NHTSA Complaint #10246973 — 2005 FORD E-SERIES

THE VEHICLE, A FORD E350 6.0L DIESEL WOULD LOSE POWER WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY AND COME TO A COMPLETE STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. AFTER WAITING ABOUT 20 MINUTES, SOMETIMES WOULD START UP BUT MOST OF THE TIME WOULD HAVE TO BE TOWED. THIS WOULD OCCUR WHENEVER THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN FOR MORE THAN 20-40 MILES WHEN THE ENGINE IS WARMED. THIS HAS OCCURRED A TOTAL OF OVER 15 TIMES, EACH FAILURE HAVING A SMALLER TIME IN BETWEEN THAN THE ONE PREVIOUS. VERY DANGEROUS. ALMOST HIT A CAR TRYING TO GET ON THE SHOULDER BEFORE A COMPLETE FAILURE. WHENEVER THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF, I WOULD HAVE TO TRY TO GET ON THE SHOULDER DURING RUSH HOUR WHILE ON THE #1 LANE. THE SPEED WOULD STEADILY SLOW DOWN UNTIL IT COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP WHERE IT WOULD THEN SHUT OFF. THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD LOCK WHEN THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF. AS I WAS TRYING TO TURN INTO A STREET TO GET OFF HIGHWAY 29 SOUTHBOUND, I MADE IT TO THE SHOULDER AND TURNED. AS I WAS TURNING, THE ENGINE CUT OFF, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED, AND THE FRONT HALF OF THE VEHICLE WAS FACING ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE VAN WOULD NOT START FOR FIVE MINUTES, WHICH CAUSED SEVERE TRAFFIC. ALMOST GOT HIT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE DEALERSHIP HORRIBLY ATTEMPTED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. AFTER FIVE ATTEMPTS AND OVER 25 DAYS IN THE SHOP, THE FINALLY DECIDED TO GET A FORD "TECHNICIAN" TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT. AFTER REPLACING THE FUEL INJECTORS AND FUEL PUMP THREE TIMES, THE FIGURED OUT THAT THE COATING FOR THE FUEL TANK FOR THE DIESEL CREATED PARTICULATES WHICH DEVASTATED THE FUEL SYSTEM. THEY WANT $2,000 TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE GAS TANK, ANOTHER (THIRD) FUEL PUMP, AND NEW INJECTORS. *TR