NHTSA Complaint #10158373 — 1995 MERCURY SABLE

COMMENTS: I HAVE A 1995 MERCURY SABLE WITH 52,000 MILES ON IT. SOME YEARS AGO, FORD ISSUED A LETTER SAYING IT WOULD MAKE REPAIRS IF THE HEAD GASKET PREMATURELY BLEW ON THIS CAR AT UNDER 60,000 MILES OR WITHIN 5 YEARS. ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, WITH NO WARNING, MY SABLE BLEW ITS HEAD GASKET IN MY GARAGE, AFTER I HAD TURNED OFF THE CAR AND GOTTEN OUT OF IT. IT WAS JUST A MIRACLE THAT I WAS STILL IN THE GARAGE WITH MY HUSBAND WHEN IT HAPPENED. NORMALLY, I WOULD HAVE GONE IN THE HOUSE AND SHUT THE DOOR. AT ANY RATE, I TURNED AROUND AND SMOKE WAS BILLOWING FROM THE REAR OF THE CAR. MY HUSBAND JUMPED IN THE CAR (I WOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT) AND BACKED IT INTO OUR COURT. I RAN FOR THE PHONE AND CALLED 911. MY POINT IS, THAT EXCEPT FOR THE FLUKE OF MY BEING IN THE GARAGE AT THE TIME, MY HOUSE COULD HAVE GONE UP IN SMOKE! WHEN I CALLED THE LOCAL FORD DEALER, THEY REFERRED ME TO FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE. JOSH AT CUSTOMER SERVICE TOLD ME THAT THE "CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM" ON THIS CAR HAD EXPIRED AND THAT THERE ARE NO AVAILABLE COVERAGES. HE FURTHER STATED THAT I HAD NO RECOURSE TO ANYONE ELSE IN THE COMPANY BECAUSE FORD HAD "EMPOWERED" THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM TO ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS OF THIS TYPE. I THINK THAT IF MY HOUSE HAD BURNED DOWN, FORD CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE HAD SOME LIABILITY. THE COST TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE IS $2,000, NEARLY AS MUCH AS IT'S WORTH. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO HELP ME WITH THIS PROBLEM? *NM