NHTSA Complaint #10426304 — 2002 FORD EXPLORER

#3 CYCLINDER PLUB BLEW. HAD TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER SAID THEY COULD FIX EASILY BY INSTALLING A HELIX COIL ADAPTER & COULD HAVE CAR READY NEXT DAY. DEALER CALLS BACK AND SAYS THEY FIXED IT BUT IT WAS REALLY RUNNING BAD AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND DRIVING IT. I ASKED WHAT THE SOLUTION WAS AND THEY SAID THEY COULD PULL THE HEAD AND REFINISH IT BUT THAT THEY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND DOING SUCH. I ASKED ABOUT A JASPER AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND AS JASPER HAS A POOR WARRANTY (12 MONTHS+LIMITED MILEAGE & NO LABOR) WHILE A NEW FORD ENGINE WOULD HAVE 3 YEARS, NO MILEAGE LIMIT & BE WARRANTED FOR BOTH LABOR AND PARTS. AS I NEEDED THE VEHICLE - AS IT IS I HAD TO RENT A VEHICLE. AFTER GETTING THE VEHICLE BACK AND TALKING WITH SEVERAL OTHER FORD DEALERS - IT WOULD SEEM THAT THERE IS A STRONG POSSIBILITY THAT THE FORD DEALER INSTALLING THE HELIX COIL MAY HAVE DROPPED DEBRIS INTO THE ENGINE - AS NONE OF THE OTHER DEALERS SAID THEY HAVE EVER HAD TO REPLACE AN ENGINE FOR A BLOWN SPARK PLUG. PS: THE PLUGS WERE THE ORIGINALS FROM THE FACTORY. I HAVE TRIED TO WORK WITH THE DEALER TO GET SOME SORT OF REDUCTION IN WHAT I HAD TO PAY BUT THEY HAVE BEEN LESS THAN INTERESTED IN TALKING WITH ME. SO AM TRYING FIGURE OUT WHAT MY NEXT STEP SHOULD BE. ALL ADVISE WOULD BE APPRECIATED AS APPARENTLY THE PLUG BLOWING PROBLEM IS COMMON! THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD - THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A FIRE. *KB