Ford Gives Zero F@$ks About Disabled American Veterans

Despite my grandfather working for Ford and me being a Ford truck guy, I swore off buying another Ford after my 2014 F-150 basically died due to a faulty and poorly designed oil pump. Tens of thousands of dollars down the drain. Thankfully, the VA awarded me a grant to buy a vehicle adapted for me. I might’ve gotten $500 for sending my old truck to auction.

Did I mention I’m a polytrauma amputee with spinal cord injuries and five joint replacements? Oh, and I’m also a US Army Ranger.

At the time, I was in San Antonio under medical care at The Center for the Intrepid (CFI) and Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), rebuilding my broken body. They had a deal with a charity through Northside Ford in San Antonio to add funds to the VA grant. I didn’t want a Ford, but it was my only way to avoid a huge car payment while going through years of treatment.

I argued with the sales team about the new electronic E-brakes and the issues caused by their “auto off” function. I was told there was no other option. So, I paid for an extended warranty and picked out the vehicle with the least electronics I could find.

I brought it back right away because of transmission issues—they told me it was “fine.” That was a lie. It’s now well known that the 2019 transmission is a nightmare. I later took it to another dealer in Ohio and got the same response.

Then, right on schedule, after the warranty expired, the brakes started making a strange noise. I changed the front brakes before a trip to DC. Upon arrival, the noise persisted as I pulled into my hotel. I risked driving back to Ohio after the Marine Corps Marathon and found that the electronic e-brakes had malfunctioned. One almost tore through the rotor—which could’ve been catastrophic at 70mph. Cost to fix? Over $5,000.

So, from my wheelchair, I replaced the rear brakes, calipers, and rotors myself. The OEM parts I ordered didn’t match the E-brake modules. I haven’t had parking or emergency brakes for 18 months. Despite this being a manufacturer defect, FORD REFUSES to fix the brakes unless I pay over $5,000 for their screw-up.

Next, the electronics failed—in the middle of a state highway. The truck died and locked up as traffic sped by. My wife and I jumped out to avoid being killed. Thankfully, a sheriff arrived to direct traffic until a tow truck came.

The issue? Ford’s brilliant engineers placed the alternator under the engine, directly beneath a two-piece plastic oil fill intake. This idiotic design allows oil to leak directly onto the alternator. A ticking time bomb.

I couldn’t afford another $5,000 for the battery and alternator, so I replaced them myself—from a wheelchair—again. I hoped my Ford troubles were over as I faced eight months of major surgeries.

But the alternator lasted less than six months. I was left stranded in a snowstorm in rural Ohio while trying to get to post-op and pre-op appointments at Ohio State. Two mechanics stopped to help. When they saw the design flaw, both said, “That’s why we don’t buy Ford trucks anymore. They’re yuppy-mobiles now.”

It cost me $1,500 to get home that night after freezing for hours. My dogs and I huddled for warmth while waiting for rescue. I messaged my attorney and called Ford, but it was painfully obvious—Ford gave ZERO F@$ks.

I catalogued the faulty parts and design flaws and made it clear Ford was 100% responsible. Ford simply. Does. Not. Care.

According to Ford, I can tow the vehicle (on my dime again) and then spend whatever it takes—$10,000 to $15,000—to replace all their faulty parts. That’s their offer.

Meanwhile, I have a $50,000 doghouse sitting in my driveway since November. My service dog is so depressed because I can’t take him for his daily rides, we let him live in the truck part-time.

Ford used to be an American icon. Now it’s just another corporate symbol of the “F@$k everyone who isn’t us” mentality. Take from those who’ve given the most and give to those who’ve given nothing. Maybe Ford is still an icon—but for the worst of us.

All I asked Ford to do was fix their faulty parts and design. I could do it myself—if I wasn’t in a wheelchair. And I am the customer. This isn’t an isolated issue. The 2019 F-150s are riddled with manufacturing and design defects. But the real defect is the rotten culture festering inside Ford.

It’s a culture of:
➢ “F@$k you—even you, you disabled cripple—because you’re gonna sit there and take it.”

Well, I may be a catastrophically disabled US Army Ranger, but I’m also a writer, inventor, designer, and international tech entrepreneur who won’t sit quietly.

I will not tolerate Ford’s:
➢ Lack of Integrity
➢ Lack of Ethics
➢ Lack of Basic Humanity and Common Decency
➢ Lack of Patriotic Duty
➢ Lack of Product Support

I will not sit back in my wheelchair and stay silent while Ford is apparently run by arrogant, self-serving sociopaths who would rather let a disabled veteran suffer than fix their own mistakes.

It could cost Ford $5,000 to make this right—but instead, they picked a fight with a US Army Ranger who’s now on a mission to expose them.

Ford Gives Zero F@$ks About Disabled American Veterans. Period.
—Shane Jernigan
SFC, USA (Retired)
75th Ranger Regiment
Ford Case Number: CXH-03024654-J7D6R6
Contact: Magee, Anfronee — amagee5@ford.com

_______________________________

Shane was a former elite athlete (football & wrestling) who left college after getting hurt to pursue his dreams of being in U.S. Special Operations as a Ranger in the 75^th Ranger Regiment. He spent 13 years in the military before being medically retired in 2005/2008. He served in 1^st Ranger Battalion, the 173^rd and as a Ranger Instructor and Combat Diver at 6^th Ranger Training Bn. Since retirement, Shane spent the last 19 years as a tech entrepreneur while enduring a grueling full body rebuild to include multiple artificial joints and amputations. He’s been training and competing in para-sport and adaptive sports since 3 weeks after his initial amputation and now teaches, coaches & mentors disabled children, adults, veterans and Rangers. 

Most recently, Shane started an adaptive sports & wellness program for members of the 75^th Ranger Regiment in partnership with over a dozen national Adaptive Sports Organizations. In his spare time, he is still involved in LED & renewable technologies, writing and curing PTSD with psychedelics. He also competes for U.S. Special Operations Command on Team SOCOM.   

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.