Ken Ganley Ford Norton — Local services in Norton

Tldr: the service department failed to even inspect my car when I brought it in for an issue, but then another car service actually looked at the truck and within minutes found a huge issue that became a recall.

The service department here is absolutely pathetic. I have a newer F150. It started making some weird noise when driving. It was clear the noise was coming from the wheels, because it only made a sound while moving, and I think maybe it has something to do with the brakes. I relayed all of this information to the service department and brought my (under warranty) truck in for an inspection. I left it there for over a week while out of town, and I called multiple times to check on it. Every time I talked to the service department, they said they couldn't "recreate" the sound, and so they couldn't fix it.

So I go back to pick up the truck. It is immediately making the same sound. Super easy to hear, and super obvious. So I figure maybe I need to take it somewhere else (unbiased or something), so I take it to Midas in Fairlawn (brake guys, this is maybe brakes or wheels, maybe they can help). I tell them the same thing, sound coming from the wheel area when driving, and I don't know what it is. I leave and get a call back within 20 minutes telling me to come back to the shop because they need to show me something.

I get back there and they have the rear wheels off the truck. They then show me that the axle bolts (bolt through the wheel hub that holds the rear axle together and in place) on both wheels (driver's side and passenger side) have completely sheared/broken off and are rusting and moving around beneath the wheel and that is what is causing the noise.

Then I have questions for Midas. First, is this dangerous? Answer from Midas, oh yes, super dangerous, basically your whole rear end could have fallen apart at any moment the entire time you have been driving like this. Ok, second question, why didn't Ganley diagnose this when they had my car for a week? Answer from Midas, no clue, if you mentioned a sound coming from a wheel, they should have probably taken the wheel off to check, and if they took the wheel off, these parts would have fallen out like they did for us, and Ganley would have immediately figured out the issue, so it's clear that Ganley never took off the wheels in the entire time they had the truck.

So then I have the truck towed back to Ganley from Midas (since it is under warranty and I can't drive it). I talk to the service manager again, and I tell him everything Midas told me about the broken bolts, the dangerous stuff, and their failure to diagnose the problem.

Then, and this is the biggest problem of them all, the service manager calls me back a day or two later and TRIES TO GASLIGHT ME by acting like Ganley is the one who found the problems. He calls and says, you won't believe what we found, there are major issues, you are lucky you brought it to us, blah blah blah. The dude refused to own up to his colossal failures.

Then what do I get in the mail today? A notice of a recall, for the same exact issue. So basically, my truck was probably patient zero or close to it for this issue, and the issue had to be discovered and diagnosed by Midas, rather than the Ganley Ford Service Center. Don't give these bums any of your business. Negative stars should be an option...

UPDATE: I received a call from the service manager John after I posted this review. He scheduled an appointment for me to bring the car in for them to try and figure out what was wrong. It was the stabilizing links we discussed the first time I had it in. They were very apologetic and had my car fixed within 2 hours. No more noise, no more fear, and proving that this is the reason I went to a reputable dealer like Ganley Ford in the first place. It's a shame it had to only happen after I posted a negative review to get them to do the right thing. Bruno was very respectful, helpful, and determined to get this matter resolved. Bottom line, Ganley Ford proved to me that they are dealership that does care about their customers.

MY INITIAL POST: We went to Ganley Ford, Norton to look at a used Honda we had seen on their website. The car was not what we wanted so we looked a Hyundai. Our salesman John G. informed us that the car had just been traded in and was checked out an in great condition. The Hyundai had the limited 30 day warranty and John assured us that the car had been checked out by their mechanics and was a good car that had been maintained well by the previous owner. This was when we should have ran or at the very least taken it to our own mechanic. I was under the misconception that since the dealership had been in business for so long and had a somewhat decent reputation they would not sell us an unsafe broken vehicle. Within 24 hours I had to return the car to the dealership for a horrible noise and clunking it was making from the front, that it did not make when we test drove it. They did agree to immediately look at the car and gave me a loaner. After a couple days I was called and told they had fixed a warranty part in the steering and I could pick up my car. I asked "did that take care of the horrible clunking noises?' They said "um, let us take another look at it and get back with you". By the end of that same day I received a call telling me that the right front ball joint needed replaced and some linkage, it was not under any warranty and that it would cost me almost $500 to fix it. After several calls to the manager that was avoiding me, the used car sales manager called and stated they would fix it, since it was a safety hazard. They then ordered the wrong part and finally a week later I picked up my car. Just to note they did replace the ball joint but had amnesia to any linkage issue I was referring to. So how did it all turn out? It still makes horrible noises in the front and back and I am afraid it is unsafe and that I just bought a $10,000...

Would buy from again (see positives below). But, be prepared for some BS when working through the finance stage of the closing. They tried to take advantage in the following ways:

Initially gave me an interest rate of 7.3 and tried to pass it off as good. Told me other quotes were coming in over 9 right now so I should be happy. I knew that was BS because I had researched my rates previously and could get at least 6.5 from my credit union. He bumped it down to 6.8 after I said that but I'm seeing 5.5%+ offers online now. In my previous experiences buying vehicles, I've always had their most competitive rate quoted to me, which was not the case here. I could live with that if he hadn't tried to pass off the rate as good and then bumped it down when I complained. I hate being lied to. They tried to roll an extended warranty in the deal by just including it as part of the payment/financing and not having it broke out on the purchase agreement I had signed with the salesman where the amount would have been obvious. He mentioned it casually as I was working through the paperwork in a way that was obviously intended to fly under my radar. Too bad for them because, had they let me know that was an option, I would have researched it and maybe moved forward. But, on principle, I never buy anything in that phase of closing a car purchase. Had me sign the larger arbitration agreement before presenting the document that made it clear I didn't have to sign that to move forward with the purchase. I wouldn't be surprised, based on my above experiences, if that was intentional.

It's too bad they design the financing process like that because I would otherwise recommend them wholeheartedly. Got a great deal on a Ford Certified Bronco. Salesman Joe was great to work with. No BS sales stuff, just help me close on the deal and head out quickly because I had a long drive home after already having a long drive to get there. Joe also stayed on hold with Enterprise a long time to arrange having them get the rental from the dealership for me instead of my having to figure out how to drop it off. I'd gladly work...