NHTSA Complaint #711590 — 1997 FORD THUNDERBIRD

THIS TBIRD IS A RARE BIRD THAT WAS ORDERED AND DELIVERED WITHOUT A LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL. TBIRDS HAVE 4 WHEEL INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION AND WHEN DRIVEN ON SLOPED STREETS WILL EASILY LIFT ONE DRIVE WHEEL HIGH ENOUGH TO LOSE TRACTION WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED INTO ANOTHER STREET OR DRIVEWAY THAT HAS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PLANE. THIS HAPPENED TO ME TWICE. THE FIRST TIME I WAS MAKING A U TURN ON A SLOPED STREET AND DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO COMPLETE THE TURN. I STOPPED, PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE, STEPPED ON THE GAS AND PROMPTLY RAN INTO A LARGE BUSH ABOU 3' IN FRONT OF ME. I THOUGHT THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED SO I CALLED AAA. THE TOW DRIVER MOVED THE CAR A FEW FEET AND EVERYTHING WORKED FINE. I CALLED THE SAN DIEGO DEALER THAT DOES MY SERVICE AND THE EXPERIENCED SERVICE WRITER WAS SURPRISED - NEITHER OF US HAD EVER SEEN A TBIRD WITHOUT LIMITED SLIP SO WE ASSUMED LIMITED SLIP DIDN'T WORK IN REVERSE. THE NEXT TIME I WAS TURNING INTO A DRIVEWAY TO BACK UP AND TURN AROUND ON A HILLLY STREET AND I LOST TRACTION AND STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS. BOTH TIMES I HEARD A WHINING NOISE THAT TURNED OUT TO BE THE DRIVE WHEEL THAT WAS BARELY TOUCHING THE STREET SURFACE. SO I TOOK THE CAR IN AND THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED IT DID NOT HAVE A LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL. THEY COULDN'T GET OFF THEIR PREMISES FAST ENOUGH EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD NOT SOLD ME THE CAR. FRIENDLY FORD HAS SIMPLY STONEWALLED ME. FORD MOTORS REPEATEDLY HAS STATED IT IS NOT A DEFECT AND THE DEALER ORDERED THE CAR WITHOUT THE LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL AND I SHOULD LOOK TO HIM FOR SATISFACTION. THE FACTORY PERSON DID INDICATE THAT A TBIRD WITHOUT THE LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL WAS VERY RARE. APPARENTLY THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN WIDELY KNOWN AT FORD SINCE THIS PLATFORM WAS USED FOR SO MANY YEARS. BOTH TIMES THE CAR MOVED SEVERAL FEET AFTER LOSING TRACTION AND DID NOT REGAIN TRACTION UNTIL THE SURFACE PLANES CHANGED.