NHTSA Complaint #735224 — 1996 FORD WINDSTAR

BLOWN HEAD GASKET. THIS IS A DOCUMENTED PROBLEM WITH FORD'S 94 AND 95 WINDSTARS. IN CONTACTING FORD'S CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER, THEY INDICATE THAT THESE EARLIER VEHICLES ARE NOW COVERED BY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BECAUSE NHTSA HAS DETERMINED THAT FORD WAS AT FAULT; HOWEVER, THEY INDICATE THAT NHTSA HAS MADE NO SIMILAR RULING ON THE 1996 MODEL. I HAVE ASKED FORD FOR AN EXPLANATION OF THE DEFECT THAT WAS FOUND IN THE 1994 AND 1995 MODELS AND THE DATE BY WHICH A SPECIFIC, CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN TO ENSURE AGAINST SIMILAR FAILURE IN SUBSEQUENT MODELS. THE FORD CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER INDICATES THAT THE DEALER IS THE ONLY SOURCE OF TECHNICAL INFORMATION AND THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO RESPOND TO THIS ISSUE. MY QUESTION TO THE NHTSA IS WHETHER YOU CAN ASSIST IN DOCUMENTING THE SPECIFICS OF THE DEFECT AND THE TIMELINE WITHIN WHICH FORD TOOK CORRECTIVE ACTION TO YOUR SATISFACTION? IT IS POSSIBLE THAT I AM SIMPLY UNFORTUNATE AND THAT THE HEAD GASKET FAILURE ON MY '96 WINDSTAR--ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS AWFULLY SIMILAR TO THE HEAD GASKET FAILURES ON HUNDREDS (THOUSANDS?) OF 94 AND 95 WINDSTARS--IS ONLY A COINCIDENCE? OR IS IT THE CASE THAT MY VEHICLE HAS SUFFERED THE SAME FATE AS THOSE EARLIER VEHICLES BUT NOT ENOUGH OF THE '96 VEHICLES HAVE REACHED THE POINT OF FAILURE FOR THIS MODEL TO HAVE REACHED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT LEVELS? IF I KNEW THAT YOU HAD PINPOINTED THE PROBLEM AND THAT FORD HAD CORRECTED IT PRIOR TO THE BUILD DATE OF MY VEHICLE (WHICH I UNDERSTAND TO BE FEB. 1996) OR THE MANUFACTURING DATE OF THE ENGINE COMPONENTS, I WOULD PROBABLY BE LESS FRUSTRATED AT THE $3646.88 BILL FROM FORD TO REPLACE THEIR "DEFECTIVE" ENGINE. AS IT STANDS NOW, THEIR HISTORY OF DENYING THE PROBLEM WITH THE 94 AND 95 VEHICLES, THEIR RELUCTANCE TO EXPLAIN THAT HEAD GASKET PROBLEM AND THE TIMING OF THEIR CORRECTIVE ACTION, AND THE RECENT SERIES OF ISSUES INVOLVING OTHER OF THEIR VEHICLES IN WHICH THEY APPEARED TO PLACE PROFITS AHEAD OF CONSUMER SAFETY ALL LEAVE ME FRUSTRATED. *AK