NHTSA Complaint #10398419 — 2008 FORD ESCAPE

MY ISSUE BEGAN THE SAME AS MANY OTHERS I HAVE READ ABOUT ON THE INTERNET, WHICH SCREAMS, "WHERE IS THE '08 FORD ESCAPE TRANSMISSION COOLER RECALL?". I HAD A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE & TIRE BALANCING ON FRI, 04/01/11 AT MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP & BY THE FOLLOWING THURS, HAD NOTICED A SOMEWHAT LARGE LEAKING-SPOT ON MY GARAGE FLOOR & A FRIENDS ASPHALT DRIVEWAY. MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS TO AUTOMATICALLY RELATE THIS DARK OIL-LIKE RESIDUE, TO THE RECENT OIL CHANGE. AT THE SAME TIME, THIS LEAK/SPOT SEEMED TO BE COMING FROM JUST BEHIND THE FRONT BUMPER ON THE PASSENGER-SIDE, WHICH DIDN'T JIVE WITH THE TYPICAL LOCATION OF A MORE CENTERED OIL-LEAK. NONETHELESS, MY FORD ADVISOR ASSUMED THE SAME THING I WAS; THAT THE PLUG OR FILTER WAS PROBABLY LOOSE & TO BRING IT IN FOR IMMEDIATE CORRECTION. HERE'S WHERE THE SHOCK & UTTER DISBELIEF BEGAN. I WAS TOLD MY ISSUE WAS NOT RELATED TO THE RECENT OIL CHANGE, BUT IN FACT A TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK FROM A TRANSMISSION COOLER. I WAS ALSO TOLD THIS WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE 36K WARRANTY, SINCE I WAS NOW AT 37,099; NOR WAS IT UNDER THE TRANSMISSION WARRANTY. I WAS THEN TAKEN BACK TO MY CAR WHERE THE TECH EXPLAINED THAT THIS "COOLER" LOOKS LIKE A REALLY THIN RADIATOR, BUT IS ACTUALLY A SEPARATE COOLING UNIT THAT SITS JUST IN FRONT OF THE RADIATOR. I WAS THEN TOLD THE LEAK IS A RESULT OF THE CONSTANT VIBRATION OF THIS UNIT HITTING THE RADIATOR, WHICH EVENTUALLY CRACKS THE LEFT (PASSENGER-SIDE) BOLT AREA. HE ALSO SAID THIS IS A COMMON REPAIR & THAT IT ONLY HAPPENS AROUND THE LEFT BOLT, NOT THE RIGHT. I THEN ASKED HOW IT WASN'T GOING TO REOCCUR IF IT'S A KNOWN DEFECT. HE REPLIED THAT FORD KNOWS ABOUT IT & HAS NOW INCLUDED A SMALL RUBBER BUSHING THAT COMES WITH THE NEW REPLACEMENT UNIT THAT SOMEHOW ABSORBS AND/OR PREVENTS THE VIBRATION. I WAS INITIALLY TOLD THIS WAS A $650 + REPAIR, BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THE ADVISOR WAS ABLE TO GET FORD TO APPROVE MY COST AT $200. IT WASN'T $0, BUT BETTER THAN OTHERS; SO, "HOW IS THIS OBVIOUS DEFECT, NOT A RECALL?". *TR