Harold Zeigler Ford - Lowell, MI - A Dealership to Avoid!

Harold Zeigler Ford - This business is NOT BBB Accredited. Find BBB Accredited Businesses in New Car Dealers (https://www.bbb.org/us/mi/lowell/category/new-car-dealers/accredited). To become accredited, a business must agree to BBB Standards for Trust and pass BBB's vetting process. This dealership has no qualms of using underhanded ways, to take advantage of unsuspecting and trusting seniors and others, in order to benefit from its own greed. Zeigler Ford in Lowell, MI - reviews by Linda K. on 04/12/2026 Verified Shopper Liked the salesman but he did not know very much about the truck. The whole experience did not give us a sense professionalism or a desire to purchase from Ziegler. Additional verified reviews: Worst, unresponsive Dealership that you can work with. Or at least it could have been the Sales guy who reached out to us. Never will visit or suggest one to go with them. ---- Make sure you compare prices with another dealer. Went in to price a lease on an F150, let them know I'd also check with another dealer but would rather do business in my home town where I'd bought 3 vehicles previously. When I went to another dealer was shocked to find the monthly lease price was $200 less for a vehicle that actually listed $2,000 higher, and they put in the bed liner and cover. Same value for my trade-in, so can't see anything other than they thought they could soak a senior citizen. --------------- Initial, first impression was stellar. Service seemed quite organized and the staff was super friendly. One thing after another delayed completion. It is next to impossible to reach someone by phone! ------------- Dishonest and tricky. I went for a lease and trade but should have just negotiated the lease. When all was done, I was brought to finance who, unknown to me, had me sign the lease before I actually reviewed it. I take some blame her and these snakes won't see me again. In 3 years I will go to a different dealer and be more prepared. Avoid at all costs. ---------- Less then 2 years after purchasing my Terrain here, I have had to put $7,6k to fix my vehicle and keep it running. They seem to have patched up the issues to sell the car and now I'm stuck paying the prices. Everything from tie rods, wheel bearing, break pads, sensor, the emergency brakes split in half and fell off went to work on the wheels. Now it's the transfer case, which makes me doubt they ever flushed and replaced the fluids on the vehicle prior to selling it, like they should have. $7,6k for a vehicle that I paid $14k for. The issues all started within the first year. I bought this car to get rid of my problems with my last vehicle. Not only did I feel incredibly pressured by my sales rep in the first place, but now I'm stuck in the same boat I was less than 2 years ago. Will never recommend this place to anyone Stay clear of this dealership. ------------- This dealership is the reason why I will never buy a ford again. I had a flat tire, I went there to buy two new tires. First they didn't have the tire size, and they couldn't get it for a day. I asked how much for tires and was quoted 800 for two tires balanced and rotated. I left and went to discount tire and the exact same tires were in stock and installed for $232. I didn't have a place to change my breaks so I got a quote for $950 for them to do it. I asked if I provide the parts how much would they charge. They quoted me $200 per tire. The first time I worked with them was to fix my AC. They charged me $560 and said that an actuator was broken they had it from 7:30am and it wasn't done until after 5:30pm. When I arrived they said it was all fixed and ready to go. When I got going the ac wasn't blowing cold air. I then took it to Rhonda tire down the road. They charged me $40 and within an hour said I have a slow leak and that's why it's blowing warm air. They charged it with a dye and found the leak. You could take your car literally anywhere and get better service and affordable repairs. --------------- I've had my 2016 Ford Fusion in 3 times. The transmission still has something wrong with it. I would avoid buying a Fusion. I've read online that there is a problem with the transmissions. And the guy in the service department that both my husband and I have dealt with is a real jackass. The big guy with the baldhead, I don't know his name. He treated me like I was an idiot and I was annoying him. I asked my husband to go back and pick up the car for that reason. My husband came home and said that whenever he tried talking to the guy about the problem with the car the guy would roll his eyes. Needless to say we are not happy with the car or the service guy. We will try to resolve the issue again but this will be the last ford I ever buy and the last car I ever buy from this dealership. --------------- Although we had great experience