NHTSA Complaint #10144885 — 2003 FORD TAURUS

SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING OUR 2003 FORD TAURUS WAGON, WE NOTICED EXTENSIVE WATER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR. WE TOOK CAR TO NEWPORT FORD, AN AUTHORIZED FORD DEALER. WE WERE INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A DESIGN DEFECT WHICH ALLOWED WATER TO OVERFLOW THE RAINHAT AND TRAVEL THROUGH THE HEATER SYSTEM TO THE FLOOR. THEY "FIXED" THE PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, STILL UNDER WARRANTY, WE NOTICED WATER ON THE PASSENGER FLOOR AGAIN. HAVING MOVED, WE TOOK THE CAR TO HOWELL MOTORS OF WRIGHT'S CORNERS, NY. THEY TOO WERE AWARE OF THE DESIGN DEFECT, AND WERE IN POSSESSION OF TSB # 04-15-3 WHICH CLEARLY INDICATES THAT THIS PROBLEM WILL LEAD TO THE FAILURE OF THE BLOWER MOTOR, AND/OR BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR. WE NOT BEING AUTOMOBILE MECHANICS, WERE NOT AWARE OF THE CERTAINTY OF A DEFROST SYSTEM FAILURE. NOT KNOWING THAT THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE, WE DID NOT INSIST THAT THEY REPLACE ALL THE DAMAGED COMPONENTS. LAST WEEK, THE DEFROSTER BLOWER SUDDENLY FAILED DURING THE FIRST SNOWSTORM OF THE YEAR. WATER AND SLUSH FROM PASSING TRAFFIC FROZE TO THE WINDSHIELD REDUCING VISIBILITY TO ZERO. WAS FORCED TO LIMP HOME, STOPPING AT GAS STATIONS TO SCRAPE AND CLEAN WINDSHIELD. RESEARCHED ON INTERNET, AND LEARNED THAT FORD HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THE EXACT PROBLEM WE TOOK THE CAR IN FOR TWICE WHILE UNDER WARRANTY. TOOK THE CAR BACK TO DEALER AND WERE INFORMED THAT THIS WAS NO LONGER A WARRANTY ISSUE, AND WERE CHARGED $ 267.26 FOR A NEW BLOWER MOTOR, TO REPLACE THE ONE DESTROYED BY THE WATER POOLING IN THE HEATER SYSTEM. WE ARGUED THAT THIS SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY, AS THE CAR HAD BEEN IN TWICE PREVIOUSLY, WHILE UNDER WARRANTY, FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. AS THE CAR WAS CLEARLY UNSAFE TO DRIVE IN UPSTATE NEW YORK IN THE WINTER, WE PAID THE DEALER. FORD IS TRYING TO PASS THIS OFF AS A "COMFORT" ISSUE, WHILE IN REALITY, HAVING ZERO VISIBILITY FROM THE WINDSHIELD IS NOT ONLY UNSAFE, BUT ILLEGAL IN NY STATE. *NM