NHTSA Complaint #715302 — 1995 FORD WINDSTAR

HEAD GASKET FAILURE ON 95' FORD WINDSTAR. I HAVE RECEIVED SEVERAL REPORTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM FROM THOUSANDS OF WINDSTAR OWNERS. HOWEVER, FORD WILL NOT ISSUE A RECALL. INSTEAD, AN EXTENDED WARRANTY HAS BEEN ISSUED. THE VERBAGE STATES 5 YEARS OR 60,000 MILES. IT DOES NOT SAY "AND" OR "WHICHEVER COMES FIRST" IN A RECENT POLL ON AN INTERNET SITE, 67 PERCENT OF ALL GASKET FAILURES ON THE 95' OCCURED BETWEEN 60 AND 70 THOUSAND MILES.MY VEHICLE HADHEAD GASKET FAILURE, FOLLOWED BY AN OVERHEATING PROBLEM, HAPPENED WHILE MY WIFE WAS ON A BUSY HIGHWAY WITH OUR TWO SMALL CHILDREN. THEY WERE STRANDED FOR SEVERAL MINUTES UNDER TERRIBLE WEATHER CONDITIONS. FORD REFUSES TO PAY FOR REPAIRS, AS HAS BEEN THE PROBLEM WITH THOUSANDS OF OWNERS. FORD ACKNOWLEDGES THE PROBLEM IN THEIR ISSUED WARRANTY LETTER (98MO1). I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN MAY 98' AND NEVER RECIEVED NOTICE OF THE LETTER, ALTHOUGH THE "EXTENDED WARRANTY" IS TRANSFERABLE. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE WITH 42,000 MILES AND STARTED EXPERIENCING THE SYMPTOMS OF GASKET FAILURE AT 52,000 MILES. I HAVE SPENT CONSIDERABLE TIME AND MONEY ON DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM, INCLUDING TWO THERMOSTAT REPLACEMENTS, WATER PUMP, ETC., TO NO AVAIL. HAD I BEEN MADE AWARE OF THE GASKET PROBLEM BY FORD, I WOULD HAVE SAVED SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS AND WOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY THE $1,200 I WILL NOW NEED TO HAVE THE FAULTY ORIGINAL GASKETS REPLACED. HELP!