2007 Lincoln Navigator Elite review from North America

I am extremely disappointed with the Ford Motor Company as they have denied my warranty claim for corrosion taking place on my 2 year old, $62,000.00, 2007 Lincoln Navigator, which is showing signs of corrosion perforation on the rear lift gate.

My owners manual warranty coverage clearly states that this vehicle is offered with a 5 year, UNLIMITED MILEAGE warranty against corrosion, which I believe all cars should be. Today, my local Lincoln Mercury dealership inspected the corrosion, took photos, and explained that with the financial problems Ford Motor Co is going through these days, my claim might be denied. 15 minutes later, sure enough, to my disbelief and extreme disappointment, my claim was indeed denied by a "Ford digital image review board". The explanation was that although I and the Service Manager clearly see corrosion on the lift gate, the digital image apparently did not show the perforation so the the claim was denied. The Service Manager explained that they would love to repair my vehicle under warranty, but it is not his call. He gave me a Ford Motor Co Customer Service phone number and said I need to express my concerns to them. Their attitude was the review boards decision is "irreversible" and there is nothing that can be done.

The fact that I and my family have owned nothing but Ford Motor vehicles for the past 15 years, and I am being treated as if they could care less if we buy another brand of vehicle is extremely disturbing, especially in light of the financial situation the big three are in right now. I have never and never planned to by an import vehicle until now. This situation has put a very bad taste in my mouth. The fact that Ford trying to earn new business by offering to make payments for you if you lose your job is great, but the fact that they could care less about keeping a loyal, existing customer for a couple hundred dollars to repair and paint a 2 year old lift gate on a $62,000 dollar vehicle.

Bottom line is I love the looks, performance, and comfort of this vehicle. The quality seems to be decent, but Customer Service gets a big ZERO!!!

Due to this experience I will never buy another Ford Motor Co vehicle, nor will I recommend Ford vehicles to anyone.