NHTSA Complaint #10357336 — 2008 FORD F-250

PURCHASE DATE SEPTEMBER 13, 2007 OF FORD F250 TRUCK. WHILE DRIVING THE TRUCK WOULD START VIBRATING AND I WOULD SEE WHITE EXHAUST SMOKE, TRUCK WOULD EITHER LOSE POWER OR INCREASE SPEED WITHOUT ANY CHANGE IN ACCELERATION. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP OVER 16 TIMES. THE DEALERSHIP HAS HAD THE VEHICLE FOR NUMEROUS WEEKS AND HAVE PUT OVER 1,000 MILES DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN ATTEMPT TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEMS AND GET A DIAGNOSTIC CODE. MARCH 2010 WHILE SLOWING DOWN I NOTICED A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES FOR A SECOND OR TWO. BY RECOMMENDATION OF FORD OUR DEALERSHIP HAS FLUSHED THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM APPROXIMATELY 4 TIMES. THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES ALMOST CAUSED MY WIFE TO GO OFF THE ROAD WHILE EXITING A HIGHWAY. THE DEALERSHIP HAD POSSESSION OF MY TRUCK FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JUNE 2010. THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE STEERING AND BRAKE ISSUE. MOST RECENTLY WHILE OUT OF TOWN I LOST POWER STEERING AND BRAKES 3 TIMES AFTER I SLOWED DOWN TO MAKE A TURN. IT APPEARS THE LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKES LASTS LONGER. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT FORD MOTOR CO. DIAGNOSTIC PROTOCOL IS IF THE COMPUTER DOES NOT THROW A CODE OR A SERVICE TECH CANNOT GET THE VEHICLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO DO ANYTHING. WE HAVE BEEN MORE THAN PATIENT WITH THE DEALER, THE SERVICE RECORDS AND THE AMOUNT OF TIME WE HAVE BEEN WITHOUT THE TRUCK WILL CLEARLY SHOW WE HAVE GIVEN MORE THAN ADEQUATE CHANCE TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS. NOW AT 90,000 MILES I OWN A VEHICLE THAT I WILL NOT ALLOW MY WIFE OR ANYONE ELSE DRIVE IN FEAR THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO REACT QUICK ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN CONTROL UNTIL THE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES RETURN TO FUNCTION. *TR