initially when we purchased our car it slowly has diminished! We found the car online knew it was what we wanted so we quick ran out to make sure the interior was what we wanted. We arrived 2 minutes before they closed and were greater by a salesman! He took his time with us even let us test drive the car! We were expecting to just peak thru the windows and go back the next day. We put money down and said we'd be back the next day to pick the car up. They said the car would be detailed and ready to go. The detail job if it could be even called that was horrible! There were still cup rings in the cup holders and brown gunk on the handles on the ceiling among other things. On top of that the heat on the passenger side doesn't work! We discovered this 3 days after purchasing the car. I emailed 2 different people about this and when I brought up the heat issue both stopped responding! We went from being highly satisfied and wanting to send everyone there to highly UNsatisfied and will not recommend them to anyone! K ------------------ Common Complaints Vehicle Condition: Some customers have reported dissatisfaction with the condition of the vehicles they purchased, indicating that the cars did not meet their expectations upon delivery. Customer Service: Reviews mention issues with the responsiveness or helpfulness of the staff, leading to a less than satisfactory buying experience. ------------------ I bought a 2020 Nissan Marano from Michael, the odometer said it had 53,000 miles on it after I got it The transfer case went out of it. The front axle was needed to be replaced along with wheel bearings. It has an aftermarket windshield in it so lane departure will not work thank God I bought extended warranty as the warranty company has paid over $10,000 for repairs I would never buy another vehicle from them ever. --------------------- I wouldn’t recommend buying tires here. I bought four new tires last year because I was told the warranty was similar to Costco’s. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. When I got a nail in one of the tires yesterday and Ford is closed on Sundays (another reason to go to Costco or Sams), I went to Costco and had to pay about $250 for a replacement. If I had purchased the tires there like I usually do, it would have been covered under their road hazard warranty. I also had another frustrating experience here. When they replaced a rim last year, they charged me $100 to swap my snow tires for my all-season tires. After installing them, and waiting for me to get there, they told me the all-season tires had no tread left and needed to be replaced immediately. That made the $100 spent for a swap a complete waste. A quick phone call beforehand would have made much more sense. Between the warranty confusion and unnecessary charges, I ended up spending more money than I should have. I won’t be buying tires here again. --------------- I purchased a Ford Mustang from this dealership, and shortly after delivery, I noticed the check engine light was on. I contacted Mason about the issue, and he said he’s not at the location but would reach out to the salesperson and get back to me. Unfortunately, I never received any follow-up. I had the car checked by a mechanic, who informed me that the problem was the catalytic converter, which will cost over $1,000 to repair. He also mentioned that the code had been temporarily cleared and would reappear after driving about 50 miles. I strongly recommend that future buyers exercise caution and have any vehicle thoroughly inspected by a mechanic or tested with an OBD scanner before completing a purchase. Based on my experience, once payment was made, there was no customer support or concern for the issue. --------------------- We bought our Yukon XL Denali at Ziegler Ford Of Lowell, MI. Zach Cardis couldn't be more helpful with the process. He's very knowledgeable and made car-buying so easy! Thank you Zach and Zeigler Ford Team! Review Update: The vehicle had a major issue that we weren't aware and caused it for the whole engine to be replaced. Learn from me. Please take your time to inspect the vehicle before buying. The dealership will not help you once it's out of their lot. Reply to the owner: I did not refuse any warranty. There weren't any available to purchase. I guess that's my fault for agreeing to proceed with the purchase and trust that the vehicle will last for at least a few years. I spent over $12,000 for the new engine and labor. The car is running great. Thank you for hoping the vehicle is running, though it didn't help us one bit. --------------- Absolutely terrible dealership. Would not recommend, they have failed to properly maintain our f350 and it has now made our warranty void. The service manager Alex has no business being in his position, not even knowing my 2019 f350 has a transmission dipstick 🤯. There quick oil change department does not even check differentials or transmissions. When your vehicle is due for outside of normal maintenance they will not inform you. And the general manager plain out stated that the guys in the quick oil have a very minimal knowledge of vehicles. 