FORD MOTOR COMPANY AFTER WINNING AN ARBITRATION CASE I FILED. REASON: THE FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM IN THE TRUCK IT REPLACED, A 2010 FORD, 150, 4X4, WAS TOTALLY INACCURATE AND UNDEPENDABLE. THE ARBITRATOR AGREED THAT IT WAS UNSAFE AND GRANTED US THE OPTION EITHER TO ACCEPT A NEW VEHICLE WITH SIMILAR FEATURES, OR A BUY-BACK. THROUGHOUT MONTHS OF PROCESSING AND SEVERAL VISITS TO A LOCAL FORD DEALER FOR UNSUCCESSFUL REPAIR ATTEMPTS, FORD STEADFASTLY DENIED ANY ISSUES EXISTED--THAT THE ENTIRE FUEL MONITORING AND MEASURING SYSTEM WAS WORKING AS DESIGNED--DESPITE THE FACT THAT A DISINTERESTED THIRD PARTY EXPERT HIRED BY THE BBB TEST DROVE OUR TRUCK AND CONCLUDED IT WAS DEFECTIVE. FURTHERMORE, A GOOGLE SEARCH REVEALED NUMEROUS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS WHEREIN SOME OWNERS ACTUALLY RAN OUT OF GAS OWING TO AN INACCURATE FUEL GAUGE READING. HERE IS A RECENT AND TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF THE PROBLEM: A FEW DAYS AGO WHEN I STARTED MY TRUCK, "MILES TO EMPTY" WAS 225. THE FUEL TANK SHOWED BETWEEN ONE-QUARTER AND ONE-HALF FULL. APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES LATER, "MILES TO EMPTY" READ 90, AND THE GAS GAUGE WAS SLIGHTLY ABOVE EMPTY. I DON'T REALLY CARE MUCH ABOUT THE "MILES TO EMPTY" FEATURE BECAUSE I'VE LEARNED NOT TO TRUST IT; HOWEVER, WHEN THE FUEL GAUGE SHOWS A HALF TANK OF GAS REMAINING, THEN A FEW MINUTES LATER DROPS TO NEARLY EMPTY, I BECOME CONCERNED--PARTICULARLY WHEN DRIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS WHERE WE LIVE, AND IN SNOW CONDITIONS, THUS CREATING A SAFETY ISSUE. TO THIS DAY, FORD DENIES AN ISSUE EXISTS. *TR