NHTSA Complaint #10427254 — 2006 FORD F-250

WHILE TRAVELING ON VACATION WITH A TRAVEL TRAILER IN TOW, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE ON OUR 2006 FORD-F-250 (WITH A 5.4 LITER ENGINE) INDICATED THE ENGINE WAS OVERHEATING. AFTER STOPPING SEVERAL TIMES ON THE BERM OF AN INTERSTATE, THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THE ENGINE WAS HOT. SINCE WE WERE TRAVELING ON A HOLIDAY, THE TRUCK WAS FIRST TAKEN TO A PEP BOYS LOCATION WHERE THEIR EVALUATION SHOWED THERE WAS NO SIGN OF OVERHEATING. WE WERE ADVISED OF A SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED ON THIS VEHICLE STATING THAT IT MIGHT EXHIBIT FALSE OVERHEATING. SO, WE CONTINUED OUR TRIP. TRUCK CONTINUED TO DISPLAY FALSE READINGS AND THE ENGINE STARTED TO DERATE. AT THIS TIME, WE HAD TO HAVE THE TRUCK TOWED TO A FORD DEALERSHIP, WHERE THEY INSTALLED AN UPDATED COOLANT CROSSOVER TUBE AND THERMOSTAT HOUSING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM OF FALSE OVERHEATING. THIS WORK WAS DONE (PARTS & LABOR) AT A COST TO US OF $645.67 AFTER AAA DISCOUNT. THE COST TO US WAS A SURPRISE, AS THE DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS NEEDED TO BE DONE TO RECTIFY IT. WE WERE TOLD THAT THIS KNOWN PROBLEM WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN NOT A RECALL BECAUSE IT IS NOT CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE. HOWEVER, IT WAS VERY MUCH A SAFETY ISSUE FOR US AS WE WERE COMPELLED TO STOP SEVERAL TIMES ON THE SIDE OF A BUSY INTERSTATE BEFORE HAVING TO REQUEST THAT THE PICKUP AND TRAVEL TRAILER BE TOWED TO A SAFE LOCATION.