NHTSA Complaint #10169766 — 2005 FORD F-250 SD

PURCHASED 2005 F250 6.0 DIESEL NEW SEPT. 2004. ON JULY 29,2006, (16,000 MILES), TRUCK BEGAN TO LOSE POWER ON HILLS IN TOW MODE (5,500 LBS. TRLR.). THE ENGINE RPM INCREASES,THE ACCELERATOR IS ALMOST TO THE FLOOR, THE TRUCK BEGINS TO SLOW DOWN AS IF THERE IS SLIPPING IN THE DRIVELINE. TOOK IT TO THE FIRST OF 2 DEALERSHIPS WHO REPLACED SEVERAL PARTS WITH NO IMPROVEMENT. FIRST REPLACED THE ELECTRIC COOLING FAN. THEN THE A THERMOSTAT. THEN THEY REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT AGAIN (FIRST REPLACEMENT MUST HAVE BEEN BAD). THEN THEY SWITCHED COMPUTERS WITH AN EMPLOYEE'S TRUCK AND DROVE IT. NO CHANGE, SO THEY SWITCHED THEM BACK. THEN THEY TOOK THE EMPLOYEE'S TRUCK AND ATTACHED MY TRAILER FOR A TEST DRIVE. IT DROVE GREAT, NO PROBLEMS AT ALL. THEN THEY PUT THE TRAILER BACK ON MY TRUCK AND DROVE IT AGAIN. THE PROBLEMS WERE STILL THERE. THAT IS WHEN THEY THREW UP THEIR HANDS AND SAID THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS WRONG, BUT THE TRUCK WAS DEFINITELY NOT PERFORMING NORMALLY. NEXT I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP IN A NEARBY TOWN. THEY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO ISOLATE THE PROBLEM FOR THE PAST 3 WEEKS WITH NO RESULTS TO DATE. THEY HAVE INSTALLED DATA RECORDERS TWICE AND REPLACED THE ENGINE OIL COOLER. IT DID NOT STOP THE PROBLEM. TRUCK IS AT DEALERSHIP THIS MORNING. OCT. 2. THE LOSS OF POWER SYMPTOMS HAVE OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 30 TO 50 TIMES SINCE IT BEGAN AT THE 16000 MILE POINT, ON JULY 29. THE TRUCK HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR 14 TIMES. ON 2 OCCASIONS ON THE INTERSTATE, I BARELY AVOIDED A CATASTROPHIC COLLISION WITH 18-WHEELERS BECAUSE MY TRUCK LOST POWER GOING UP A HILL AND THE SEMI DIRECTLY BEHIND ME KEPT HIS POWER ON SINCE I DID NOT SHOW ANY BRAKE LIGHTS WHEN I SLOWED, HE ALMOST TOOK THE CORNER OFF MY TRAILER. IT IS DANGEROUS ENOUGH ON THE HIGHWAYS WITHOUT HAVING TO DEAL WITH A TRUCK THAT ISN'T SAFE. *JB