NHTSA Complaint #10126562 — 1999 FORD TAURUS

MY HUSBAND AND I HAD THE VEHICLE FOR APPROXIMATELY 18 MONTHS WHEN IT STARTED MAKING A GRINDING NOISE. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. WE THEN TOOK IT TO 2 MECHANICS. JUST LOW ON FLUID, NO OTHER PROBLEMS. WE CHECKED THE FLUID BEFORE WE DROVE IT AFTER THAT. THE LEVELS WERE NEVER LOW. ONE DAY ON MY HOME, I HAD STOPPED FOR A LIGHT ON A HILL. WHEN THE LIGHT CHANGED, THE CAR STARTED ROLLING BACKWARD. I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK, THEN WAITED FOR THE LIGHT TO CHANGE AGAIN. THE SECOND TIME I TRIED, THE CAR JERKED AND LUNGED FORWARD. I TOLD MY HUSBAND ABOUT IT WHEN I GOT HOME AND HE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN. WE CHECKED THE FLUID AGAIN, NO CHANGE. IT WILL GO INTO GEAR IF THE ENGINE IS COLD. BUT ONCE IT WARMS UP, NOTHING. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY FOR 3 YEARS, TAKING UP SPACE AND COLLECTING DUST. THE DEALERSHIP INSISTED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT AND THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE TRANSMISSION. A THIRD INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TOLD US THE TRANSMISSION WAS FRIED. IT WILL COST ROUGHLY $3,000 TO FIX IT. MY HUSBAND PASSED AWAY AND I REFUSE TO PUT ANY MORE MONEY INTO THIS PIECE OF JUNK. I ALSO REFUSE TO MAKE ANY MORE PAYMENTS ON IT. I CAN'T SELL IT BECAUSE IT WON'T MOVE. FORD MOTOR CREDIT WILL NOT RELEASE THE TITLE UNTIL IT'S PAID FOR BUT WON'T COME AND GET IT. I CAN'T TAKE IT TO THEM. I WANT MY MONEY BACK, OR I WANT IT FIXED. THE DEALERSHIP WHO SOLD IT TO MY HUSBAND SOLD OUT TO SOMEONE ELSE AND THERE IS NO RECORD OF US EVER BRINGING IT TO THEM. NOW WHAT?