10/10 would not recommend ---------------- Found a car here online, went and drove it, and it was what we wanted. Sat down to do the paperwork, and they wanted to add $1500 to the listed price to pay for repairs and maintenance they did while it was at the dealership (it was called prep on the invoice). I feel that if they want to recoup their investments into a vehicle, they should add that to the listed price of the car, not add it in afterwards, as if they are trying to sneak it in. Seems way too dishonest, and will just go to another dealership. ---------------- I was very disappointed in the sales people they had there. We found the exact car we wanted so we drove out there. We did test drive it. But nobody was really interested in talking to us about it. They finally came out but were more interested in looking at their Apple Watch. Plus the car was red but it looked yellow because it was so dirty. ----------------------- I purchased an extended warranty and never recieved any paperwork other then the brochure finance gave me. My car is in the shop for a wheel bearing and I called at 9am and left a message with the finance manager and used car manager. I'm not at home and thought I knew the warranty co but when the shop called, there is no contract listed. So I called the dealership to get the info needed to start a claim. No return calls. I've called 4 other times and Amber (the receptionist) has been transferring me to anyone that can help and each time I get a voice mail. The last time she said the manager was in his office and didn't appear busy, still went to vm. Great customer service until the sale is final! I have the paperwork at home but by the time I get home, the shop is closed and it will have to wait until tomorrow (which is thursday) and my car won't be ready until next week because now parts won't be in in time to finish by Friday as planned. -------------------------- Purchased a vehicle 2017 Tahoe in march , my transmission went out a couple months later , vehicle was causing too many problems ---------------- Even though I purchased my vehicle from here (Kirk Weiss was great to work with), I will no longer return to get it serviced at this location. They overcharge, try to coerce you into buying products that are not needed or overdue (tires), and implied that a labor fee for a lighting issue would be added onto my bill. It took another dealership literally 45 seconds to fix. Keller Ford did an outstanding job in half of the time, for a cheaper price, with no “up-selling” by their service managers. I highly recommend going there (or any dealership other than Zeigler Lowell) for routine service. ---------------- We purchased our SUV there on 6/30. Since then, it has had to go back to their service department twice, and now they expect us to a 3rd time because THEY broke a piece of trim work on the interior during their warranty repair work. It has been to their service department twice, in less than 3 weeks, to have work done on it that should’ve been handled prior to even listing it for sale. The car was also very dirty and when we asked for it to be detailed prior to us purchasing it they said “we will clean it” and just ran a vacuum through it. I will never do business with Harold Zeigler again. I told them I will not bring my car back to them (a 3rd time!) for their repair that is now required due to their negligence and will instead take it to someone who is competent. --------------------- Another dealer trying to take advantage of hard-working people. I went to look at a vehicle after seeing it listed online. I was traveling over an hour and the salesman knew I was coming and still did not even try to clean up the vehicle. The vehicle had mud, dirt and ash everywhere and smelled like cigarettes. I asked the salesman about a very apparent leak on front differential, and he claimed he was no mechanic but would have the service shop take a look. A few minutes later while he is appraising my vehicle to trade in, the same salesman stating they are not a mechanic starts claiming he can tell by just listening to my engine run that I need thousands of dollars in repairs. The offer they ended up giving me was beyond ridiculous, it was the sticker price of the vehicle I was interested in, PLUS the KBB value of my vehicles trade in added on top of their sticker price. They tried to justify the added costs from having to have the vehicle I was interested in cleaned/detailed, and a safety inspection and a VIP package that included ZERO warranties. Save yourself some time and money and skip Zeigler's altogether.. ------------------- I drove a couple hours to come here