NHTSA Complaint #725848 — 1995 FORD WINDSTAR

THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AT THE SAME TIME THAT THE ENGINE OVERHEATED DUE TO FAULTY HEAD GASKET . I TOOK THE VAN INTO KOONS FOR "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" AND THEY FOUND NOTHING, BUT CHARGED ME $500, LATER, THE ENGINE SEIZED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED; UPON GETTING MY VAN BACK WITH A REBUILT ENGINE, THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND FAILED WITHIN THE WEEK. THE AAMCO DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT A FORWARD CLUTCH THING WAS NOT WORKING, BUT WORSE YET: THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY FAILED BECAUSE IT HAD BECOME EXTREMELY HOT; IN FACT, SO HOT THAT ANY INTERNAL COMPONENTS THAT WERE RUBBER OR PLASTIC ACTUALLY MELTED, AND THE GEAR TEETH BECAME SO HOT THAT THEY CHANGED COLOR TO PURPLE-ISH AND CRACKED IN PLACES. YET FORD REFUSES TO ASSOCIATE THE DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION WITH THEIR FAULTY HEAD GASKET. INCIDENTLY, I HAVE BEEN FULLY REIMBURSED FOR THE REBUILT ENGINE, BUT NOT THE $500 FORD 'SERVICE' RESPONSE TO THE 'CHECK ENGINE' LIGHT, OR THE $2,500 TRANSMISSION. *AK