NHTSA Complaint #10207115 — 2003 FORD EXPLORER

I'M NEVER BUYING ANOTHER FORD. LAST WEEK THE O/D LIGHT CAME ON IN MY FORD EXPLORER. I DROVE IT RIGHT HOME AND GOT THE MANUAL OUT TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. "TRANSMISSION PROBLEM" WAS WHAT THE MANUAL INDICATED, AS WELL AS SEVERAL WEBSITES I REVIEWED. I DIDN'T WORRY AT FIRST, SINCE I FIGURED THIS WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. MY EXPLORER IS JUST UNDER 5 YEARS OLD AND JUST UNDER 60K MILES. SURELY THERE WOULD AT LEAST BE A 60K POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. NO ONE WOULD BUY A VEHICLE IF THEY KNEW THE TRANSMISSION WOULD ONLY LAST 59K MILES. WELL, THE DEALER TOLD ME A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS NEEDED (5TH AND 2ND GEARS WERE WORN DOWN), THAT IT WOULD COST $3500, AND THAT IT IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. AND TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY HE CHARGED ME $90 TO TELL ME THE TRANSMISSION WAS BAD (SOMETHING I OBVIOUSLY KNEW) - ISN'T THIS SIMILAR TO STEALING? I THEN ASKED HIM WHAT TRADE IN VALUE I COULD GET (NOT THAT I REALLY WOULD BUY ANOTHER POOR QUALITY FORD, BUT I WANTED TO EXPLORE ALL OPTIONS). $5500 IS THE MOST THEY COULD GIVE. I LAUGHED - SINCE I HAD TAKEN VERY GOOD CARE OF THE VEHICLE. IT TOLD ME THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT THE VEHICLE EITHER - SO MUCH FOR THEM REALLY STANDING BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. THEY KNOW THE QUALITY IS POOR. OBVIOUSLY I WAS QUITE IRRITATED. I ASKED WHAT CAUSED THIS. NONE OF THE POSSIBILITIES APPLIED SINCE I TOOK GOOD CARE OF THE VEHICLE AND HAD IT SERVICED ACCORDING TO THE MAINTENANCE MANUAL. IN FACT, THE DEALER (COVER FORD IN AUSTIN) DID THE 30K CHECKUP. I SPENT $1K ON THAT (AND PROBABLY GOT RIPPED OFF). I TOOK IT TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST AND HAD IT FIXED FOR UNDER $2500. HE INFORMED ME THAT HE SEES A LOT OF ISSUES LIKE THIS WITH EXPLORERS - PROBABLY A POOR DESIGN AND POOR QUALITY. ALSO, JUDGING BY VARIOUS WEBSITES THERE ARE INDEED LOTS OF COMPLAINS LIKE THIS. *TR