NHTSA Complaint #10104035 — 1999 FORD EXPLORER

I PURCHASED MY 1999 FORD EXPLORER IN MAY OF 2004 AND WITHIN A MONTH, I BEGAN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH MY TRANSMISSION. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE VEHICLE WOULD LOOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING, THE TRANSMISSION COULD BE HEARD SHIFTING AND ALSO SHIFTING MOVEMENT WAS FELT WHILE DRIVING. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO RIO VALLEY IN ESPANOLA, NEW MEXICO WHERE I PAID CASH ($8700.00) AND WAS TOLD THAT I DID NOT PURCHASE THE WARRANTY AND MY VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND IT WOULD COST ME $3200.00 TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. I COMPLAINED AND WAS TOLD THAT MY GASKET WAS SEALED WITH A SEALANT THAT WENT IN TO MY GASKETS AND DAMAGED MY SOLENOID. I HAS JUST TAKEN IT FOR A TRANSMISSION OIL CHANGE AND THOUGHT WELL THAT COULD BE, HOWEVER, AFTER TALKING TO THE OWNER OF HINDI'S OIL STOP, I FELT CERTAIN THAT THIS WAS NOT THE CAUSE. RIO VALLEY FORD DID CLEAN OUT THE TRANSMISSION A COUPLE OF TIMES AND CHARGED ME $340.00 AND I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS BASICALLY GOING TO HAVE A BAND-AID EFFECT AND I WOULD ULTIMATELY NEED TO GET MY TRANSMISSION FIXED. IT WAS GETTING ME AROUND FOR AWHILE BUT LATELY THE SAME SHIFTING NOISES AND FEELINGS I HAD HEARD AND FELT ARE RECURRING. MY OVERDRIVE LIGHT ALSO GOES OF AND ON CONTINUOUSLY SOMETIMES WHILE I AM DRIVING THE VEHICLE. *JB