NHTSA Complaint #10003355 — 1993 MERCURY SABLE

I HAVE A 1993 MERCURY SABLE AND I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS REPAIRS DONE TO IT. MY SON AND I WERE DRIVING HOME LAST SUNDAY FROM THE MALL AT NIGHT AND THE HEADGASKET BLEW OUT. WE WERE DRIVING IN THE DARK WITH CARS BEHIND US AND A HUGE CLOUD OF WHITE SMOKE BLOWING OUT THE BACK END CAUSING ME TO DRIVE VERY SLOWLY ON THE 45 AND 55 MILE AN HOUR HIGHWAY . PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO DRIVE AROUND ME AND I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS HAPPENING AS I AM NOT A MECHANIC. I THOUGHT MY CAR WAS ON FIRE AND WAS PANICKING. I FINALLY FOUND A PLACE TO PULL OVER IN THE 30 DEGREE TEMPS. I WENT ON TO FIND OUT THAT THIS HEADGASKET HAS BLOWN OUT IN NUMEROUS YEARS AND MODELS BUILT BY FORD AND THEY KNOW IT IS DEFECTIVE YET HAVE ONLY OFFERED RECALLS AND EXTENDED WARRANTIES ON A FEW YEARS AND MAKES. I BELIEVE THEY SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE VECHICLES WITH THIS DEFECTIVE PART. IF I HADN'T OF HAD SOME PRESENCE OF MIND WE COULD HAVE VERY WELL OF CAUSED AN ACCIDENT DUE TO A DEFECTIVE PART ON MY VEHICLE, NOT TO MENTION MY SON BEING SCARED TO DEATH THAT WE WERE GOING TO BLOW UP.