Truck struck by lightning........

dapapster1

Bought F-150 super crew truck 8-10-00 it was
struck by lightning same day. Had it towed to
nearest dealer ship. Well I have been told that it
could take at least 4-6 weeks minimum for
replacements. I was only in vehicle for about an
hour before it was struck. When does the cooling
law (72) hrs go into effect is it that the vehicle
has to stay in my possession for that length of
time. Reason being is because I have not been in
my truck since I bought it. Looking for any help
on this matter....also no demo was given or any
form of compensation.......makes me wonder what
have I gotten myself into....Thanks

skellington

But, you bought it and were very unlucky. That's what insurance is for. I'm not sure why you think the dealer is liable for lightning. Yes, it would be nice if they would help you out, but they certainly don't have any responsibility to do so.

Even if you could use a 'cooling off' law, they certainly don't have to take back a truck that doesn't work.

Sorry about that though.......

Steve

barlitz

What hapened to the truck?

jc88

I would be talking to the insurance company. This should be covered under Comprehensive. Did you have insurance? If not you may be stuck, unless the dealers insurance will cover it. At any rate, I wish you the best of luck.
JC

gmcsierra

72 hour cooling off law should apply. If they squirm, tell them you feel unsafe driving something that would attract lightning like that.
If you traded something in on it, you may have some trouble(may not have your trade anymore), but if you bought it (no trade) let em' have it back!

Call your Better Business Bureau and they should be able to help out.

I've only heard of lightning striking a vehicle once before, and basically all of the wiring was shot. The car had to be completely disassembled to replace the wiring. Insulation on the wires was melted together in places.

good luck

mgdvhman

talk about bad luck.....that would suck

- Tim

obyone

72 hour cooling off law as it mostly applies to door to door salepeople who solicit. The dealer usually has you sign off on it since they did not solicit you rather you walked into the dealer. That way, once you accept delivery or drive it off the lot...you own it. Only thing that would save you is if your financing doesn't pass. But with online services instant approval is usually available. Damn, the electrical system must be completely fried. Got to check the insurance policy if its covered as certain acts of God and war isn't covered. Sorry to hear about the bad luck on this one.

Rocles

The irony....a Ford struck by lightning....a namesake,eh?

willimjo

There is no state in the US that has a "cooling off period" law that applies to motor vehicles. This has been a subject of great debate in the Smart Shopper forum here on Edmunds. Every time someone new brings it up, it gets shot down. In over 2 years of debate, no one has been able to come up with proof that it exists in any state for vehicles. Some have even gone as far to call various state government bodies to verify. As obyone pointed out above, Cooling Off laws only apply to solicited sales, mainly door-to-door.

Since this isn't a warranty issue, your only recourse is your comprehensive insurance. The dealer or manufacturer have no liability in the matter, the truck is yours. If you pulled out of the dealer's lot and someone creamed you and totalled your truck, it would be the same thing, it's yours and the insurance company's to deal with.

The only thing you "got yourself into" is a freak incident in a thunderstorm and a huge bit of bad luck. When talking to your insurance guy, you may want to inquire about adding rental car coverage to your policy to pay for a rental when your vehicle is out of commission for a claim incident. It cost me $25/year to add this to my policy and covered an $800 bill when my wife was in an accident and her car was in a body shop for four weeks.

Having said all that, I too am sorry you have to go through the misery for no fault of your own.

gmcsierra

I've used it in Tennessee. Bought a Ford Thunderbird in 1996. Had the then new 4.6 v8 which puked oil all over the engine compartment the second day I had it. With just around 250 miles on it I called the dealer to come tow it. Dealer told me that by state law I had three days from purchase to back out on the deal anyway. He offered my money back and I gladly took it.

