NHTSA Complaint #10152328 — 2002 FORD EXPEDITION

ON SEPT. 16TH, 2005, AS I WAS DRIVING IN MY FORD 2002 EXPEDITION, MY ENGINE BLEW A SPARK-PLUG OUT OF THE ENGINE WHICH CAUSED ME TO SWERVE OUT OF MY LANE AND LOOSE ALL POWER ON THE HIGHWAY. IT WAS A VERY DANGEROUS EXPERIENCE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY AND OTHER DRIVERS AROUND ME. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT FORD IS AWARE OF THIS OBVIOUS MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND HAS DONE NOTHING TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AND DOES NOT STAND BEHIND ITS PRODUCT. THE ATTACHED LETTER WAS SENT TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY. I PURCHASED A 2002 FORD EXPEDITION BRAND NEW FROM SYOSSET FORD ON LONG ISLAND. AFTER FOUR YEARS AND 62 THOUSAND MILES, I WAS TOLD BY TOWER FORD OF GREAT NECK THAT I BLEW A SPARK-PLUG OUT OF THE ENGINE HEAD. THEY REQUESTED THAT I CHANGE THE ENTIRE ENGINE SINCE THERE MAYBE CYLINDER DAMAGE, AND ALSO I WOULD NOW HAVE A NEW WARRANTY FOR MY ENGINE. BEFORE SPENDING $5,253.34, I LOOKED INTO THE PROBLEM WITH OTHER CUSTOMERS ON THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC AND SAFETY ADMINISTRATION AND FOUND OUT THAT OTHER PURCHASERS OF THIS ENGINE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND FORD HAS DONE NOTHING TO COMPENSATE THEM OR FIXED THE ENGINES PROBLEMS. THEY KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM IN THIS PARTICULAR ENGINE AND CONTINUE TO USE IT, EVEN THOUGH, FORD STATES THAT NO TUNE-UP IS NEED ON THIS ENGINE FOR 100,000 MILES. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURER??S DEFECT IN THE ENGINE AND NOTHING IS BEING DONE ABOUT IT. AT THIS POINT, I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO HAVE A NEW ENGINE INSTALLED OR JUNK A $39,000 SUV. TOWER FORD REPLACED THE ENGINE IN SEPTEMBER. NOW HERE I AM AGAIN, THREE MONTHS AND 4,900 MILES LATER I HAD TO CHANGE THE FRONT BLOWER MOTOR FOR $335.09. IN MARCH TWO MONTHS AND 2,100 MILES LATER, TOWER FORD TELLS ME THAT SPARK-PLUGS ONE AND TWO, AND COILS ONE AND TWO, NEED TO BE REPLACED AND THIS IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY FOR MY NEW ENGINE AND IT WILL COST ME $488 PLUS TAX. WHAT??S NEXT? *JB