Action 9 helps woman with certified used car nightmare

CLERMONT,Fla. — Action 9 was able to help a Clermont woman who claims the certified pre-owned truck she bought is not safe to drive. She paid extra for a certified vehicle that had promised peace of mind.

Katlyn Saunders fears driving the 2012 Ford F-150 she bought last year.

“It scared me to death,” Saunders said.

She claims her transmission suddenly shifted into low gear on its own. Saunders said there was a time when driving it at 50 mph gave her quite a scare.

“All of a sudden, it revs up real high, the wheels lock up and the vehicle starts shaking,” said Saunders.

She paid a premium. The vehicle is Ford certified pre-owned, so it came with a manufacturer's "like new" warranty.

Saunders says a dealership attempted three repairs with only partial success. Now, when the truck suddenly shifts, it goes to idle, which can still trigger real highway danger.

“I would like them to put me in a safe vehicle,” said Saunders. When that didn't happen, she called Action 9.

Todd Ulrich turned to repair expert Jay Zembower. “It's extremely serious not only to the owner operator, but to any other people on the roadway,” said Zembower.

Several months ago, Ford issued a safety recall covering thousands of 2012 F-150's, like Saunders’, for a transmission defect that could cause a crash. Ford told dealers not to sell the trucks, not even offer test drives, until the transmission was fixed.

Zembower found her truck came with the wrong tires, and that made a software repair that much harder. He said all of that should have been caught.

“That's a serious problem," he said

“There should have been disclosure,” asked Ulrich.

“Absolutely,” replied Zembower.

A week after Action 9 contacted Ford, it arranged for a complete transmission review, and said its software repair could eliminate any shifting problem.

Saunders said she was told it may have been a fluke.

“They didn't think anything was wrong," she said.

Ford said the recall was issued after Saunders bought the truck.

Buying certified vehicles can be a great choice, but experts suggest still researching the vehicle on Carfax, and having an independent inspection.

Cox Media Group