I noticed a small amount of oil on my garage floor. When I took my 1 year old (14,000 miles)Ford Fusion in for an oil change my mechanic confirmed I had an oil leak. He said it’s probably the rear main seal or maybe the oil pan. The car’s under warranty so I took it to the dealer for repair. The dealer said they tightened the oil pan bolts and that would probably fix the leak. Over the next month my the oil leakage continued. I took the car back to the dealer and he said they used oil dye but couldn’t find the leak. The Service Manager’s conclusion was “it must be residual oil.” I told him I didn’t believe the residual oil story. You don’t still have “residual oil” after a month of driving in rain and snow during the winter in Michigan. Another month has passed and that darned “residual oil” won’t go away. I’m getting ready for round 3 with the dealer and I need help. Is the most likely cause of the problem the rear main seal as my mechanic originally suggested? If not, what else could it be (remember the oil pan bolts have already been tightened!). Any tips on getting this dealer to actually find and fix the problem?
Find out about the lemon Law in your state. Usually the dealer has three chances to fix a major problem. After three unsuccessful attempts you maybe entitled to a brand new car.
At this point I would start suggesting to the dealer that you will invoke the lemon law if it is not repaired correctly. I would also demand the dealer to clean up all residual oil before retaking possession after the repair. This will remove any doubt that the oil leak is fixed.
Good luckMake sure all attempts to fix by dealer are documented. Put a piece of newspaper where it occurs and maybe occasionally take a digital picture.
If this goes on long contact Ford customer care or local service rep. You likely will get some action.
Lemon law is not so easy. The small leak does not appear to effect running or usability of car. I don’t think it applies here.
The dealer finally traced the oil leakage to a head gasket. Soo…the car’s finally been repaired. Hopefully I won’t see anymore oil leaks for a long while.
I know that MKX and Edge AWDs have a problem with transaxle oil leaks (a faulty ‘power takeoff unit (PTU) seal’). I don’t know if that’s the same with the AWD Fusion…worth checking it out.