NHTSA Complaint #10003487 — 1995 FORD WINDSTAR

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT LIT UP AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE SPIKED INTO THE RED ZONE. THE NEXT MORNING I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC WHO LATER INFORMED ME THAT THE HEAD GASKET HAD FAILED, COOLANT HAD LEAKED INTO AT LEAST ONE CYLINDER AND THE TIMING CHAIN. I CONTACTED FORD BECAUSE I HAD RECEIVED A NOTICE OF AN EXTENSION TO THE WARRANTY FOR THIS VERY PROBLEM. HOWEVER FORD ONLY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 7 YEARS AND 100,000 MILES. THIS VEHICLE HAS 98,000 MILES ON IT AND IS 8 YEARS AND 3 MONTHS OLD. AS A RESULT FORD WILL NOT SERVICE THE CAR UNDER THE WARRANTY EXTENSION. MY MECHANIC TELLS ME THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS PARTICULAR FORD ENGINE AND THAT HE HAS HAD TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKET ON NUMEROUS VEHICLES WITHT HIS ENGINE.