In the early 80s, while serving in the USAF stationed in Germany, I ordered a Ford Escort GT through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) military car sales program. When my new Escort arrived in-country, I picked it up. It was a super fun car and the first of its kind in Germany.
Six weeks in, I was driving down the Autobahn at a modest clip when my fuel gauge suddenly began dropping from full to empty at a shocking rate, while the car spewed smoke out the back.
I pulled off the Autobahn, found the nearest emergency call box, and waited for a tow truck. My car was taken to the Ford garage nearest my duty station, where the technicians discovered the main wiring harness had completely melted. The German repair team ordered a replacement from the US, but it took nearly six months to get my car back on the road. Ford US shipped the harness by boat (literally) and refused to speak with me when I called because, as they put it, “You’re not in our database.” No loaner, no rental car, and zero apologies from Ford US. (The local German team apologized profusely, but had little control over the logistics.) Meanwhile, I had to borrow a friend’s car just to commute to work every day.
Since then, I’ve owned a lot of Fords, and they’ve spent their fair share of time in the shop for various build defects. (Don’t get me started on my Explorer or my daughter’s Fiesta.) Between Biloxi, MS; Waldorf, MD; Montgomery, AL; and now the Chattanooga area, I’ve rarely received stellar service from Ford. Sometimes it was good, but often it was mediocre. In fact, on three distinct occasions, the service was outright shoddy, and that’s putting it politely.
Ford isn’t a startup, yet in my experience, their customer support continues to be, on average, just OK.
That history doesn't excuse spending $100K+ on a premium vehicle with a service and support infrastructure that is still very much a work in progress. However, it is an important reminder that Lucid is not unique in navigating customer service growing pains.
Currently, I’m in the middle of purchasing a 2027 Air GT, and the transaction has had a few more twists and turns than I anticipated. While my expectations of Lucid are commensurate with the price tag, I’m going into this with my eyes wide open. Most importantly, I try to remember that the employees on the other end of my emails, texts, and phone calls are individuals who are generally doing the best they can under demanding, fast-evolving circumstances.
We shouldn't lower our expectations for a luxury brand, but a little patience, flexibility, and basic human kindness go a long way while Lucid works through its build-quality and service maturity hurdles.
