NHTSA Complaint #730175 — 1998 FORD TAURUS

WAS DRIVING TO WORK AR 5AM ON 6-21 AND IT WAS RAINING WHILE SITTING AT A STOP SIGN AN 18 WHEELER PASSED AND CAUSED WATER TO SPLASH UP AND MY CAR DIED. I STARTED THE CAR AND WENT ON TO WORK AND WORKED 7.5 HOURS ON MY WAY HOME I WAS MOTIONED OFF THE ROAD BY ANOTHER DRIVER AND TOLD TO GET OUT OF THE CAR THAT THERE WAS FLAMES SHOOTING OUT FROM THE CAR THIS DRIVER TOOK ME TO GET A TOW TRUCK AND WHILE WE WERE GONE THE FIRE DEPT HAD TO BE CALLED TO PUT A FIRE OUT ON THE CAR. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT PUTNAM LINCOLN FOR OVER 2 MONTHS BECAUSE IT HAS TO HAVE A NEW MOTOR AND FORD WILL NOT REPLACRE THE MOTOR BECAUSE THEY SAID I DROVE THROUGH WATER THIS HAS CAUSED ME MUCH STRESS AND MENTAL TRAUMA AND BECAUSE OF THIS I MIGHT HAVE TO FILE BANKRUPTCY IF I CAN NOT GET HELP GETTING MY CAR BACK ON THE ROAD. I WAS TOLD BY PUTNAM THAT THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ANOTHER FORD CAR THE SAME DAY AND HAVE BEEN TOLD ABOUT SEVERAL 1997 FORD VECHICLES THAT THE SAME THING HAS HAPPENED TO AND THAT THE CONSUMER HAS TO PAY TO FIX THE VECHICLE I CAN NOT AFFORD TO FIX THE VECHICLE AND IT IS NOT SAFE FOR A VECHICLE THAT WILL CATCH ON FIRE TO BE ON THE ROAD AND IF THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO ME DRIVING IN THE RAIN THAT AM WHY AND HOW COULD IT CATCH ON FIRE THAT AFTERNOON. I NEED HELP DESPERATELY PLEASE I HAVE ALSO BEEN TOLD THAT FORD CAN NOT DETERMING THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE FIRE UNTIL THEY GET THE 3500. NEED FOR THE NEW MOTOR AND GET THE CAR STARTED AGAIN ALL FORD HAS OFFERED ME IS TO EXTEND TWO MONTHS PAYMENTS I AM SCARED OF THIS VEHICLE AND DO NOT REALLY WANT IT BACK BUT I NEED TO GET THE WHOLE SITUATION RESOLVED SOMEHOW I HAD THIS VECHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES FOR FUEL PUMP PROBLEMS WHIE IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY I THANK GOD THAT I WAS NOT INJURED BUT I NEED SOMETHING DONE ABOUT THE CAR