Unauthorized work led to damaged vehicle

On Tuesday July 23rd my wife took our 2021 Explorer ST to or local Ford dealer for a scheduled service. She also asked them to diagnose and repair a clanking noise in the back end of the car which occurs when the vehicle is put in reverse and then back to drive. We had previously mentioned this noise on prior service appointments, but they never identified or fixed it. My wife asked them at drop off to call her husband, me, on the status of the car and any repairs that might be required.
Two days went by without a call from Service before she called in to find out the status of the vehicle. At that time, they tried to explain that there was some engine cover leak and that they were working on the transmission, without my consent. My wife asked them to call me which they did not do again. There was never a drop of oil in my garage from this vehicle and the transmission shifted perfectly, so I called the service department the next day. I explained to them that the noise was from the rear of the car and not the transmission but they insisted otherwise. We asked for a loaner twice but they couldn’t provide one.
The service agent told me that they had to pull the transmission to replace the Valve body. I thought this was excessive as the transmission worked flawlessly. I called a friend who owns a transmission shop in Pennsylvania and he sent me the work sheet for what is required on the Valve body replacement on the 10R60 transmission. The service tech told me that it was a 4 day job when it should have been 2.9 hours and performed without transmission removal!
At this point, I was not happy as we needed a car and they told me that they would have a loaner by Monday night or Tuesday. I could not believe that they would have our car for over a week for what was originally a service and what turned out to be a simple tightening of a stabilizer link!!!
Next, they left a message on my wife’s phone on Monday. She forwarded it to me and so I called. Turns out that I was right that it was a simple tightening of the rear stabilizer link but that they damaged the vehicle in the lot. I immediately left work early and went to the dealer.
At the dealer, I asked for the work order to see what they had done and then went to see the damage. After seeing the passenger door with a dent and paint completely scraped off, and a destroyed front rim, I was infuriated. We have the metal flake pearl white (forget the name) and so they’ll have difficulty matching that. I spoke with the service manager but they offered me little more than an apology. I left in a loaner.
When I got home, I read through the work order and here is the real annoying part. They lied on the order saying that “Customers States Transmission Bangs when shifting”. My wife told them it clunks when backing into the garage. And “Customer States Fluid Leak under vehicle”. We NEVER stated this as there was no leak or even a drop in our garage!!! THEY COMPLETELY REMOVED MY ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION TO REPAIR IT!!!!!
So now I have a vehicle with only 24k miles that we loved and ran flawlessly with dented passenger front door and scratched right front rim. On top of that, the engine and transmission have been completely removed and reinstalled for repairs that I did not authorize, I do not think were needed and at great expense to the Ford Motor Company. I do not like the idea of owning a vehicle that had a FACTORY installed drive train removed and reinstalled with only 1 month remaining on the factory warranty. We had planned on keeping this car for several more years but now I do not want to take the risk. I called #FORD directly and opened a case on 7/31. The person on the phone gave me a case number but no one has contacted me as of today. She said I "MAY" get a call but it doesn't look good. This dealer was clearly milking @FORD for unnecessary repairs without my consent. Help anyone!!!

You have a Powertrain Warranty for 5 years/60K miles.

You should get an attorney and take the lying ass dealer to court for well, lying and screwing up your vehicle. There is much bad information here. You should have a copy of the original work order written up before you left the car. If you didn't get one, then you’ll have a tough go.

On Tuesday July 23rd my wife took our 2021 Explorer ST to or local Ford dealer for a scheduled service. She also asked them to diagnose and repair a clanking noise in the back end of the car which occurs when the vehicle is put in reverse and then back to drive. We had previously mentioned this noise on prior service appointments, but they never identified or fixed it. My wife asked them at drop off to call her husband, me, on the status of the car and any repairs that might be required.
Two days went by without a call from Service before she called in to find out the status of the vehicle. At that time, they tried to explain that there was some engine cover leak and that they were working on the transmission, without my consent. My wife asked them to call me which they did not do again. There was never a drop of oil in my garage from this vehicle and the transmission shifted perfectly, so I called the service department the next day. I explained to them that the noise was from the rear of the car and not the transmission but they insisted otherwise. We asked for a loaner twice but they couldn’t provide one.
The service agent told me that they had to pull the transmission to replace the Valve body. I thought this was excessive as the transmission worked flawlessly. I called a friend who owns a transmission shop in Pennsylvania and he sent me the work sheet for what is required on the Valve body replacement on the 10R60 transmission. The service tech told me that it was a 4 day job when it should have been 2.9 hours and performed without transmission removal!
At this point, I was not happy as we needed a car and they told me that they would have a loaner by Monday night or Tuesday. I could not believe that they would have our car for over a week for what was originally a service and what turned out to be a simple tightening of a stabilizer link!!!
Next, they left a message on my wife’s phone on Monday. She forwarded it to me and so I called. Turns out that I was right that it was a simple tightening of the rear stabilizer link but that they damaged the vehicle in the lot. I immediately left work early and went to the dealer.
At the dealer, I asked for the work order to see what they had done and then went to see the damage. After seeing the passenger door with a dent and paint completely scraped off, and a destroyed front rim, I was infuriated. We have the metal flake pearl white (forget the name) and so they’ll have difficulty matching that. I spoke with the service manager but they offered me little more than an apology. I left in a loaner.
When I got home, I read through the work order and here is the real annoying part. They lied on the order saying that “Customers States Transmission Bangs when shifting”. My wife told them it clunks when backing into the garage. And “Customer States Fluid Leak under vehicle”. We NEVER stated this as there was no leak or even a drop in our garage!!! THEY COMPLETELY REMOVED MY ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION TO REPAIR IT!!!!!
So now I have a vehicle with only 24k miles that we loved and ran flawlessly with dented passenger front door and scratched right front rim. On top of that, the engine and transmission have been completely removed and reinstalled for repairs that I did not authorize, I do not think were needed and at great expense to the Ford Motor Company. I do not like the idea of owning a vehicle that had a FACTORY installed drive train removed and reinstalled with only 1 month remaining on the factory warranty. We had planned on keeping this car for several more years but now I do not want to take the risk. I called #FORD directly and opened a case on 7/31. The person on the phone gave me a case number but no one has contacted me as of today. She said I "MAY" get a call but it doesn't look good. This dealer was clearly milking @FORD for unnecessary repairs without my consent. Help anyone!!!

What work did your wife sign for on the repair order?

She brought it in for an oil change and to fix the noise coming from the rear axle. No signature on anything, Instructions to call me on anything...

In my experiences, I have the write up on the envelope if I am doing an early drop off, or, If I'm dropping it off during business hours, I get a printout up front from the write-up at the time of my drop off. Hard lesson to learn but not having things in print beforehand bit you in the butt.

She brought it in for an oil change and to fix the noise coming from the rear axle. No signature on anything, Instructions to call me on anything...

Well, your service writer created a repair order; what he/she wrote is the root of your problem since it tells the shop what to do to your car. The fact that your wife didn't review it and sign it doesn't help. I would suggest meeting with the GM, Parts, and Service Director, Service Mgr, and service writer to find out what happened and come to a resolution. Maintain your composure and have a help me attitude. Good Luck

She didn’t sign anything because it was a simple oil change, and to inspect for whatever the source of the noise was. They were instructed to call me and let me know what repairs were required. They did not do that, and in fact, they even stated that customer complains of leak in engine, which was total BS because there was no leak and we didn’t tell him that. This is clearly a dealership trying to milk Ford Motor company out of unnecessary repairs and now I have to fight the battle to prove it.