03 GT a Lemon? Help!

[Bad pony]

Hi,
I bought this 03 GT convertible used in August 05. It only had 15,000 miles on it at the time and only has 27,000 on it now. Following is the list of problems that I have experienced since I bought it. Has anyone had a similar experience or is this just a straight up lemon??

Hood paint peeled right off when I was washing the car.
Both headlights are blistering and peeling
One is trapping condensation
*Driver side window works only intermitently
*Rear Driver side window is damaged from a door panel piece
*Rear passenger window motor burned out
*Door jamb on driver side broke off and is damaging the rear driver window
*Convertible top seal above rear passenger window is torn because of the way the window rolls up into it (or did before it broke). I had this seal replaced once before.

Currently the car is at the dealership supposedly having all of these problems repaired. I had to fight about the headlights but, they say they replaced them.
Please, if you have experienced any of these problems, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks!!

 

[mac1009]

What did the carfax on the car show? Maybe it's been hit in the past.

 

[DropTopPony]

Just start taking it in whenever something goes wrong. After you have taken it in 3 times for the same thing it can now be Lemon Lawed as long as your under your 3 yr/36 warranty. I had to go through it with a 96 blazer. You get a Lemon Law Lawyer then he makes the claim free, they are all friends..(local car lawyers) so they will just make a quick deal. With my case they replaced my entire front end suspension and gave me 7,000 dollars. This was all done out of court so no record of the car being a lemon so I traded it and the 7,000 more then made up for the depreciation so i didn't lose anything.

 

[Mike97gt]

that car has probably been hit.

 

[mity2]

that car has probably been hit.

I was just thinking that. Prolly some misaligment, placing unneccesarry stress on window and motors, and seals..

 

[the98stang]

Check the carfax?

 

[Bad pony]

Carfax was clean!

Upon purchase we had the dealership run a carfax report and it came out spotless! No history of damage. If carfax was wrong don't they buy it back? Got the car back from the dealership today and the rear window seal is still a problem. The way the window rolls up into it squashes the seal forward and it bunches up. I know it will tear just like last time. It looks like the seal sticks out too far when I compare it to the (perfect) driver side. I had the service guy look at it and I have to take it back to ford on Monday. I am already pursuing the lemon law thing but, I don't have a record of the first time the seal was fixed because they did it at Ford's tire shop while I was having an alignment done. I am going to very sweetly ask the tire shop if they can please get a record of that. Another thing, the car has always pulled to the right even after that alignment. My husband said it looks like the camber is off on the passenger side front tire.
Thanks for all your help! Please keep responding with your input!

 

[stng]

The car fax may be clean, but I find it nearly impossible that you would have all of those problems if it had not been in an accident. Pop the hood and look at the pinch welds.

 

[FalconGuy016]

Yeah, sounds like it was hit, Mustangs twist and deform in a million angles if it is severe enough (and it really doesn't have to be that big a hit).

 

[Bad pony]

Where can I find the pinch welds??

 

[Mike97gt]

only a accident that would total the car would show up on carfax

 

[Bad pony]

New theory

I have a new theory. Is it plausable that someone smashed the convertible top only? We checked all around the body and there was no evidence of a wreck. Most of the problems have been concentrated in the passenger rear window area. I willing to believe that the rest of the problems could have been defects.

 

[mogs01gt]

none of those issues are defects. You bought a wrecked car. You can run a car fax all day long on my car.

and it was wrecked

 

[Mike97gt]

I have a new theory. Is it plausable that someone smashed the convertible top only? We checked all around the body and there was no evidence of a wreck. Most of the problems have been concentrated in the passenger rear window area. I willing to believe that the rest of the problems could have been defects.

maybe it was smashed on the pasenger rear quarter. that quarter is easy to replace and be unnoticable

 

[goshia]

The lemon law is different for all state. In Colorado it is only good for the first 12 months from that date of purchase. I turned in a Mercedes C230 back to the dealer as a lemon and got all my money back.

 

[mity2]

only a accident that would total the car would show up on carfax

Or through any repair shop that reports. If it was hit, caused , say 2000bucks worth a dmg, and if owner paid out of his pocket, then it'll mostlikely not going to be show up on carfax

We checked all around the body and there was no evidence of a wreck.

My carfax was as clean as my car itself. I had 2 bodyshops looked at the car. They told me car was 1never been in accident. 3.5year later, it sickens me to say this, but I know my car was in wreck. It was most likely hit in rear driverside 1/4 panel to somewhat in to the driver side door, and 1/4 panel and door were replaced. Only reason why i know is that fact

1 - Inside of driver side door was RED. And door handle was bolted to the door. I know ford didn't not use red primer, and they've ribbeted the door handle to the door. But door itself shuts perfectly

2 - I had interior panels by rear driverside seat off to run cable for the amp, and I've noticed that rear 1/4 window was replaced, and some distortion on metal inside of C-piller

3 - When I had driver side tail light housing out to do tinting, I've noticed that all spot weld that attatch rear 1/4 panel to the car was rusting. Which suggest me that spot welds were applied AFTER primer was applied. I know Ford welds all the spot BEFOR dipping it to primer bath.

4 - driver side front fender has been repainted. Because I got door ding on my fender at parking lot, and got it repaired, and they've noticed when they were prepping fender, that under primer is another true blue.

5 - And this should have been dead giveaway, but NOONE noticed. Driver side headlight assembly is spanking new.


But who ever fixed it in the past did such a nice job that 2 bodyshops One who had car up in air did not notice ANY teltel sign of repair. Car is perfectory straight, paint is matched PERFECTRY, and metalic paint is not the easiest color to match, and I have no issue. So i don't really care.

But point is that car fax was clean, and there are no visible sign anywhere(other then headlight) outside of the car. But I know for the fact car was wrecked

 

[white-04]

I always wondered how carfax knew about accidents, apparently they only know about totaled vehicles. Thanks for sharing. I guess this is why sometimes it pays to buy a car brand new so you know its complete history.

 

[mity2]

I always wondered how carfax knew about accidents, apparently they only know about totaled vehicles. Thanks for sharing. I guess this is why sometimes it pays to buy a car brand new so you know its complete history.

Well, dude, i've seen some things sales mans do th the new cars too...

 

[white-04]

At least the odds are on your side with the new one.

 

[2000BLKGT]

another thought

if a stock GT low mileage vert made many many 1/4 mile passes during it's brief ownership...especially if it's being launched hard...it will twist the frame a bit...and could cause some of the problems being described