NHTSA Complaint #10510487 — 2008 FORD EXPLORER

MY VEHICLE, A 2008 FORD EXPLORER WITH A 4.6L 3V V8 ENGINE, WENT INTO VEHICLE SAFE MODE WHILE IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE (I-83). THE VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING PERIODIC MISFIRE, WHICH TRIGGERED A LOSS OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE TRANSMISSION COMPUTER MODULE (TCM). THE VEHICLE ENGINE BEGAN SHUDDERING, ALL THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS LIT UP WITH A WARNING TO SERVICE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY AND VEHICLE SPEED WOULD NOT EXCEED 20MPH. I WAS IN HEAVY STOP & GO TRAFFIC IN THE PASSING LANE AT TIME OF INCIDENT. I SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE & ATTEMPTED TO TROUBLESHOOT THE PROBLEM WITH A CODE READER. I RECEIVED TWO CODES, MISFIRE ON CYL 8 AND LOSS OF COMM WITH TCM. I PULLED THE TCM FUSE TO RESET THE TCM AND CONTINUED ON MY WAY WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. I IMMEDIATELY REPLACED ALL THE COP'S & THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A FORD DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE SPARKPLUGS REPLACED. I WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUE WITH THIS PARTICULAR MODEL FORD ENGINE AND THE 2-PIECE SPARKPLUG/CYLINDER HEAD ISSUE AND SUSPECTED THE PLUGS TO BE THE CULPRIT. I PAID THE FORD DEALERSHIP $420 TO REPLACE THE EIGHT SPARKPLUGS IN MY VEHICLE. ONLY TWO PLUGS BROKE DURING THE EXTRACTION AND THE CYLINDER HEAD DID NOT HAVE TO BE REMOVED. FORD IS WELL AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AS THEY REPLACED THE POORLY DESIGNED 3V ENGINE MIDYEAR. THEY ALSO PRODUCED A 13-PAGE TSB, SPECIAL EXTRACTION TOOL TO REPLACE SPARKPLUGS. FORD REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE A DESIGN FLAW & INSTEAD BLAMES MECHANIC ERROR FOR BROKEN PLUGS. FORD MECHANICS BROKE TWO OF MY PLUGS, YET I STILL HAD TO PAY FOR THEIR ERROR! THE VEHICLE RUNS LIKE NEW AGAIN BUT WILL BE PUT UP FOR SALE SHORTLY. THIS WAS MY FIRST AND LAST FORD AS I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH FORD'S RESPONSE TO THIS OBVIOUSLY POOR DESIGN FLAW. MOST IMPORTANTLY, CONTRARY TO FORD'S LAME RESPONSE, IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN YOUR VEHICLE SUDDENLY GOES INTO EMERGENCE SAFE MODE ON A 65MPH INTERSTATE! *TR