NHTSA Complaint #719169 — 1997 MERCURY TRACER

I OWN A 1997 MECURY TRACER, THAT HAS BEEN IN FORD, LINCOLN, MERCURY AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP FOR ALMOST 3 WEEKS IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THE FIRST TIME I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN WAS WHEN MY " ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. THIS WAS ON 1/18/2000, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT INFORMED THAT MY #3 WAS MISFIRING AND THAT THEY NEED TO REPPLACE MY SPARKPLUGS AND GIVE THE CAR A TUNE-UP. ON 1/27/200, MY ENGINE CHECK LIGHT LIGHT CAME BACK ON. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALSHIP AND THEY FOUND AN OIL LEAK AND TOLD ME THE COMPUTER READ OUT WAS THE SAME AS BEFORE "#3 WAS MISFIRING". WELL THAT NIGHT AFTER I GOT THE CAR BACK, THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT CAME BACK ON. SO THE NEXT DAY I CALLED TTHE DEALERSHIP OCE AGAIN AND I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THEM AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS THE SAME CODE AND THAT THEY WOULD CHECK INTO IT. THEY GAVE ME MY CAR BACK AND INFORMED ME THAT YES THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WOULD PROBABLY COME BACK ON AGAIN AND THAT TO INFORM THEM IF THE CAR STARTED TO RUN ROUGH. WELL THE NEXT WEEK, I INFORMED THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE CAR WAS ACTUALLY STARTING TO STALL WHEN I WAS DRIVING IT AND THEY MADE ME AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY 2/7/2000 TO BRING THE CAR IN. WELL, THE CAR HAS BEEN THERE EVER SINCE. FIRST I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE VALVE GUIDE THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THAT MY EXTENTED WARRANTY COMPANY WOULD PAY A PORTION OF THE COST INCLUDING ONLY SEVEN DAYS ON A RENTAL CAR. THEN ON 2/22/2000 I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT FORD NO LONGER MAKES THE VALVE GUIDES FOR THE 1997 MERCURY TRACERS AND IT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE ON THE SECONDARY MARKET. I HAVE ALREADY PAID OUT $340.00 TO HAVE THE CAR FIXED, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN FIXED, PLUS NO WHAT EVER THE COSTS ARE GOING TO BE NOW. PLUS I HAVE TO PAY FOR THE RENTAL CAR, BECAUSE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COMPANY WILL ONLY PAY FOR 7 DAYS. I AM EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED AND THINK THAT FOR A 3 YEAR OLD CAR TO HAVE THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM IS DEFINITELY A MANUFACTURES PROBLEM, BUT WHEN TALKING WITH FOR