NHTSA Complaint #704888 — 1995 FORD WINDSTAR

ON 1/18/99, VEHICLE WAS SERVICED AFTER CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON. ENGINE HAD BEEN IDLING AND RUNNING ROUGH--"LURCHING" AS NOTED IN SERVICE INVOICE. VEHICLE HAD 59363 MILES. HAD VEHICLE SERVICED AT NEAREST EQUIPPED SERVICE CENTER--MERIT INC, A GOODYEAR SERVICE CENTER. THEY PERFORMED MOST OF A 60,000 MI SERVICE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATION AND ENGINE OPERATION IMPROVED, BUT STILL RAN ROUGHER THAN NORMAL. WE RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO MERIT ON 1/20, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO OFFER FURTHER INSIGHTS ON PROBLEM. PROBLEM REMAINED UNCHANGED FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, THEN GOT NOTICEABLY WORSE THE WEEKEND OF 2/20. ON 2/22 OR 23, WE CALLED CROSSROADS FORD IN RALEIGH, NC, DESCRIBING THE PROBLEM AND RECENT HISTORY. THE FIRST AVAILABLE APPOINTMENT THEY OFFERED WAS LATER THE FOLLOWING WEEK, SO AN APPOINTMENT WAS MADE FOR 3/5. ON THE EVENING OF 2/26, THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED AT 61,054 MILES. THE CAR WAS STOPPED AND ENGINE TURNED OFF BEFORE THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE NEEDLE REACHED RED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO CROSSROADS FORD THE FOLLOWING MONDAY. THEY ATTRIBUTED THE PROBLEM TO THE HEAD GASKET DEFECT NOTED IN SERVICE PROGRAM 98M01, AND ADVISED REPLACING THE ENGINE AT AN ESTIMATED COST OF JUST OVER $3400. DEALER AND FORD REFUSED TO COVER UNDER THE WARRANTY DESCRIBED IN THE SERVICE PROGRAM, EVEN THOUGH THE PROBLEM BEGAN WITHIN THE 5-YR, 60,000 MI PERIOD COVERED. *AK