NHTSA Complaint #10199970 — 2000 FORD EXCURSION

I OWN A 2000 FORD EXCURSION WITH A V10. WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM MY SON'S TRACK MEET IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE ON I94 IN MOUNT CLEMENS MICHIGAN DURING RUSH HOUR I HAD A SPARK PLUG BLOW OUT. WE (MY WIFE, MY SON AND I) WERE MOVING ABOUT 10 MILES AN HOUR IN THE CONSTRUCTION TRAFFIC WHEN WE BEGAN TO SLOWLY SPEED UP. I ACCELERATED AND BOOM, THERE WAS A VERY LOUD SOUND OF KNOCKING. I NEARLY HIT THE DIVIDING WALL IT SCARED ME SO BAD. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER ABOUT 150-200 FEET AHEAD THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION BARRELS. I OPENED MY HOOD AND DISCOVERED THAT ONE OF MY COIL PACKS WAS STICKING UP A FEW INCHES AND BROKEN. I CALLED MY INSURANCE COMPANY (USAA) FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. WITHIN AN HOUR AND A HALF THEY SENT A TOW TRUCK AND HAD ME TOWED (ABOUT 7 MILES) HOME. THE NEXT DAY I WAS ABLE TO BETTER INSPECT WHAT HAD GONE WRONG. THE MOTORCRAFT SPARK PLUG HAD COMPLETELY UN-THREADED ITSELF AND THE COMPRESSION OF THE MOTOR TURNED THE SPARK PLUG INTO A PROJECTILE THAT COMPLETELY DEMOLISHED THE COIL PACK. THE COIL PACK SNAPPED FROM ITS RETAINING BOLT AND WAS BEATING AGAINST MY FUEL RAIL. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AS SOON AS I DID BECAUSE I COULD ONLY IMAGINE IF I HAD BEEN IN AN AREA WHERE I WAS TRAVELING THE ACTUAL 70 MPH SPEED LIMIT AND THE DAMAGE TO MY FUEL RAIL COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS POSSIBLY CAUSING A FIRE. I CONTACTED RUSS MILNE FORD IN CLINTON TWP MICHIGAN ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND THEY STATED THAT IT WOULD COST OVER $1000 TO REPLACE THE HEAD AND THAT IT WAS CAUSED BY THE THREADS ON THE HEAD OR IMPROPER TORQUING OF THE SPARK PLUG. I FOUND THAT AMAZING SINCE I HAD MY TRUCK SERVICED BY THEM ABOUT A YEAR BEFORE BECAUSE OF AN SLIGHT ENGINE KNOCK THAT I HAD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE MOTOR ALONG WITH A FEW OTHER MINOR THINGS. THEY NEVER WERE ABLE TO FIND THE CAUSE OF THE "ENGINE KNOCK". UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME THE ENGINE KNOCK WAS A SIGN OF THE PENDING FAILURE THAT I WISH HAD BEEN DISCOVERED BEFORE THE BLOW OUT. NO REPAIRS YET. *JB