NHTSA Complaint #726546 — 1994 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL

WITHOUT PREVIOUS SYMPTOMS OR WARNING SIGNS, ON A FULLY MAINTAINED VEHICHLE, THE FACTORY TRANSMISSION REQUIRES A COMPLETE REBUILD. I DISCOVERED THAT OF THE 152 TSB'S ISSUED FOR THIS VEHICLE MODEL/YEAR, 51 ARE REGARDING PROBLEMS WITH THIS TRANSMISSION. THE FOLLOWING ITEMS MUST BE REPLACED: TORQUE CONVERTER, PLANTETARY GEAR SYSTEM, LUBRICATING PUMP, 4 SOLENOID VALVES, FORWARD CLUTCH PISTON, BANDS, SEALS, EXTERNAL SPEED SENSOR, GASKETS, MISC. PARTS AS REQUIRED. ONLY THE TRANSIMISSION HOUSING IS SALVAGABLE. THE MECHANIC INFORMED US THAT IT "LOOKS LIKE A BOMB WENT OFF" INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION. THERE ARE OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAWS IN THIS PRODUCT. 1993 WAS APPARANTLY THE FIRST YEAR THIS RELEASE OF THIS TRANSMISSION WAS USED AND SUBSEQUENT YEARS WERE SUPPOSED THE HAVE REPAIRED THE DESIGN ERRORS INHERENT IN THE SYSTEM. MY CAR WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A STEEL FORWARD CLUTCH PISTON TO CORRECT A PREVIOUS MODELS PROBLEMS, BUT IT HAS, IN FACT, AN ALUMINUM PISTON. MY RESEARCH HAS FOUND A TREND OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THIS TRANSMISSION IN LINCOLNS AS WELL AS OTHER FORD PRODUCTS THAT THIS UNIT IS PLACED IN. SPECIFICALLY, THIS IS THE AXOD-E TRANSMISSION. MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE, IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, AND ONLY THE GRACE OF GOD ALLOWED HIM TO CROSS SEVERAL LANES OF TRAFFIC, AND GET TO THE EMERGENCY SHOULDER WHEN HE LOST ALL USE OF THE TRANSMISSION, WITHOUT PREVIOUS WARNING OR SYMPTOMS OF PROBLEMS. AS THERE HAVE BEEN 4 SAFETY RECALLS AND 3 GENERAL RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE YEAR/MAKE/MODEL, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THERE ARE BASIS DESIGN FLAWS IN THE VEHICLE. *AK