Lincoln Aviator owner says dealership promised ‘a few days’ for service. Then her SUV vanished into a months-long ‘hostage’ situation

A Lincoln Aviator owner says what was supposed to be a brief dealership visit has turned into a months-long ordeal, with her nearly new luxury SUV sitting untouched while she struggles to get answers, reimbursement, or even a callback.

In a recent Reddit post, the owner detailed how her 2023 Lincoln Aviator went in for service on October 19, 2025, after developing what she described as “a weird sound when braking.” According to her account, the dealership assured her the fix would take only a short time. “I was told it will be a few days,” she wrote.

Days became weeks

As the post explains, those few days stretched into weeks. Meanwhile, the owner said the dealership did not offer a loaner vehicle, forcing her to pay out of pocket for a rental while she waited for updates that never came.

Then, four weeks went by, she added, and “the so called ‘service advisor’ does not communicate anything, and calling doesn’t help. I left countless voice messages and texts.”

Frustrated by the lack of communication, the owner and her husband eventually drove to the dealership in person. That’s when they learned the repair was far more extensive than originally described.

“They told us they had ordered a new hybrid transmission (under warranty) and ‘it will take 2-3 weeks to arrive and another 2-3 weeks for the transmission technician to put it in,’” she wrote, adding that the vehicle had already been at the dealership for a month by that point.

Only after pressing the issue face to face did the couple secure a loaner vehicle. Reimbursement for the rental, however, remains unresolved.

“But they have no intention to reimburse the rental even though Lincoln Corporate assured us they would pay for it, since this a warranty claim,” the owner wrote. “Lincoln Corporate unfortunately won’t give us all the info as the dealership has to do the paperwork with them and they flat out refuse to do that.”

Another month passed with no progress and no updates. The owner said calls continue to go unanswered, and when someone does pick up, staff insist only the assigned service advisor can provide information.

“I can see in my Lincoln app that my car hasn’t been turned on in 14 days. It’s just sitting there,” she wrote.

“You’ve been getting strung along”

The post prompted advice from other Reddit users, many of whom said the situation sounded like a dealership accountability problem rather than a routine repair delay.

“Sounds like you’ve been getting strung along,” one commenter wrote. “I bet you’d get action if their name got some publicity on account of this. You already went above their heads to corporate, I’d report the response back to corporate and maybe even the state dealer board. I guarantee the automaker doesn’t want the bad press.”

Another commenter urged caution when the vehicle is eventually returned. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they caused body damage and were trying to repair it before you noticed,” the user warned, advising the owner to inspect the SUV thoroughly.

Others outlined a more methodical approach, encouraging the owner to stop calling and return to the dealership in person. “You need to go in to the dealership, and speak with your service advisor face to face,” one commenter advised. “Work the chain of command… Eventually you’re gonna find someone who doesn’t want his boss finding out and will resolve the situation for you.”

For now, the owner says she just wants her Aviator back — repaired, reimbursed, and no longer stuck in what she describes as an automotive “hostage” situation.