NHTSA Complaint #10008222 — 1998 FORD CONTOUR

THE HEATER WENT OUT IN OUR CAR, SO WE DECIDED TO FIX IT AT HOME. AFTER TAKING OUT THE BAD PART, WE DISCOVERED IT WAS MELTED. I DECIDED TO CHECK THE WEB TO SEE IF YET ANOTHER RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED. INDEED IT HAD. WE DON'T REMEMBER BEING NOTIFIED. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO SCHEDULE A REPAIR. THEY FIXED IT. ONE MONTH LATER, OUR HEATER BLOWER MOTOR WENT OUT. WE BELIEVE THIS IS IN DIRECT CORRELATION TO THE HEATER BLOWER RESISTOR THAT WAS MELTED. WE ENDED UP PAYING OUT OF POCKET TO GET A NEW HEATER BLOWER MOTOR, BUT NOT AFTER TRYING TO CONTACT FORD CUSTOMER SERVICES. WHEN WE CONTACTED THEM, WE COULD NOT TALK TO A MANAGER ( THEY WOULD HAVE TO CALL US BACK WHEN IT WAS CONVENIENT FOR THEM). THEY CALLED BACK THREE TIMES. ALL THREE TIMES WE WERE OUT, WHEN WE CALLED THEM BACK WE WERE TOLD THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO WAIT TO BE CALLED BACK AT FORDS CONVENIENCE. AFTER THE THIRD TIME THEY CALLED AND WE WEREN'T HOME, THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T BE BOTHERED WITH OUR COMPLAINT ANYMORE. WHILE WE WERE AT THE DEALERSHIP TO PICK UP OUR CAR, WE INSISTED SOMEONE FROM FORD TALK TO US. THEY LIED AND SAID OUR COMPLAINT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RECALL AND THEY KNOW THIS BECAUSE THEY TALKED TO THE SERVICE MANAGER. WE KNOW THEY LIED BECAUSE HE WAS OUT ALL DAY, AND WE ASKED HIM IF HE TALKED TO FORD AND HE SAID NO. THE SERVICE MANAGER DID FINALLY SAY THAT THE PART THAT WAS MELTED DID CONTRIBUTE GREATLY TO THE DEMISE OF THE HEATER BLOWER MOTOR, BUT THAT FORD WOULD NOT PAY FOR IT. HE SAID OTHER PEOPLE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM. I AM NOT SURE OF THE EXACT DATES.*JB