NHTSA Complaint #10637636 — 2001 FORD WINDSTAR

VEHICLE HAD A RECALL ON THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH (SCDS) IN 2009, REPAIR WAS DONE BY INSTALLING JUMPER AS SCDS WAS NOT LEAKING. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AS BRAKE LIGHT WAS ON. FOUND LEAKING SCDS TO BE PROBLEM. FORD CONTACTED TO COVER REPAIR AS SCDS WAS KNOWN TO BE BAD WHEN RECALLED IN 2009, BUT WAS NOT LEAKING. THE LEAKING SCDS CAUSED THE JUMPER (INSTALLED DURING RECALL) TO GO BAD AND LEAK BRAKE FLUID OUT OF SCDS. FORD ADVISED THAT "SORRY, THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO BECAUSE THE RECALL HAD BEEN DONE." CUSTOMER CARE PERSONNEL ELEVATED CONCERN TO SUPERVISOR, WHO ALSO REITERATED FORD'S STANCE THAT THE ORIGINAL RECALL HAD BEEN PERFORMED AND THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE. OUR CONCERN IS FOR THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY AND CHILDREN WHO GET TAKEN AROUND IN THIS VEHICLE. FORD KEPT SAYING, "SORRY..." CASE WAS CLOSED WITH NO ACTION ON SAFETY ISSUE. I GUESS LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID FROM A KNOWN BAD PART IS OF NO CONCERN TO FORD. REPAIR FOR BAD PART AND PREVIOUSLY RECALLED PART AND LABOR WAS OVER $200. FORD KNEW PART WOULD LEAK AND ADVISED DEALERS TO REPLACE SCDS IF LEAKING DURING INSPECTIONS. FOR KNEW THE TEXAS INSTRUMENTS PART WAS BAD, BUT ONLY CHANGED THE ONES LEAKING. IF IT LEAKED AFTER THE RECALL WORK WAS DONE, IT WOULD BE THE CUSTOMER'S RESPONSIBILITY. *TR