for a Fusion, decent experience purchasing the car. Sales staff we dealt with was friendly enough. They however did not have a second key. They "would send it in the mail when they found it" Obviously I knew this wasn't going to happen, due to the nature of car salesmen. I followed up a couple times in the two weeks after, just in case they actually did have it. Lots of "let me check" and other expected things and unreturned calls. Now there's just no response. Not unexpected, as used car salesmen are obviously the bottom of the barrel as far as sales goes, so following up seems a struggle for most. My wifes lease is up here shortly and will definitely buying the next car elsewhere. --------------- Horrible experience. Called them about a lease I was in, gave them all the information and was asking if there was ways to get out of it. They took all my vehicle information including vin numbers and model. They told me they were short on inventory and would love to buy the vehicle from me at a even wash, even if I didn’t buy a car from them. I drive the 2hours up to them. Ended up test driving a vehicle that they had on the lot. The used vehicle was not even detailed and smelled like smoke. The. I took a Test drive a new f-150 that I had interest in, when they came back with payments I said that it was to high. They sat in the office and said they would honor the wash on the lease, I had a week to decide. Fast forward 3 days later, I called and said that I wanted to go ahead and wash the lease since it’s a brand new explorer. So I could get serious about buying a vehicle. They said they never said such a thing. Lie straight to me and say they never said such a thing and they thought I had a different vehicle. Absolutely ridiculous liars. Even if they had a vehicle I wanted to buy I would never buy from them. Thanks for the reply… you shook my hand and said I had a week to do the deal not a day more. Definitely not till Tuesday. I was there until 5pm Saturday. Funny how when you called me back on Thursday you’re salesman said the deal was only good till Monday and then you write it was good till Tuesday lol… it’s funny how you can’t even get you’re lie right. But that’s what you guys are liars. Also Monday was a holiday and your salesman even said he wasn’t gonna be in because he scheduled it off, that it was good for one week not to rush lol. Place is a joke ---------------- Let me update one more time. The sales manager literally was raising his voice and talking over me. Don't come here. Also, most of their reviews are probably incentive based. Or paid. Why? Because look through the comments/reviews. They go out of their way to make sure that any "bad" review (more like honest) has their side plastered below indicating how the customer is wrong, but that they wish the best for them. That's terrible customer service. Apologize and own up for your actions. It's 5 or 1. Hardly any in between. The service department is terrible. Drive to 28th st. with all service needs. (7/24/17) wanted papers for warranty/recall work done and treated me like a huge inconvenience. This location needs to improve their customer service skills, or they're going to suffer. Got my car from them almost a year ago, and I've had nothing but problems and poor customer service from this dealership. The service department fixed recalls on my car, and in the process they made all of my windows off track. I understand accidents happen, but after taking my car back, I had to take it back AGAIN for the same issue. They're pushy when it comes to sales, never return phone calls, and they don't explain their policies clearly. I won't go back here. --------------- Service Center takes advantage of elderly! My mom went in because her tire felt a bit off. Upon arrival the receptionist asked if she wanted them to " take a look." my mom has been to several great Ford places before that did not charge to just "take a look" at a suspected problem. The place was busy but not overly so, a hour and a half later they bring back her car and tell her she need's over $500 in repairs and charge her $96 just for looking at it!!. The receptionist never informed her that she would be charged and that money was part of her bill money for the month, she would NOT have gotten it looked at if she was made aware of the charge before hand. We then took the car to three other locations for second options and two looked at it for free and one for a much smaller fee and all three said the repairs needed were UNDER $200!! I called and spoke to the manager who was rather rude and dismissive. We will never go back there and we for sure will make sure others know that this is unacceptable. Shame on this Ford dealer for taking advantage of and trying to WAY overcharge an elderly person, or anyone else for that manner. ------------------ Every time I go there its another issue or mess up. I had