Ford Transit on Lease Left Undriveable Leaving our Family Courier Business Losing Thousands

A Warning to Commercial Vehicle Lease Customers

If you’re a small business owner relying on leased commercial vehicles, this is a story you need to read.

We operate a same-day courier business. Reliability is everything. Yet our Ford Transit High Top — leased on a three-year contract through Lex Autolease — has been effectively unusable for nearly two weeks now.

The vehicle develops severe vibration at motorway speeds (around 60–70mph), making it unsafe to drive and completely unfit for purpose.

It has been sitting in a Ford dealership while technicians repeatedly fail to identify the fault.

Multiple Failed Repairs — Still No Fix

Here’s what has happened so far:

❌ Rear axle replacement

Ford’s first diagnosis was a faulty rear axle. It was replaced.

Result: vibration still present.

❌ Driveshaft replacement

Next, they replaced the driveshaft.

Result: no improvement.

❓ Now blaming clutch and flywheel

After chasing the dealership again, we were told it might now be the clutch and flywheel.

No confirmation. No timeline. Just another guess.

Even more concerning, the dealership’s front-of-house staff admitted they have no control over what happens in the workshop.

So our business-critical van is stuck while parts are swapped out one by one in what feels like mechanical trial and error.

Ford UK: No Support, No Accountability

This vehicle was supplied under the Ford Motor Company network, yet the support has been shocking.

We have:

• Raised the issue directly with Ford

• Sent a formal complaint email to Ford UK’s Managing Director (no response — not even an acknowledgement)

• Contacted Lex Autolease’s complaints department

Lex Autolease informed us they are busy and that we are now in a queue.

Meanwhile, our business continues to suffer.

The Real Financial Impact on Our Courier Business

This isn’t just inconvenient — it’s financially devastating.

Because of this unresolved fault:

• Our driver is at home on full pay, unable to work

• We are losing thousands of pounds in revenue

• We are still paying:

  • Lease costs

  • Insurance

  • Driver wages

To make matters worse, Ford refuses to supply a courtesy vehicle because they do not insure courier operations.

So, despite leasing a commercial van to a courier business, they won’t provide a replacement because we are a courier business.

That leaves us paying for a vehicle we cannot use.

Two Huge Organisations. Zero Ownership.

Right now, we are trapped between two massive companies:

• Ford cannot repair their own vehicle in a reasonable timeframe

• Lex Autolease tells us to wait

No replacement van.
No compensation.
No urgency.
No meaningful communication.

Just silence while a small business absorbs the damage.

Why We’re Sharing This Experience

We didn’t want to write this.

But we feel completely abandoned.

If you’re considering leasing a Ford Transit or any commercial vehicle, especially for courier work, ask very direct questions about:

• Courtesy vehicle policies

• Business interruption support

• Fault resolution timelines

• Compensation for downtime

Because when things go wrong, you may find yourself exactly where we are:

Paying for a van you can’t drive.
Paying staff who can’t work.
Watching revenue disappear.
And chasing billion-pound corporations for basic replies.

This has been time-consuming, expensive, and frankly disgraceful.

If you’ve experienced similar problems with Ford or Lex Autolease — or if you have legal or commercial advice — we’d genuinely welcome hearing from you.

Right now, we're at a loss as to what to do next!