NHTSA Complaint #10319387 — 2002 FORD EXPLORER

MY SON OWNS A 2002 FORD EXPLORER. LAST YEAR HIS TRANSMISSION BEGAN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WHERE THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT STARTED BLINKING, IT WAS SHIFTING VERY HARD AND SOMETIMES IT WOULD EVEN JUST GO INTO NEUTRAL OUT OF THE BLUE. I TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE THEIR TRANSMISSION TECHNICIAN TOLD ME IT WAS EASY TO DIAGNOSE BECAUSE IT WAS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM, SO I WAS FORCED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION IN THE FALL OF 2009 WITH A USED ONE THAT I FOUND AT A RECYCLING CENTER. LAST MONTH MY SON WAS LEAVING THE DRIVEWAY OF A FRIENDS HOUSE AND THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION BEGIN DOING THE SAME THING AS THE FIRST ONE BUT ONLY THIS TIME IT MADE A LOUD BANG AND STOPPED MOVING. MY SON GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK TO FIND THAT THE TRANSMISSION EXPLODED AND ALL THE FLUID LEAKED ONTO HIS FRIENDS DRIVEWAY. I HAVE FOUND THROUGH RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME IDENTICAL PROBLEM, SO MY QUESTIONS IS, WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO MAKE FORD ADMIT THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS DEFECTIVE? MY SONS TRUCK ONLY HAS 103,000 MILES ON IT AND IT WILL BE ON ITS THIRD TRANSMISSION! THIS IS BECOMING WAY TO OBVIOUS, HE COULD HAVE BEEN HURT OR KILLED IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON THE INTERSTATE NOT TO MENTION THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. *TR