NHTSA Complaint #10070168 — 1995 FORD WINDSTAR

THE ENGINE WAS THE MAIN PROBLEM DUE TO THE HEAD GASKET RECALL. IN JULY,2000, WE ARGUED WITH FORD ABOUT A BAD ENGINE RUNNING FOR WHICH WE HAD JUST PAID OVER $300 TO EVALUATE BY AN OUTSIDE REPAIR SHOP. AFTER ABOUT 6 WEEKS WE RECEIVED OUR CAR BACK WITH A NEW LONG BLOCK PAID FOR BY FORD, INCLUDING A RENTAL VAN FOR THE TIME IN THE SHOP. IN JANUARY 2001 THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING ROUGH AGAIN AND WE WERE CHARGED $81.45 TO CHECK IT OUT AND REPLACE A WIRE BAD ON CYLINDER 6 WHICH WAS MISFIRING. THREE MONTHS LATER IN APRIL 2001 THE CAR RAN ROUGH AGAIN AND THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS BACK ON (HAPPENED FOR YEARS INTERMITTENTLY SINCE WE OWNED THE CAR). THE NEW LONG-BLOCK HAD ANOTHER BAD HEAD GASKET REINSTALLED PER THE SECOND FORD DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER. AFTER NEARLY ANOTHER MONTH WE HAD THE SECOND NEW LONG-BLOCK IN LESS THAN ONE YEAR. NOW LESS THAN 2 YEARS AND 40,000 MILES LATER, FOLLOWING THE 110K SERVICE OF RADIATOR FLUSH AND OIL CHANGE AT 113,098 MILES THE ENGINE RAPIDLY LOST OIL AND IS MISFIRING AND BURNING OIL. FORD'S POSITION ONCE AGAIN IS THAT THE WARRANTY WAS ONLY FOR 12 MONTHS OR 12K MILES. ON A SMALLER NOTE, THE BRAKES HAVE GONE OUT NUMEROUS TIMES AND WE HAVE REPLACED ROTORS AND PADS NUMEROUS TIMES WITH NO IMPROVEMENTS. THE POWER STEERING HAS PERFORMED VERY POORLY. WE CHANGED THE FLUID IN 2000 AND THEN THE FORD SERVICE CENTER AND THEY REPLACED THE OUTER TIE RODS AND RESET THE ALIGNMENT. WITHIN MONTHS IT WAS GOING OUT AGAIN INTERMITTENTLY. MOST OFTEN WHEN STARTING OUT THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT AND YOU MUST MANUALLY STEER THE VEHICLE.