NHTSA Complaint #10763940 — 2009 FORD EXPEDITION

WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC, MY WIFE'S EXPEDITION MADE A LOUD NOISE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. A FEW HUNDRED FEET LATER, IT MADE THE SAME NOISE, LOOSING POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES, CAUSING HER TO HAVE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH MINIMAL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST FORD DEALERSHIP, WHO INFORMED ME THAT THE FUEL PUMP PURGE VALVE HAD STUCK CLOSED, CAUSING THE FUEL PUMP TO SUCK ALL OF THE AIR OUT OF THE GAS TANK AND LITERALLY IMPLODE THE GAS TANK AND DESTROY THE FUEL PUMP ITSELF. A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET (YOUTUBE.COM IN PARTICULAR) SHOWS THAT MANY FORD MODELS 2009 AND NEWER ARE HAVING THIS SAME TROUBLE WITH THEIR NEWER STYLE VALVE. I WAS TOLD THIS WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE EMISSIONS WARRANTY, DESPITE IT BEING AN EMISSIONS COMPONENT, AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY THE $2600 TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF A FORD FACTORY PART THAT CAUSED THE REST OF THE DAMAGE AND LEFT A MOVING VEHICLE WITH NO POWER STEERING OR BRAKES - NOT TO MENTION THAT A DAMAGED GAS TANK COULD HAVE BEEN A FATAL FIRE HAZARD.