NHTSA Complaint #10142958 — 2003 FORD EXPEDITION

THIS COMPLAINT IS IN REFERENCE TO A MECHANICAL PROBLEM I HAD WITH MY 2003 FORD EXPEDITION. WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE I-90 NEAR BOSTON, MA, THE ENGINE EJECTED A SPARK PLUG FROM THE HEAD CASING OF MY MOTOR (THIRD PLUG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE). WHEN THE PLUG EJECTED, IT TOOK WITH IT ALL OF THE THREADS IN THE CASING, RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE HEAD. THIS HAPPENED VERY SUDDENLY, AND RESULTED IN A DRAMATIC REDUCTION IN VEHICLE PERFORMANCE - WHICH NEARLY CAUSED A VEHICLE CRASH ON THE HIGHWAY. I WAS STRANDED ON THE MASSACHUSETTS TURNPIKE FOR SOME TIME AND HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, MY MECHANIC INDICATED THAT THIS WAS THE 4TH EXPEDITION HE HAD SEEN THIS YEAR WITH THIS DAMAGE TO THE EXACT SAME PLUG CASING - IN HIS MIND CLEARLY A DEFECT GIVEN THAT THESE WERE ALL RELATIVELY NEW VEHICLES WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT MILEAGE ON THEM. I CALLED FORD ON THIS - BUT THEY CLAIMED THIS WAS NOT A COMMON PROBLEM (I DID NOT BELIEVE THEM). MY REPAIR COSTS FOR THIS WERE OVER $2,000. SUBSEQUENT REVIEW OF YOUR WEBSITE INDICATES THAT A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED BY SEVERAL PERSONS IN CALIFORNIA CLAIMING TO HAVE INCURRED THE SAME TYPE OF DAMAGE. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THIS IS ON YOUR RADAR SCREEN, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO FORMALLY SUBMIT THIS REQUEST THAT THIS BE LOOKED INTO ON MY BEHALF AS WELL AS FOR OTHERS WHO I'M SURE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ALREADY - BUT ARE NOT AWARE THAT THIS MAY BE A WIDESPREAD DEFECT/SAFETY ISSUE. *JB