Eric Koonze knows when something sounds in tune. The singer for the popular local cover band, Alice Insane, also knows when something sounds off.
The second he heard a strange sound when his 2014 Ford Focus changed gears, he knew it couldn’t be good..
“Ju-ju-ju,” was how Koonze described the sound.
He took the car into the dealership where he bought it new back in 2014.
“They would call it shutter, they even have a name for it because they knew it,” Koonze told NBC 7 Responds during an interview.
Yet, mechanics at the dealership said that what Koonze heard and felt as the car shifted gears was normal.
“They said that these cars with a dual clutch, six speed, automatic transmission sound like that,” said Koonze. He believed them.
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Not sounding like a broken record, Koonze continued to drive his car. Then just as the warranty expired, the check engine light in dashboard illuminated.
“I took it to a local place and they had told me that it came up on the computer saying it was a transmission problem,” said Koonze.
He went back to the dealership. This time they told him it was his clutch, and that unfortunately for him his warranty had expired. The repairs amounted to more than $3,000.
“I said, ‘I’ve had this problem the whole time. And just now you want to fix it?’”
The dealership agreed to cut him a deal on the repairs. But something still didn’t sit right with the University Heights resident.
That’s when Koonze decided to pass the microphone to NBC 7 Responds.
“Days were going by and they weren’t fixing it. “I’ve seen some of your shows, on the news, and it seems to work out sometimes. By like the fourth day, I was out of a car and that’s when I decided to call...you...Consumer Bob.”
Koonze called us. NBC 7 Responds contacted Ford headquarters in Michigan.
That’s when Koonze got a phone call from Ford, and what he heard was music to his ears.
“Ford said that because I had been having the problems since I bought the car they agreed to give me all my money back, and uh, that worked out really good,” said Koonze.
“I still didn’t believe it was true, because I’ve never heard of that. It took me a second to be like, am I dreaming or something.”
But Koonze wasn’t dreaming. Ford sent him a check for $22,000, the price he paid for the car plus the cost for registration.
“Sure, there were some hardships,” said Koonze. “I don’t think I deserved to be told that they can’t fix it when they probably could have fixed it the first time. But, I can’t complain. I am not mad at Ford.”
NBC 7 Responds reached out to Ford. They did not provide a statement but did confirm that a resolution had been reached.
