NHTSA Complaint #10088267 — 2004 FORD F-250 SD

WE PURCHASED THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, 2004 F-250 POWERSTROKE DIESEL ON 4/3/04, LARIAT PKG,TOW/CAMPER PKG FROM A FORD DEALERSHIP IN KENNESAW, GA. IT DID WELL FOR A FEW WEEKS, BUT ODD THINGS BEGAN TO HAPPEN, ROUGH SHIFTING OF THE TRANSMISSION/DECREASE IN GAS MILEAGE/RIDING ROUGHLY. ON 6/8, BEFORE A TRIP TO FLORIDA, MY HUSBAND TOOK THE VEHICLE FOR SERVICE AND TO HAVE THE OTHER PROBLEMS CHECKED. THE DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE DEPT SAID THEY COULD'T FIND THE PROBLEM BUT DID MENTION THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING. WE LEFT FOR VACATION THE VERY EARLY ON 6/18. ON 6/25, IN FL, THE TRANSMISSION BROKE DOWN. COULD ONLY GET IT IN ONE GEAR, THE TOW/HAULING LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. A DEALERSHIP THERE IN PALM BEACH, DIAGNOSED-WE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. METAL SHAVINGS WERE FOUND IN THE TRANSMISSION WHEN IT WAS TAKEN APART. (WE ALSO FOUND OUT THAT THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT DISCLOSE TO US THE FACT THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED ONCE, AT 17 MILES. IT HAD 79 MILES ON IT WHEN WE PURCHASED IT). A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS ORDERED AND WE WERE STRANDED ANOTHER WEEK BEFORE IT WOULD ARRIVE. ON 6/30, MY HUSBAND PICKED UP THE TRUCK BUT IT STILL WASN'T OPERATING PROPERLY. ABOUT 8PM HE CALLED TO SAY THE TRANSMISSION HAD BROKEN AGAIN. BACK TO THE FL DEALERSHIP THE NEXT MORNING, LED TO ANOTHER DIAGNOSIS OF THE COMPUTER/PROCESSOR BEING BAD. THAT WAS REPLACED AND THE TRUCK HAS WORKED SOMEWHAT PROPERLY SINCE THAT TIME. IT STILL HAS SOME ODD SOUNDS COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION, THE GAS MILEAGE HAS DROPPED AS LOW AS 8.9 (ORIGINALLY -17 MPG - PULLING A CAMPER.) IT STILL IDLES ROUGHLY SO WE EXPECT TO BREAK AGAIN. THIS TRUCK IS ON ITS THIRD TRANSMISSION & 2ND PROCESSOR. WE ARE STILL TRYING TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE WITH THE DEALERSHIP, FORD MOTOR CO., AND AUTOMOTIVE GRP 1. MY SINCERE THANKS TO AL PACKARD FORD SERVICE DEPT IN PALM BEACH CO, FL FOR THEIR HELP IN DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM AND FOR HELPING THESE STRANDED VISITORS. *AK