NHTSA Complaint #10139858 — 1999 MERCURY SABLE

1999 MERCURY SABLE LS VIN - [XXX] CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW FROM COPPER COUNTRY FORD 12/16/98 WARRANTY - 36,000 MILES / 6 YEARS ----------------------------------------------- AT APPROX 36,095 MILES OCT 2004 I HAD TO REPLACE THE RACK AND PINION STEERING. SEEING AS HOW I WAS OVER THE WARRANTY, I CALLED THE FORD MO. CO AND ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYTHING THEY WOULD DO. TOWN & COUNTRY FORD (LOCAL FORD DEALER IN MY TOWN) SAID THEY WOULD CHARGE ME FOR THE LABOR ONLY. APRIL 11, 2005 WITH APPROX 38,000 MILES IT STARTED TO LEAK OIL. I TOOK IT TO TOWN & COUNTRY AND THEY SAID IT NEEDED A NEW OIL PAN GASKET. THEY REPAIRED IT AT MY EXPENSE. APPROX A MONTH LATER, IT WAS LEAKING AGAIN. TOOK IT IN, AND THEY SAID THEY FIXED IT... OIL PAN GASKET NEEDED SOME TWEEKING, SO THEY SAID. I TOOK IT TO HAVE ITS NORMAL 3000 MI OIL CHECK DAYS LATER, AND THE MAN WHO LOOKED AT MY ENGINE SAID THE FAN BELT WAS SHREDDED, AND COULD NOT BELIEVE SOMEONE WAS WORKING ON MY ENGINE DAYS PRIOR AND DID NOT FIX IT OR TELL ME ABOUT IT. I HAD THE FAN BELT REPLACED. OCT 13, 2005 MY CAR IS STILL LEAKING OIL. I TOOK IT TO TOWN & COUNTRY FORD, AND NOW THEY TELL ME I NEED A NEW ENGINE.....BECAUSE THE BLOCK IS CRACKED. I ASKED IF MAYBE THE OIL LEAK THAT HAD STARTED IN APRIL MAY HAVE BEEN DUE TO THE CRACKED BLOCK, TO WHICH I NEVER GOT AN ANSWER. WHEN I ASKED WHY THE BLOCK WAS CRACKED, THE ANSWER I GOT WAS "ITS MADE OF ALUMINUM, AND SOMETIMES THESE THINGS HAPPEN." CURRENT MILEAGE IS APPROX 40,000. I JUST CALLED THE FORD MOTOR CO AND THEY SAID THERE ARE NO PROGRAMS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CAR TO HELP ME AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. I REALIZE THAT IM OVER MILEAGE, AND THAT IM OVER THE WARRANTY....BUT I HAVE REPLACED THE RACK AND PINION AND NOW I HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENGINE? [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] *NM UPDATED 07/18/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)