NHTSA Complaint #10400581 — 1998 FORD EXPEDITION

IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THE TRAILING ARMS ON THE REAR AXLE ARE FAILING ON THE EARLY MODEL FORD EXPEDITIONS. UPON INSPECTION OF MY VEHICLE, I SEE WHERE THE FAILURE IS GOING TO OCCUR. THE TRAILING ARMS ARE ROTTING OUT AND WILL ALLOW FOR THE REAR AXLE TO TWIST OUT OF PLACE CAUSING THE DRIVE SHAFT TO BECOME DISLODGED AND BECOME A LARGE RUN AWAY COMPONENT. THESE COMPONENTS ON MY VEHICLE WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED PRIOR TO THIS VEHICLE BEING PLACED BACK IN SERVICE AS THIS IS A LARGE SAFETY CONCERN. I AM WRITING DUE TO THIS DEFECT BEING A SAFETY ISSUE AND IS ONE WHICH IS VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN BY THE CONSUMER AS IT IS NOT AN INSPECTABLE ITEM ON ANY ANNUAL INSPECTION. MY INTERNET RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THERE ARE MANY OF THESE VEHICLES WHERE THE ISSUE IS COMING TO LIGHT. THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL ON THESE COMPONENTS AT THIS POINT BUT SHOULD BE EXAMINED VERY QUICKLY DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM. I ALSO FIND THAT FORD HAS UPDATED THE COMPONENTS ON LATER VEHICLES IN MATERIALS AS WELL AS OVERALL DIMENSIONS. MY FEELING IS THAT SOMETHING IS KNOWN ON SOME LEVEL AND THE INFORMATION IS NOT BEING PASSED ALONG TO THE CONSUMER. *TR