NHTSA Complaint #10149860 — 2002 FORD EXPEDITION

MY 2002 FORD EXPEDITION'S WINDSHIELD WIPERS AND AUDIO SYSTEM WOULD NOT FUNCTION IN ANY POSITION EXCEPT PARK. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN ON JAN. 24 AND WAS TOLD THAT SINCE THE VEHICLE AUDIO AND WIPER SYSTEM FUNCTIONED PROPERLY. I GOT A CALL LATER IN THE DAY SAYING THAT THE VEHICLE'S WIPERS AND AUDIO SYSTEM DISPLAYED THE MALFUCNTION THAT I HAD DESCRIBED. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THERE WAS SEVERE CORRSION AROUND SOME OF THE ELETRICAL PARTS. THE SERVICE TECH SUSPECTED A LEAK BUT COULD NOT TELL WHERE THE LEAK WAS COMING FROM. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE CORRODED PART FOR THE AMOUNT OF $1065.70 AND RELEASED THE CAR TO ME. ON JAN. 31, MY HUSBAND NOTICED AT 5:00 A.M AS HE WAS PREPARING FOR WORK THAT THE AUDIO SYSTEM WAS BLASING AND THE DASH BOARD WAS LIT. HE ATTEMPETED TO START THE CAR, BUT IT WOULDN'T. HE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AT 8:00 A.M TO REPORT THE PROBLEM. A TOWING COMPANY WAS CONTACTED AT THIS TIME. AT APPROXIMATELY 12 NOON, MY HUSBAND ATTEMTED TO START THE CAR AGAIN. THIS TIME IT STARTED AND MY HUSBAND DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE "SERVICE ENGINE" LIGHT REMAINED ON, AND THE VEHICLE DROVE "ROUGH". ON ARRIVAL AT THE DEALERSHIP, A SMALL FIRE STARTED UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. THE STARTER HAD BURNED (ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE TECH). THE STARTER WAS REPLACED ON FEB. 6. THE SERVICE MANAGER THEN REPORTED THAT A LEAK WAS DETECTED, AND HE SUSPECTED THAT IT WAS COMING FROM THE TOP OF THE WINDSHIELD (WE TOLD THEM THAT WE REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD IN JULY BECAUSE OF A SMALL WHOLE FROM A ROCK IN THE ROAD). WE PAID AN ADDITIONAL $335 FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE STARTER. WE CARRIED THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE GLASS DELEARSHIP AND HAD THEM RUN A "WET" TEST WITH MY HUSBAND AS A WITNESS. WATER DID NOT ENTER THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD. AS AN EXTRA PRECAUTION WE HAD EXTRA SEALANT PLACED AROUND THE WINDSHIELD. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, I LEARNED THAT THE WIPERS MAY HAVE A MALFUNCTION THAT CAUSES WATER TO ENTER THE DASH AFTER RAIN OR SNOW. BOTH OCCURANCES STARTED AFTER RAIN. *NM