NHTSA Complaint #721665 — 1995 FORD WINDSTAR

ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO HEAD GASKET DEFECT. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER INFORMED US THAT THE RECALL HAD EXPIRED. WE TOLD THEM THAT WE WEREN'T THE ORIGINAL OWNERS THEREFORE DID NOT RECEIVE THE NOTICE; THEY TOLD US 'TOUGH'. WE ATTEMPTED TO ESCALATE THE PROBLEM AND THREE DAYS LATER A 'SUPERVISOR' LEFT US A MSG. ON OUR ANSWERING MACHINE TELLING US FORD WILL DO NOTHING! THEY HAD OUR MAIN SOURCE OF TRANSPORTATION FOR ALMOST 30 DAYS WHILE WE STRUGGLED TO SAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS (~$1200.00). COMPUTER FAILURE INCIDENT: WE TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF A 'DPF SENSOR' THAT WAS DISCOVERED AFTER THE HEAD GASKET REPAIR AND BEFORE WE PICKED UP THE VAN. NOW WE WERE TOLD THE MAIN COMPUTER WAS GONE AND THE CODE WASN'T COMING UP SAYING THE DPF SENSOR NEEDED REPLACING. $530.00 LATER, WE TAKE THE VAN HOME AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON (DPF SENSOR PROBLEMS??); THE VAN HAS LEAKED FLUID ALL OVER OUR PARKING PAD; THE VEHICLE IS STUTTERING WHEN PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL AFTER A STOP; A TRANSMISSION WIRE THAT CONTROLS THE VEHICLES ABILITY TO GO INTO PARK, REVERSE, NEUTRAL, ETC. HAS COME LOOSE AND WE ARE AFRAID TO TAKE IT BACK TO FORD. FORD IS GOING TO REFUND US OUR $1200 FOR THE GASKET WORK, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE TRAUMA THEY PUT THEIR CUSTOMERS THROUGH? WHAT ABOUT THE LOSS OF WORK TIME ENCOUNTERED DUE TO THE VEHICLE HAVING TO BE AT THE DEALER FOR A MONTH? THEY OWE US MORE THAN JUST A REFUND! IF THEY HAD FIXED THEIR ADMITTED ERROR IN THE FIRST PLACE, WE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO SUFFER WITHOUT OUR VEHICLE FOR SO LONG. I'M NOT GOING TO BE SATISFIED WITH JUST THE REFUNDING OF THE COST OF THE WORK (WHICH I WAS INFORMED YESTERDAY THAT IT MAY TAKE 6-10 WEEKS INSTEAD OF THE NORMAL 4 WEEKS DUE TO THE HIGH VOLUME OF REFUNDS THEY HAVE FOR THIS PROBLEM) WE HAVE BEEN BEYOND INCONVENIENCED. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE IN THE FAVOR OF THE MANY, MANY, MANY FOLKS THAT HAVE SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF FORD. HOPEFULLY, NHTSA CAN GET THE BALL ROLLING. *AK