I never thought I would be in a position where I might have to sleep outside in the city where I work, 35 minutes away from my wife and stepson, just so I can keep showing up to my job and providing for my family.

I have a home. I have a family waiting for me there. I have a job I am determined to keep.

What I do not have right now is a working vehicle to reliably connect those things.

My name is Jeff Taylor. I am a husband, a stepfather, a working provider, and a graduate student pursuing my master's degree. Our family's only vehicle is currently unusable after a replacement engine installed through Ford's repair process suffered another major failure only months later.

I am not giving up. I am working. I am taking as much overtime as I can over the next several weeks and trying to personally save $2,000–$3,000 toward dependable transportation. I am continuing school, contacting Ford and the dealerships involved, and trying every reasonable option I can find.

But hard work alone may not fix this fast enough.

That is why I am asking for help.

In November 2024, my wife and I purchased a used 2019 Ford EcoSport from Red McCombs Ford in San Antonio with approximately 54,000 miles.

Our credit was not good, and we were not approved for the new vehicle we originally hoped to buy. We needed transportation, so we accepted the option available to us and believed we were buying something our family could depend on.

Within approximately 24 hours, the vehicle was dead and without power.

That problem was addressed, but it was only the beginning.

Soon afterward, we began experiencing serious vibration. We later discovered badly worn tires, warped rotors, and severely worn brakes. The tires became so deteriorated that internal tire wire was visible.

We paid out of pocket to correct those safety issues because we needed the vehicle.

Later, we learned that the EcoSport was affected by a Ford safety recall that existed before we purchased it. We had not been informed about that recall when the vehicle was sold to us.

I cannot say exactly what decision we would have made if we had known everything at the time. But knowing about an active recall, along with the condition of the tires, brakes, rotors, and other problems we discovered so soon after purchase, absolutely would have mattered.

Still, we kept moving forward. We made the repairs, made the payments, and depended on the EcoSport because it was our family's only vehicle.

Then, in October 2025, less than a year after we purchased it, the original engine suffered a catastrophic failure.

The vehicle went to Griffith Ford in San Marcos and remained in Ford's repair process from approximately October 2025 until March 2026, about five months. During that time, we continued making payments on a vehicle we could not use.

Ford eventually authorized a Field Service Action repair, and Griffith Ford replaced both the engine and turbocharger.

When we got the EcoSport back in March 2026, we were relieved. After everything we had already gone through, we believed this was finally our fresh start.

Three months later, the check-engine light came back on.

In June 2026, we returned to Griffith Ford. Griffith Ford has since explained that this replacement engine carried coverage for 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever came first.

At the time of that June visit, we were still approximately 1,000 miles below the 12,000-mile limit.

We specifically asked whether the problem might be related to the replacement engine and covered under warranty. We were told no.

We were also told that approximately $225 would be required to diagnose the vehicle. What was not explained to us was that the replacement engine was still within its stated mileage coverage or that if the diagnosis revealed a covered condition, that charge would not ultimately apply.

Had that been clearly explained, we would have authorized the diagnosis.

Only a short time later, the situation became much worse.

In August 2026, the EcoSport began losing power. It struggled to accelerate and climb hills. Turbo and powertrain warnings appeared.

We took it back to Griffith Ford and were told the replacement engine has a failed head gasket and that the vehicle needs another complete engine replacement.

That is difficult for me to even write.

In March, Ford returned our vehicle with a replacement engine and turbocharger.

In June, we brought it back with a check-engine light while still approximately 1,000 miles inside the stated replacement-engine mileage coverage.

In August, that same replacement engine now needs to be replaced again.

Because we drove significant miles between March and August, the vehicle is now beyond Ford's stated 12,000-mile limit. My concern is simple: we brought the vehicle back with a problem before that limit expired.

I have spent hours emailing, calling, gathering records, and trying to get someone to look at the full history instead of only the mileage showing today.

Griffith Ford's Director of Service Operations has now personally reviewed our case. He confirmed that Ford paid for the previous engine and turbocharger replacement, confirmed the current failed head gasket, and has said Griffith Ford is willing to advocate with Ford Motor Company for financial assistance.

