NHTSA Complaint #10140775 — 2004 FORD EXPLORER

2004 FORD EXPLORER - I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE NEW IN DEC. 03. STARTING AT APPROXIMATELY 14 MONTHS OLD, IT STARTS STALLING OUT, JUST DYING COMPLETELY. NO SIGNS, NO SYMPTOMS, JUST DIE AT A SLOW RATE OF SPEED. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, I CHALKED IT UP TO BAD GAS OR SOMETHING? FINALLY, ON THE 3RD. DEAD TIME, I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER. THEY SAID THEY CHANGED A FUSE AND IT SHOULD BE FINE. IT DIED AGAIN ... AND AGAIN. I TOOK IT BACK. THEY INSTALLED A BLACK BOX (FLIGHT RECORDER & TOLD ME TO DRIVE IT UNTIL THE MACHINE REGESTERED "3". I HAD TO KEEP THE BUTTON BY THE STEERING COLUMN SO I COULD PUSH IT QUICKLY WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE FIRST STALL, I PUSHED THE BUTTON & IT REGISTERED "2". IT DIED AGAIN JUST A BLOCK DOWN THE ROAD (RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC ON CASINO ROW, HWY 90). I PUSHED THE BUTTON AGAIN & IT REGISTERED "3". THE NEXT WEEK I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER. THEY HAD THE CAR 4 DAYS THIS TIME & COULDN'T FIGURE IT OUT. FINALLY THEY CALLED THE ENGINEERS WHO SAID TO "CLEAN & TIGHTEN THE GROUNDING STRAPS". THAT FRIDAY, IT DIED AGAIN. A COUPLE OF TIMES IT HAS DIES, MY NEWLY LICENSED DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING & NOW SHE IS AFFRAID OF MY CAR! THE STEERING COLUMN LOCKS WHEN IT DIES. WE WERE COMING BACK FROM WALMART & I KEPT TELLING HER "TURN, TURN", SHE YELLED "I CAN'T". THE CAR HAD DIED AGAIN! BECAUSE OF THE HURRICANE, I COULDN'T TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK IN. IT DIED A TOTAL OF 6 TIMES DURING EVACUATION. 5 IN SLOW TRAFFIC JAMS & ONCE WHEN COMING 60 MPH OFF THE INTERSTATE ONTO AN EXIT. I HAVE SINCE TAKEN IT BACK IN TO THE DEALER AGAIN (AT THE URGING OF FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE) AND THEY KEPT IT 10 DAYS & STILL DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS WRONG! THEY GAVE ME MY CAR BACK & SUGGESTED I TAKE IT TO ANOTHER DEALER.?! I AM A UNITED STATES AIR FORCE INSTRUCTOR AND I DO NOT HAVE THE TIME TO TAKE IT IN CONSTANTLY TO THE DEALER. PLUS, I PAY AN OUTRAGEOUS CAR PAYMENT JUST TO HAVE MY VEHICLE SIT IN REPAIR.