NHTSA Complaint #11606159 — 2014 FORD EXPLORER

VEHICLE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK CAR INTO MECHANIC AND FOUND OUT A CODE POINTS TO A PROBLEM WITH THE TIMING CHAIN/CAM POSITION SENSOR. PRIOR TO THE ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON CAR PREVIOUSLY HAD (2) RANSOM ISSUES THAT NOW AFTER GETTING THE DIAGNOSIS MAKES SENSE WHY THE CAR WAS AT TIMES MAKING A FLUTTER SOUND WHEN STARTING ALONG WITH THE ENGINE RANDOMLY AT TIMES ACTING LIKE TO WAS GOING TO STOP RUNNING WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. I TOLD FORD AND THE MECHANIC ABOUT IT PREVIOUSLY BUT THEY BOTH SAID AS LONG AS THERE'S NO ALARMS KEEP DRIVING IT. THE VEHICLE STILL DRIVES GOOD, BUT I WAS ADVISED NOT TO DRIVE IT UNTIL REPAIRS MADE. THE REPAIR IS $4,000.00 AND PUTTING THAT KIND OF MONEY INTO A VEHICLE THAT IS CURRENTLY VALUED AT $8 TO 10K WITH 136,000 BASED OFF MY RESEARCH IS NOT PRUDENT CONSIDERING OTHER THINGS THAT WILL EVENTUALLY NEED EXPENSIVE REPAIRS. I HAVE TAKEN GOOD CARE OF THE VEHICLE ALONG WITH KEEPING UP ON ALL SERVICES. DISCUSSED WITH A COUPLE EXPERIENCED FORD MECHANICS AND THIS REPAIR IS UNFORTUNATELY VERY COMMON. I BOUGHT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WHEN THE CAR WAS NEW FOR YOUR INFORMATION. I HOPE FORD CAN STAND BEHIND THIS MECHANICAL FAILURE THAT APPARENTLY IS A KNOW ISSUE AND ACCOMMODATE ME FOR MY LOSS OF EQUITY IN A VEHICLE THAT SHOULD NOT BE HAVING THIS KIND OF WELL KNOWN BREAKDOWN. 1. VEHICLE IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION 2. SAFETY AT RISK WHEN ENGINE LOSES POWER AND ALMOST STOPS RUNNING 3. YES, YESTERDAY I WAS AT THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP MET THERE TOP "HEAVY END" MECHANIC WHO WAS VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM ALONG WITH (2) INDEPENDENT EXPERT MECHANICS FAMILIAR WITH THE DIAGNOSIS. 4. THE MANUFACTURER YESTERDAY SAW THE VEHICLE, AFTER TALKING TO THE HEAD MECHANIC, BASED OFF THE CODE AND SYSTEMS I DECIDED IT WAS NOT PRUDENT TO THROW MONEY AWAY ON GETTING AN OFFICIAL DIAGNOSIS BASED OFF MY COMFORT LEVEL FROM THE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE MECHANICS. 5. YES, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I HAD THE CAR PROMPTLY INSPECTED BY A MECHANIC.