NHTSA Complaint #10641208 — 2008 FORD MUSTANG

AFTER EXITING THE VEHICLE ON 9/30/14, THE DRIVER'S DOOR REFUSED TO LATCH AFTER ATTEMPTING CLOSING THE DOOR SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT IN AN ACCIDENT AND THERE IS NO BODY DAMAGE WHATSOEVER. AS THIS INCIDENT HAS NEVER APPEARED BEFORE, I CALLED MY SERVICING DEALERSHIP AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM. THEY INSTRUCTED ME TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THEM SINCE THEY SAID IT WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. AFTER A BRIEF TIME ON HOLD ON THE CALL, THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY COULD NOT PERFORM THE WORK UNTIL OCTOBER 3, 2014 AND THAT, IN FACT, IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE UNTIL THEN. THEY INSTRUCTED ME TO SLOWLY "PULL" THE DOOR SHUT INSTEAD OF THE NORMAL CLOSING OPERATION. THIS DID, IN FACT, WORK AND THE DOOR REMAINED CLOSED, BUT I DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THIS SOLUTION SINCE, I FELT, THAT EITHER: 1) THE DOOR COULD SWING OPEN AT ANY TIME OR 2) THE DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN AND I COULD BECOME TRAPPED INSIDE THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE MALFUNCTIONING DOOR OPERATION. I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP ON OCTOBER 3, 2014 AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY ISSUE NATURE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE DEALERSHIP HAS INFORMED ME: 1) THAT THEY CANNOT REPAIR THIS SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE UNTIL 10/10/14 AND 2) THAT THEY WILL NOT PERFORM THE REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. I DID REPORT THIS SAFETY ISSUE TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY THROUGH THEIR CORPORATE HOTLINE FOUND ON THEIR WEBSITE, BUT THEY INSISTED THAT I "WORK THROUGH THE DEALERSHIP." *TR