NHTSA Complaint #10221098 — 2002 FORD F-350 SD

MY HUSBAND AND I BOUGHT A NEW F350 FORD LARIAT TRUCK IN THE FALL OF 2002 FOR $42,000. WE STILL HAD IT IN THE SUMMER OF 2007 WHEN IT SUDDENLY STOPPED DEAD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY, STALLED ON A REMOTE STRETCH OF ROAD. MY HUSBAND WAS ALONE AT THE TIME, AND HE WAS ABOUT 8 MILES FROM ANY HOUSE OR STORE, SO HE WALKED FOR HELP AT 8:30 PM. HE WAS ABLE TO GET A TOW TRUCK TO PICK HIM UP, BRING HIM HOME AT 1 AM, AND DELIVER THE TRUCK TO THE NEAREST FORD DEALER. THE COST OF THE TOW WAS OVER $300.00. THE NEXT DAY HE WAS UNABLE TO GET TO WORK DUE TO NO VEHICLE. WE CONTACTED THE DEALER AND IT TOOK THEM THE ENTIRE DAY TO CONTACT US BACK. THEY HAD NO DIAGNOSIS, BUT SUSPECTED IT HAD TO DO WITH A LOCKOUT DEVICE WHICH WOULD REQUIRE THE VALVE COVERS BE REMOVED AND AROUND $700.00 IN SERVICE COSTS. THEY DID CHARGE US A DIAGNOSTIC FEE WHICH WAS AROUND $80.00 - $90.00. I HAD LOOKED ON THE INTERNET AND KEPT FINDING REFERENCES TO A CAMSHAFT POSITIONING SENSOR WITH THE SAME SYMPTOM OF SUDDEN STALLING. I ASKED THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN IF THAT COULD BE THE PROBLEM AND HE SAID IT WAS VERY UNLIKELY; IN FACT I THINK HE CLAIMED HE WAS UNAWARE OF A CPS ISSUE AT ALL. THE TRUCK WAS RUNNING SO WE PICKED IT UP FROM THE DEALERSHIP, AND IT STALLED AGAIN ON OUR WAY HOME. SO WE HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO ANOTHER DEALER, A DISTANCE OF 80 MILES AND A COST OF ANOTHER $150.00. I DISCUSSED REPLACING THE CPS WITH THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN THERE AND HE SAID IT WAS RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE AND A GOOD FIRST ATTEMPT TO ISOLATE THE PROBLEM. SO WE HAD IT REPLACED AND HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM SINCE. THIS TRUCK HAD 40,000 MILES ON IT AND IT WAS OUR FOURTH FORD TRUCK. I WONDER WHY IT TOOK SO LONG FOR FORD TO GET AROUND TO NOTIFYING THEIR CUSTOMERS AND THEIR SERVICE STAFF. IT IS INCONCEIVABLE THAT FORD WOULD TAKE THIS LONG TO ACTUALLY ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM THEY HAVE HAD FOR YEARS WHEN THEIR CUSTOMERS WERE ESSENTIALLY UNAWARE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR DISASTER. *TR