NHTSA Complaint #10109846 — 1996 FORD WINDSTAR

I HAVE A '96 FORD WINDSTAR WITH A 3.8 LITER V6 ENGINE. THIS IS THE 2ND HEAD GASKET FAILURE I'VE HAD WITH IT. THE FIRST WAS IN NOVEMBER OF 2003. I PAID ABOUT $2500 TO HAVE THE HEAD GASKETS REPLACED THEN. THIS TIME I WAS DRIVING TO WORK WHEN AFTER A SHORT TIME I NOTICED MY CAR HEATER WASN'T WORKING, JUST BLOWING COLD AIR. A SHORT TIME LATER, I NOTICED MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS GOING UP, AND AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES, IT WAS IN THE RED ZONE. A FEW MINUTES AFTER THAT, MY ENGINE BEGAN MAKING TERRIBLE CLUNKING AND RATTLING NOISES AND I HAD TO PULL OVER. AS SOON AS I DID, THE ENGINE DIED AND WOULDN'T RESTART AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES OF COOLING DOWN. I HAD TO BE TOWED TO MY MECHANIC'S GARAGE WHICH COST ME $127, AND MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. THE CAR'S BEEN AT HIS GARAGE FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS WHILE I DECIDE WHAT I SHOULD DO. I'M CONVINCED THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT FOR WHICH FORD MOTOR COMPANY IS RESPONSIBLE, ESPECIALLY AFTER READING THE COMPLAINT LOG CONTAINING SO MANY STORIES FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE A CAR WITH THIS TYPE ENGINE. FORD CLAIMS THEY SOLVED THIS PROBLEM AFTER 1995, BUT THE COMPLAINT LOG TELLS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT STORY. *JB