I am grateful for that progress, but there is still no guarantee Ford will cover the entire repair.

While Ford reviews the case, my family's life keeps moving.

Rent does not pause. Bills do not pause. My education does not pause. My wife and stepson still depend on me, and my job still expects me to show up.

We also still owe approximately $16,108 on the EcoSport.

Because the vehicle currently has a failed engine, Red McCombs Ford estimated its current as-is value at only about $2,500–$3,000. That leaves us potentially more than $13,000 upside down if we simply trade it in as it sits.

Some of that financial position is ours to own. Our credit was poor when we financed the vehicle, so our interest rate was high. We also went through hardship after my grandmother passed away, and our lender worked with us through payment arrangements that helped us get through that time.

I do not want to blame someone else for things that belong to us.

But I also cannot ignore the path that brought us here: a vehicle sold to us with an active recall we were not told about, serious problems discovered almost immediately, an original engine failure, a Ford replacement engine, a return visit with another problem while that replacement engine was still inside its stated mileage coverage, and now another engine failure only months later.

My wife and I are trying to move forward without making another financial mistake.

After everything we have experienced, I am afraid of buying another inexpensive used vehicle and ending up in this same situation again.

I am not looking for luxury. I do not care about having the nicest vehicle or the newest features.

I need something dependable.

Something that starts in the morning, gets me to work, and brings me home to my family.

I am employed, and my plan is to work as much overtime as I can over the next several weeks. My goal is to personally save between $2,000 and $3,000 toward a down payment.

I want anyone considering helping us to know that I am not asking strangers to solve a problem while I sit back and wait.

Every overtime shift I can take, I will take. Every dollar I can reasonably save, I will save. I will keep pursuing Ford for help, keep exploring financing, keep pursuing my master's degree, and keep doing everything I can to provide for my family.

I am asking for help because there is a gap between what I can earn quickly enough and what my family needs right now.

That gap has led me to consider something difficult to admit publicly.

My job is approximately 35 minutes from my home.

If I cannot find dependable transportation, I may have to stay near my workplace during the days I work. I cannot afford weeks of hotel rooms, endless rideshares, or losing my job.

So if every other option fails, I have seriously considered sleeping outside near the city where I work.

Not because I do not have somewhere to live.

My home is 35 minutes away. My wife is there. My stepson is there. My life is there.

I would be sleeping outside simply because staying close enough to work might be the only way I can guarantee that I keep bringing a paycheck home.

As a husband and stepfather, that thought hurts more than the broken vehicle.

I do not want my wife worrying about whether I am safe. I do not want my stepson wondering why I cannot come home after work. But if the choice is between my comfort and providing for my family, I will choose my family every time.

I am asking for help because I hope I do not have to make that choice.

Any money raised will go toward creating a realistic path back to dependable transportation. That may include a down payment, temporary transportation to and from work, towing costs, expenses involved in getting into another dependable vehicle, or any portion of the current repair Ford ultimately refuses to cover.

If Ford agrees to replace the engine, I will update everyone. If our transportation situation changes, I will update everyone. I want anyone who helps us to know what is happening and what their help accomplished.

This is not really about owning a nicer car.

It is about maintaining the stability my family has left while I work to rebuild what this situation has taken from us.

I want to keep my job. I want to finish my master's degree. I want to continue providing for the people I love.

And at the end of a long day, I want to do something most people rarely have to think about.

I want to go home.

I want to clock out, get into a dependable vehicle, drive those 35 minutes, walk through my front door, see my wife and stepson, and know that I made it back to the people I was working for in the first place.

I am going to keep fighting. I am going to keep working. I am going to take the overtime. I am going to keep saving. I am going to keep pushing Ford for answers. I am going to keep going to school.

I am not asking for an easy road.

I am asking for a little help staying on the road long enough to keep building a better life for my family.

If you can donate anything, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

If you are not in a position to donate, please consider sharing our story. One share may put this in front of someone who understands what it is like to be one unexpected breakdown away from everything becoming unstable.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, for sharing it, praying for us, encouraging us, or helping in any way you can.

More than anything, thank you for helping me keep working and helping me come home.

Jeff Taylor and Family