NHTSA Complaint #10086539 — 1995 FORD MUSTANG

A YEAR AGO,TEMPERATURE GAUGE IN CAR STARTED TO SHOW THAT CAR ENGINE WAS GETTING HOT.HAD CAR LOOKED AT, AND NO PROBLEM COULD BE FOUND. WAS CAUTIOUS STILL, AND KEPT MY EYE ON GAUGE TO MAKE SURE CAR NEVER OVERHEATED. ON WAY TO WORK ONE DAY,THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE SHOWD ENGINE WAS OVERHEATING.PULLED OVER TO FIND COOLANT LEAKING. HAD A FRIEND LOOK AT IT AND FOUND THE COOLANT RESERVOIR TO BE CRACKED,AND COOLANT ON A HOSE, SO HAD THOSE 2 ITEMS REPLACED. CAR RAN OKAY FOR AWHILE TIL I NOTICED A BIT OF WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT OF EXHAUST PIPE.(LATER TOLD I WAS BURNING COOLANT-HENCE THE WHITE SMOKE). HAD MECHANIC REPLACE THERMOSTAT,RADIATOR CAP.ETC. AND AGAIN-HAD NO PROBLEMS FOR AWHILE UNTIL CAR ONE NIGHT CAR WOULD NOT START. HAD FRIEND TRY IT AND CAR STARTED FOR HIM. PROCEEDED HOME ONLY TO SEE A LOT OF WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT THE BACK AND AGAIN, CAR STARTED TO OVERHEAT. PULLED OVER,AND FOUND-AGAIN,COOLANT LEAKING. HAD IT TOWED TO MY MECHANICS HOME. HE LOOKED AT CAR AND DEDUCED THAT I WOULD NEED A VALVE JOB IF HE DIDNT FIND THE HEAD TO BE CRACKED. HAD VALVE JOB DONE, NEW HEAD GASKET INSTALLED ALONG WITH A NEW OXYGEN SENSOR-COOLANT BURNING OUT OF TAIL PIPE FRIED THE SENSOR. DIDNT HAVE CAR FOR 3 WKS, AND HAD TO PAY $1700. FOR THESE REPAIRS. & ITS NOT DUE TO LEAKS OF HOSES. SO AM TOLD THAT I MAY BE BURNING THE COOLANT WHICH MAY CAUSE SOME SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE.(NO EXTERNAL OBVIOUS LEAKS DETECTED) FOUND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL THAT AFFECTED MY YEAR,MAKE & MODEL OF CAR, BUT THIS WARRANTY HAS SINCE EXPIRED.(WAS A 7YR/100,000 MI WARANTY) IT EXPIRED IN 2002 EVEN THOUGH THE PROBLEM OCCURED 26,000 UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY FORD GAVE.SUPPOSEDLY, A LETTER WAS TO BE SENT TO THOSE WITH MY ENGINE TYPE(3.8L V-6) IN MAY OF '02. I NEVER RECEIVED SUCH LETTER. A LOCAL DEALER HAS INFORMED ME THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN(OR WILL) DO TO HELP ATTHIS POINT DUE TO THE WARRANTY EXPIRATION. ALSO, TO POOR SALT IN THE PROVERBIAL WOUND, I WORK FOR FORD MOTOR CO., THE MANUFACTURER OF THE CAR...