a car issue covered under warranty, wouldn't give me a rental car. Purchased a new vehicle and they made mistakes on contract. Had a recall and was told they ordered the part. After no follow up, called them and found the part wasn't ordered. They are not the only Ford dealer in the area and I won't be using them anymore. --------------- My complaint with this dealership has more to do with the Service and maintenance department rather than the sales department. Recently, my girlfriend's 2014 Ford Focus had an issue where nothing electrical would work in the car, including the key fob to lock and unlock the car. After we jump started the battery, the car did start, but the battery wasn't getting enough of a charge from the engine alone, so we added a battery charger. After running the engine, I went to turn off the car and it began idling very roughly. After some trial and error. along with "check engine messages on the console, it seemed to run ok, but we knew of a recall for Focus' that described symptoms similar. to what was happening I suggested she take the car to Zeigler to have it looked at before driving it to work. My girlfriend spoke with a mechanic named Joe, who was dismissive to the point of being rude. He insited it was a problem with the battery and wouldn't even consider the issue mentioned in the recall. Joe then told my girlfriend that the earliest she could bring the car in was 3 weeks from that day and the dealership would not provide a "courtesy" vehicle while her Focus was there. He then told her that he was "too busy to talk" and so she made the appointment. She called Fox Ford the next day and they said they would take a look at it two days later. I guess Zeigler lost our business. -------------------------- I refuse to buy another vehicle from Zeigler because their service is terrible. They overcharge and tried to charge me $105 an hour for a warranty issue. Go to Borgman, their service is top notch and very friendly. I will drive the extra miles before going back to Zeigler ------------------- Never even mentioned my check engine light being on during my oil change. Then when I called to question it, he said I'd need an appointmemt and $90. It is free down the road at Autozone. No thanks. ------------------ Horrible service. I’ve called 4 separate times trying to reach the finance department and I haven’t gotten a call back. Even talked to Bill there and he took my info and never had someone reach out. Never do business with these guys. They sell you the car and forget about you. ------------------ WORST dealership I have ever encountered. Bought a car that broke down on me TWICE after one month of owning it, $1000’s of dollars in repairs. They were unwilling to help out with that in any way. Would not recommend this place to anyone. ------------------ Bill Meijer called me and tried to sell me a Maverick at $10,000 over MSRP. Then they want $3,000 for z guard, which is anywhere from $500 to $1,500 elsewhere. Think I’ll look elsewhere. --------------- I recently purchased a used 2018 Chevy Equinox from Ziegler's in Lowell. When we went to look at the car, there had been a leak from the sunroof and the car was wet. Our salesmen assured us that the leak had been repaired and that they would offer a full detail. I asked for some sort of warranty for the leak but they dodged the question, just stating that it was fixed. Well I ended up having to pay extra for the detail due to the leak. Additionally, this detail took 2 full days longer than was scheduled. I was supposed to pick up the car on a Monday but it was not finished until Wednesday.Later, I found trash still under the seats, some "detail job". I received the car with a drop off, but they had overfilled the tank and gasoline had leaked all down the side. Less than a week into driving my new car, the check engine light came on. I called he dealership and they assured me that they would take care of it, but only if it was a minor repair. I live over two hours from the dealership and did not want to drive two hours just for them to tell me they would not cover it or keep my car for two+ days again. After many back and forth calls, I decided to take it to a local chevy dealership. The repair will cost 1,000 for the evaporator system, possibly due to overfilling the tank. Plus after the first good rain, the roof leaked! Don't believe anything they tell you at this dealership. ------------- Went to look at a truck that was online. I called and they said it was available and could also show me some other trucks. When I got there the next day they said the truck online was sold. They showed me a more expensive truck and I agreed to buy it. Made the deal shook hand with the salesman and the finance manager who told me the loan was approved. I left to talk to my wife and have her agree on the truck because it was more money. Three hours later I called to