NHTSA Complaint #10114683 — 2000 FORD WINDSTAR

MY 2000 FORD WINDSTAR WILL STALL, WHILE DRIVING, WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING A LOSS OF POWER TO THE ENGINE, BRAKING SYSTEM AND STEERING SYSTEM IN A 3800 POUND VEHICLE. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM, BUT REPEATS ITSELF EVERY 2 OR 3 WEEKS OR SO. THE LAST TIME IT CAUSED MY WIFE TO TRANSVERSE INTO A STOP SIGN CONTROLLED INTERSECTION IN A POPULATED RESIDENTIAL AREA OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY WITHOUT BRAKES OR STEERING. IT HAS HAPPENED 15 TIMES TO MYSELF AND MY WIFE AND TWICE TO SOUTH BAY FORD SINCE APPROXIMATELY NOV OF 2004. I BELIEVE THAT FORD DISPATCHED ENGINEERS TO SOUTH BAY FORD IN HAWTHORNE CALIFORNIA WHO STATED THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE OF FUEL TANK DESIGN AND IS NOT CORRECTABLE. SOUTH BAY FORD AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY TOGETHER APPEAR TO BE READY TO RETURN THE VEHICLE TO ME WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS "DON'T LET THE FUEL TANK DROP BELOW 1/4 OF A TANK". THE STATED REASON IS THAT THE FORD WINDSTAR HAS A RECTANGULAR FUEL TANK THAT WHEN DRIVING ON GRADES CAN CAUSE THE FUEL TO MOVE TO A PART OF THE TANK THAT WILL NOT PUMP THE GAS TO THE ENGINE (THIS IS SUPPOSEDLY A KNOWN BUG AND POSSIBLY ASSOCIATED WITH A SERVICE BULLETIN). I ASKED WHY, ASSUMING THAT MY DRIVING HABITS (AND MY WIFE'S) HAVE NOT CHANGED IN RELATION TO OUR LETTING OUR TANK GET BELOW 1/4 TANK, THEN WHY HAS THIS ONLY SURFACED AS A PROBLEM IN THE LAST 4 OR 5 MONTHS? WHY NOT THE FIRST 3.5 YEARS?!? THIS CAR IS COVERED BY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR ONE MORE YEAR. THE CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR NEARLY THREE WEEKS NOW. FORD CAN NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT WILL NOT TAKE OWNERSHIP OF IT EITHER.