NHTSA Complaint #701984 — 1999 FORD ESCORT

THE CAR WILL INCONSISTENTLY NOT START. I HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM SINCE JULY OF 1998 (IT BEGAN MILDLY AND CONTINUED TO GET WORSE), AND THE DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. THEY HAVE REPLACED ONE PART, BUT AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER THE PROBLEM BEGAN AGAIN. NOW I AM WAITING FOR FORD TO COME OUT WITH SOME COMPUTER CONFIGURATION. WHEN YOU TURN THE KEY SOMETIMES IT WILL BE TOTALLY DEAD, SOMETIMES IT WILL BEGIN TO IDLE, AS LONG AS YOU KEEP PUMPING THE ACCELERATOR (RECOMMENDED BY MY DEALER), HOWEVER, THE SECOND YOU REMOVE YOUR FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR THE CAR "SHUTS OFF."ONCE THE CAR DOES START (USUALLY AFTER TRYING 10 TIMES) IT RUNS VERY ROUGH. WHEN I HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR INTO THE DEALER THEY HAVE ATTEMPTED TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, BUT ARE UNABLE TO DO SO. ABOUT 10 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTAMS, I BROUGHT THE CAR INTO MY DEALER AND THEY AGAIN, FOR THE THIRD TIME OR SO ATTEMPTED TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THEY RETURNED MY CAR TO ME THE FOLLOWING DAY WHEN I LEARNED OF A POSSIBLE COMPUTER CONFIGURATION THAT FORD WAS COMING OUT WITH. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOT THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUPLICATED WHEN THEY FIRST CHANGED THE INITIAL PART. THEY HAVE RUN VARIOUS TESTS AND FEEL THAT THE PART REPLACED (FUEL INJECTION CENSORING)IS NOT CAUSING THE PROBLEM AFTER ALL. THIS IS WHERE I CURRENTLY STAND WITH MY CAR. SOME MORNINGS IT STARTS AND SOME IT DOES NOT. I HAVE HAD OCCURRENCES WHERE THE CAR WILL START IN THE MORNING, I WILL DRIVE 20 MIN. TO WORK. PARK THE CAR AND ATTMEPT TO START IT 4 HOURS LATER AND IT WILL NOT START. THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES THAT IT WILL NOT EVEN START AFTER 20 MINUTES OF RESTING TIMES. *AK