NHTSA Complaint #10133760 — 1998 FORD EXPLORER

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: I PURCHASED A USED 1998 FORD EXPLORER 13 MONTHS AGO. ON AUG 15,2005 I STARTED MY TRUCK UP AND I COULD NOT ROLL MY WINDOWS DOWN THEN I WENT ON TO TESTING THE WIND SHIELD WIPERS ( FRONT & BACK ) THEY DID NOT WORK (THIS IS A SAFETY HAZZARD ) I TRIED THE INTERIOR LIGHTS THEY DID NOT WORK AND AS WELL AS THE 4X4 SYSTEM. I HAD TO GET HOME SO WHEN AS I WAS DRIVING ( LUCKILY IT WAS NOT RAINING ) I RANDOMLY TESTED EVERYTHING AGAIN STILL NOTHING WORKED, SO I LEFT THE SWITCHES ON AND EVERY NOW AND THEN EVERYTHING WOULD COME ON FOR A SPLIT SECOND. WHEN I GOT HOME I WAS BAFFLED AND STARTED LOOKING THROUGH MY OWNERS MANUAL, NO INFO THAT COULD HELP ME FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM COULD BE. SO I WENT ONLINE AND DID SOME RESEARCH ON FORD EXPLORERS AND ITS ELECTRONICS. MY SEARCH BROUGHT ME TO THE RECALL SIGHTS AND WHEN I LOOKED ON THAT SIGHT I NOTICED THAT I HAD FOUND THE SAME EXCACT PROBLEMS I AM HAVING AS THE 1999 & 2000 FORD EXPLORER RECALLS AS WELL AS 1999 & 2000 MERCURY MOUNTAINERS WHICH IS BY THE FORD COMPANY. THEY ARE UNDER THE TITLE - COMPONENT: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUSES, AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND THE NHTSA RECALL # 00V072000 AND THE REMEDY FOR THIS PROBLEM IS THAT THE DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RESISTOR IN THE GEM CIRCUIT. I CALLED FORD COMPANY AND THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO HELP ME WITH THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE MY TRUCK IS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST AND I FEEL THAT IT SHOULD BE AND THAT SOMEONE NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF THIS PROBLEM IS HAPPENING TO THE 1999 & 2000' S THEN IT IS HAPPENING TO THE 1998 AS WELL, THEY ARE THE SAME TRUCK MADE WITH THE SAME MATERIALS AND ONLY UPDATED WITH MORE PHYSICAL FEATURES OR OMITTED OUT DATED PHYSICAL FEATURES. UNFORTUNATLY I CAN'T DRIVE MY TRUCK NOW UNLESS I KNOW THE WEATHER IS GOING TO BE CLEAR OF RAIN OR OTHER BAD WEATHER. I AM NOT ABLE TO GET IT FIXED BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD IT SO I AM STUCK AT THE MOMENT IF ANYONE CAN HELP OR ADVISE IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED - THANK YOU DAVID STANSBURY