tell them to finish the loan and they informed me the truck was sold. Then they said the truck I originally wanted could be at the dealership tomorrow. (Bait and switch) ---------------- I bought a Toyota Tacoma used with 49,000 miles on it. Was assured by my salesman that the factory powertrain warranty was good until 60,000 and everything was good with the truck. Vibrations with the truck the torque converter needs replacing. Come to find out that the truck was from Canada and no warranties apply, nor any other recalls if applicable. Was never told the truck was from Canada and that warranties do not apply. Flat out lied to from this dealer. ----------------- Do not go to Harold Zeigler Ford! They are hands down, the WORST dealership in the area. Their customer service is an absolute joke, and after $2500 and three weeks of work – my truck is still not fixed. I took my Ford F150 in after noticing my engine was running a little funny – and they told me they’d have it diagnosed by the end of the day… it took them AN ENTIRE WEEK just to diagnose the problem… and another TWO WEEKS to TRY and fix it. What makes this timeline truly atrocious is that they never once returned a single one of my phone calls. I was constantly told “We’ll call you know by the end of the day” – and never once did they follow through. This is absolutely unacceptable, as they not only completely ignored their own customer for three weeks... their "repairs" didn't even fix my truck - but gladly charged over $2500 for them... so beware of Harold Zeigler Ford! ------------------------- I purchased a 2001 Ford Expedition less than 1 month ago, The salesmanager stressed that I was getting a good vehicle and the good engine, the one that doesnt have engine oil leak problems. and stressed the great deal that I was getting on this vehicle, It was $4000.00 under blue book. Two weeks later I have oil leak marks on my driveway. I contacted the salesman, he insisted that I bring it in to service for inspection. I brought the vehicle in and they confirmed the oil leak. They dont know where its coming from and none of the service techs want to deal with this job. They referred me to a Ford Dealer and at my cost I can have it fixed. I suggested they dont sell what they cant fix, and also suggested that they purchase the vehicle back from me. It shouldnt be hard for them to re-sell, since they gave me such a good deal right??? If you feel lucky, you might consider buying a vehicle for Harlod Zeigler. Matt Alto, Michigan U.S.A. ----------- Zeigler Auto Group pays $85K in back wages to 214 workers after US Department of Labor investigation Auto dealer failed to ensure commission-based sales consultants made minimum wage KALAMAZOO, MI – Zeigler Auto Group’s sales may place it among the leading auto dealerships nationwide, but a recent federal investigation found sales consultants’ commissions often failed to meet minimum wage requirements at 13 Michigan, Indiana and Illinois locations. The investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recovered a total of $85,111, in minimum wages and overtime back wages for 214 employees of Harold Zeigler Auto Group Inc. “Employees paid on commission basis must earn at least the federal minimum wage per hour of work completed. If they do not, employers must make up the difference,” explained Wage and Hour Division District Director Mary O’Rourke in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “Our investigation put money into the pockets of workers who were underpaid, and levels the playing field for employers who play by the rules. Other employers in this industry should use this investigation as an opportunity to review their own pay practices and avoid similar violations.” The division found the employer violated the Fair Labor Standards Act when they: Failed to assure that sales consultants’ commissions covered at least the federal minimum wage for all the hours that they worked during each monthly settlement period; Wrongly classified some salaried employees in their business development centers as exempt from overtime requirements, and then failed to pay them overtime despite their duties not qualifying for exemption; and Failed to maintain accurate payroll records. Investigators determined the employer had underpaid 80 sales consultants employed at 10 locations including: Zeigler of Kalamazoo, Zeigler Motorsports, Zeigler of Grandville and Zeigler of Plainwell, in Michigan; Zeigler Ford of Elkhart, Indiana; and Hoffman Estates Mercedes Benz, Hoffman Estates Infiniti, Zeigler Nissan of Gurnee, Zeigler of North Riverside and Zeigler of Lincolnwood, all located in Illinois. Headquartered in Kalamazoo, Zeigler Auto Group owns and operates 30 retail automotive dealerships, three finance companies, a leasing firm, insurance firms and a real estate portfolio throughout Southwest Michigan, Northern Indiana and Illinois.