NHTSA Complaint #10182200 — 1998 FORD WINDSTAR

MY HEAT WOULDN'T COME ON SOMETIMES, THEN THE HOT LIGHT CAME ON. HAD IT IN THE SHOP 2 TIMES, EVERYTIME SAID IT WAS FINE, ONLY CHANGING OUT TEMP GAUGE. DEC 2005 3RD TIME TOOK IT IN, SAME PROBLEM ONLY OIL LIGHT WOULD ALSO FLICKER AT LOW IDLE PULLING INTO PARKING SPOT. TOOK IT BACK IN AND TOLD THEM THEY HAD TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG, IT HAD BEEN GOING ON TOO LONG. TOLD THEN HEAVY RESIDUE ON OIL CAP, COULD SEE DARK MARKS AROUND EXHAUST PIPE. LOOSING RADIATOR FLUID SLOWLY. I AM NO MECHANIC BUT ALL I RESEARCHED SHOWED HEAD GASKET. TO MAKE STORY BRIEF, THEY TOLD ME SAME DAY ALL WAS OK, COMPUTER READ FINE. I TOLD THEM I WAS NOT SATISFIED AND TO KEEP TESTING. TOOK 3 DAYS, THEN THEY CALL ME TO SAY THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE HEAD GASKET HAD FAILED. OF COURSE MY EXTENDED WARRANTY HAD ENDED 2 WEEKS BEFORE. THEY CLAIMED I HAD BEEN DRIVING IT WITH NO OIL AND TRIED TO GET ME TO BUY A NEW ENGINE! I HAD BEEN CHECKING THE OIL MYSELF, NEVER RAN LOW. OIL PAN THICK WITH GUNK. I HAD IT IN FOR ALL REG MAINT, WHY WOULD IT HAVE GOTTEN THAT BAD? $3200.00 LATER I HAD NEW HEAD GASKET WATER PUMP, OIL PUMP, AND VARIOUS SEALS AND HOSES. PICKET IT UP, FOLLOWING DAY HAD IT BACK FOR NOT WANTING TO START, ROUGH IDLE. ANOTHER $175.00 LATER I GOT IT BACK. UNHAPPY TO KNOW THIS HAS BEEN AN ON GOING ISSUE AND MY 98 WINDSTAR, FELL IN THE AGE/MILES TIME FRAME FOR THE ISSUE. KNOWING THAT ONE VAN HAD THIS ISSUE THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOW FROM ALL MY DESCRIPTIONS WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. IF FOUND 2 WEEKS EARLIER IT WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. OIL LIGHT STILL FLICKERS NOW AND THEN WHEN PULLING INTO PARKING SPOT. I WILL NEVER BUT A FORD PRODUCT AGAIN. COMPANY WAS UNWILLING TO WORK WITH ME, GIVE ME ANY BREAKS. *NM