I paid $15,000 for a new engine installation on my 2017 - briggsturgis
I paid $15,000 for a new engine installation on my 2017 F-150 in November 2025, which came with a 3-year warranty. The service department’s work has been unreliable and costly.
Less than two hours after picking up the truck, it broke down outside the Mobile tunnel. It was towed back to Chuck Stevens, where they later claimed the transmission had failed and it wasn’t their responsibility. I had it towed to Advanced Transmission, where technicians discovered the dealership had failed to add transmission fluid. I ended up needing a full transmission replacement and was without my truck until January 2026.
Last month the check engine light came on, accompanied by rattling. I had the truck towed to Sandy Sansing Ford in Daphne, who recommended returning it to Chuck Stevens because they had taken shortcuts when installing my engine plus old engine parts in place of the new parts I purchased. I notified Chuck Stevens that the truck was en route. After a week with no update, I called and spoke with a service advisor (name not caught) who promised a callback the following week — which never came. When I showed up in person, I spoke with Balen. He was combative, questioned the Sandy Sansing report, and only after I asked to speak with the GM did he go look for them (they were reportedly unavailable). Balen said he would call me on Monday with an update. He didn’t.
My wife runs a successful sourdough baking business, and we depend on this truck to haul products to weekend vendor markets. We’ve lost sales and profits, and our family of three has been juggling just two vehicles. When I mentioned this to Balen, he seemed unbothered and stated the dealership would not compensate us for the inconvenience. I am now escalating this to Ford Customer Service and requesting a formal case number.
I deeply regret trusting Chuck Stevens Ford with the engine replacement and would strongly advise others against using their service department for any repairs — even something as simple as replacing a tire valve cap.
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