Reliability vs customer service

I took delivery of a Ford Ranger 2.0 Wildtrak bi-turbo d/c 4x4 a/t in May of 2020. I have had multiple parts failures over the years. There is a history of repairs at Halfway Ford Waterfall (Hillcrest), Ford in the Bluff (Durban), CMH Ford uMgeni, and Ford in Pinetown, to mention dealers I still remember.

My conservative estimate is that I have been without this car for a combined period of at least 10 weeks, if I add all the days it went in for repairs, including waiting for parts. I am happy to share my chassis number so that all the warranty claims can be verified. With all these incidents, I was only offered a courtesy vehicle twice.

It is the last incident that has prompted me to write this review. Late in November of 2025, I noticed a ticking sound in the engine at idle, which became louder under acceleration. There was also a smell of oil in the cabin. I booked the car at a dealer close to where I work. I took the car in on 25 November 2025. The service provider asked a technician to verify what I reported. He confirmed everything. Later that day, I received a call from a service advisor informing me that they had to submit a claim, and the parts would be ordered upon a claim being approved. Two days later, I was informed that the last of the parts would arrive on 19 December. Last week, I was informed that there was a new ETA, the last of the parts was going to arrive on 02 January 2026.

I was kindly and belatedly offered a courtesy car (which was the second time ever I was ever despite all the unreliability issues. I was advised to insure the courtesy because the excess would be 17K (at least that's what I thought I heard). Today, I finally got a chance to accommodate their driver in my schedule to come and pick me up from my work. I went in, and while I was signing the car loan agreement, I asked to be shown the excess amount to verify. Imagine my shock and embarrassment when I realised that I had 17k on the phone instead of 75k/76k. I make it a point to say 75/76 because I signed two forms with two different excess amounts.

I then realised that I had to organise my own insurance to avoid an exposure of 75/76k. I asked for a copy of the Natis. I left the dealer without getting it. I emailed the dealer when I got to work, but I did not get a response until I called. When I called, I was told that they would not share it with me. I was told that the insurance company had to send an email requesting it. I could have been told this when I initially asked for it at the depot.

It was eventually emailed after my broker had left. Until the office of the broker is open, I am exposed for 75/76k. I get that I drive an older car, but this car has been unreliable from day one. This is about more than just an unreliable car. It is about Ubers rides that I have had to pay for, fuel I can't claim because I can't use my fleet card to put fuel in my wife's or friends' cars (not even in the two courtesy cars I have offered since 2020). It is about my mother's clinic appointments I have had to postpone because only my car can pick her up from her door. There is a lot. In the world of technological developments and sophisticated AI trackers, how is Ford SA not being able to flag a customer who has been inconvenienced as much as I have?

In my view, if you are going to have unreliable cars, at least offer great customer service. You can't fail on both. I now have to pay for the insurance premiums of two cars, because of the exorbitant excess of the courtesy car. It is not much of a courtesy now, is it?