Branded Title

[logansrun6]

Hello All,

Recently purchased a brand new 2013 Explorer Limited! Love the car...until the first time for oil change and found out the car has a branded title! Going back and forth with the dealer to have this removed as it is a brand new car! After many phone calls with Ford the title is recently showing the car is clean however, the Oasis Dealership Program is still reflecting that the car is branded with NO WARRANTY! Does anyone know how to run a free Car Fax Report? Car Fax shows that there are 13 issues with the vehicle! Need Advice...VERY FRUSTRATED BRAND NEW EXPLORER OWNER!

 

[Anduiril]

Welcome to the Forum.
When you say you were talking to FORD was that the Dealer you bought it from or the Corporate offices?
I would check with the Oasis Dealership Program and ask them exactly why they show the truck as NO WARRANTY. They should be able to tell you. I hope the dealer you bought it from isn't trying to pull something on you.

If you don't get any more replies you might want to try:
A)Changing the title to "Need help my NEW Explorer has a Branded title" or something like that.
B) Try posting in the "2011-2014 Stock Explorer" or "Everything Under The Sun" sections.

I'm sure someone on the Forum has more knowledge than I do that can help you out, it's just getting their attention. I'll see what I can find out for you too.

 

[logansrun6]

Thank you... We will be contacting the dealer again tomorrow to work on the Oasis Program. We will see what happens from there.

 

[Anduiril]

Well I did a little more research and you might want to get that carfax or similar report. That "NEW" Explorer you bought may have been in a flood and then shipped to a dealer in a different state that doesn't have the "Flood" brand to be sold.

I'm checking a site that does checks for $1 with my vehicle. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[Anduiril]

Okay. I found out that I'm not the 3rd owner like I thought but the 8th (I paid $250 for it so I'm not concerned). But the site is http://www.carhistory.us.org. I would spend the $1 and see if anything comes up before spending more money on a different report. I ran my VIN number through carfax and it showed 20 results, but I also ran it through Experian's (I think it was theirs) report and they showed 47 (I don't remember what they charged though) as I was just curious and don't really need the report.

Let us know what you find out.

 

[Anduiril]

Another resource to check out is http://www.vehiclehistory.gov/ It a DOJ (Dept of Justice) site to help prevent vehicle fraud and crime. They have a list of companies (like the one I mentioned above) that offer vehicle VIN reports that use their database. Each has different fees and may give more specific information than the one I used. I didn't have any "brand"s on my title so I don't know how much information is there. They also have information about fraud (such as selling as Flood damaged car and not telling the customer).

Personally I would get as much information as I can from someone other than the dealer. IF they did try and pull a fast one (Most dealers are reputable but not all) they aren't going to tell you and will try and cover themselves. There is always the possibility it was just a data entry mistake somewhere but I prefer to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.

Now for the WHAT IF.
IF your Ex was in a flood doesn't mean that it is ruined. Flood damage can be fixed it's just very labor intensive. But the dealer should have informed you and you definitely should not have paid full price. I think that the state laws vary as to whether they "have" to tell you or not but the website above should be able to give you more information about that IF that is your case.

Good luck and keep us posted.