I haven't looked at the law books, but if a dealer offers info like that, I would guess it is true. Either way got my money back.

timothyadavis

My guess is that the dealer is a better businessman than a lawyer. Offering you your money back was a smart move, at the very least preventing you from becoming a walking, talking negative advertisement. Do you know how much they pay for advertising and how relatively ineffective it is? An unsatisfied customer will actively tell people about their bad experience, undermining a whole passel of advertising. OTOH, it takes a lot to satisfy a customer enough for them to spread the word. A non-negative buying experience is simply accepted by many of us as the way things ought to be. It just makes economic sense to try to keep people happy -- though few business people, much less car dealers, seem to realize these facts.

Maybe it really is the law, but the dealer saying so isn't all that convincing given car dealers generally distant relationship with truth.... Let us know if you (or anyone) find out for sure.

ryanbab

An espn football announcer ( i think) had his rental car struck by lightning a few days ago i read in the paper.

modvptnl

I was in the business from '84 to '90 in the finance dept. There was no cooling off period then. Just think about it, if there were a period where you could bring the vehicle back there'd be millions of low mileage used vehicles going back.......sort of like the 1st year Silverados and GMC's LOL!!!!

rrichf

I don't understand the lightning thing. First, the body of the truck is metal an excellent conductor of electricity. Second, the rubber tires are an excellent insulator. Third, the electricity or lightning must flow from sky to ground. The truck is very well insulated and the lightning isn't going to flow through the tires. The lightning will flow over the surface of the truck and into the ground. I seriously doubt that the lightning did any damage. I think that you have a warranty claim. (I was in a commercial aircraft that was struck on approach to Kansas City with no ill effects.)

Good luck,
Rich

lariat1

The electricity will take the easiest path to ground when it strikes an object if the truck was sitting by itself the lightning could strike it and then arc down to the ground if this is what happened then the entire electrtical system is dead.If the lightning hit the truck and then never arced or it was to close to a tree or other object that was hit by the lightning then it is a good chance that the circuit boards in the on board computer are cooked.

lariat1

Also about the airplane.I believe that all commercial aircraft are equipped with a lightning sponge to absorb the high voltage spike of a lightning strike thus preventing any electrical damage.

timothyadavis

Plus if there was rain water dripping off the truck the lightning would have taken that route (water being a fairly good conductor.

Regarding airplanes being struck by lightning though obviously far from the ground provided by the actual ground (earth), they must simply provide the greatest potential voltage difference in the air (same as cloud-to-cloud lightning). The "ungrounded" pickup could, theoretically at least, provide the closest object with the greatest potential voltage difference.

In any case, lightning is strange stuff. It often does strike trees, buildings, poles, etc. and cause little damage because of the apparent surface least-resistance route to ground. But then other times...!

mahimahi

As for a "three day" right of recission of a contract, in FL it is only appilied to real estate. State laws vary from state to state but, I have never heard of it in the boating or automotive industries in any other state. If a car dealer told somebody they have the 'right' to back out then it's a right the dealer is giving you to back out of a contract. This may be possible if your purchase agreement has a 'recission' clause, then good for you. At my dealership I've had several consumers 'think' that they have the right to back out. But once their attorney informs them that they don't have the right, rather it has to be in the contract in order for them to back out, they usually understand they confused the right pertaining to real estate contracts.

So, check your contract...but I must say it's definately not the dealer's fault. It's not very logical to blame this on your dealer. I say bad place at the wrong time. Sounds to me like it's time to implement your insurance policy, that's why the dealer and bank makes sure you have it before you leave the dealership.

vince4

When I bought my truck 1 year ago in California, there was a sign in the salesman's cubie stating that there IS NO COOLING OFF PERIOD for vehicle purchases. I think I even signed a paper acknowledging the fact.

kierandill

I agree that it is an insurance issue, because it is not even a defect in the design or manufacture of the product. If you had driven off the lot and into a utility pole, you couldn't tell them you didn't like it because it attracts wood.

ryanbab

Read in my owners manual it specifically states the dealership or company is not responsible for lightning striking your truck

Ryan

meredith

After 30 or more days of inactivity....

this topic is being "frozen". It will be archived or deleted in the next 10 days or so.

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