Ford Ranger Gearbox Failed Within 24 Hours of Purchase – R85,000 Later and Still No Resolution from Kyalami Motors or MIOSA

After my husband and I purchased a Ford Ranger 3.2 Wildtrak from Executive Motors on 26 September 2025, the gearbox failed within 24 hours while driving back to Durban. The vehicle had to be recovered and returned to the dealer, who arranged repairs through a third-party gearbox company.

Shortly after receiving the vehicle back, the gearbox started slipping and engaging incorrectly. I reported this immediately and the vehicle was sent back again. I was then told the issue was “BCM related” and not gearbox related. The exact same symptoms continued until the gearbox and torque converter failed completely less than two months later and under 10,000 km after the repair.

An independent inspection later revealed severe gearbox damage and evidence of welded internal components.

Since then, we have personally spent approximately R85,000 on gearbox repairs after exhausting my own warranty contribution. On top of that, the vehicle has had ongoing issues that existed before purchase and were allegedly “fixed” by the dealership before sale, including condenser, viscous fan, compressor and fan belt issues, still not functioning correctly.

This is our only family and business vehicle, and we have suffered major inconvenience, downtime, financial loss, and loss of income while trying to resolve this matter professionally.

Despite all documentation, reports, invoices, and communication being provided:

Kyalami Executive Motors has refused to take responsibility. MIOSA (Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa) closed the complaint on a technicality because the vehicle was eventually inspected by an independent mechanic after the original repairer became unreachable and the vehicle was undriveable.

We are still sitting with a problematic vehicle and substantial financial loss after months of trying to resolve this in good faith.

Extremely disappointing experience from both the dealership and the process that is meant to protect consumers.