NHTSA Complaint #745622 — 1997 FORD EXPLORER

APPROX 1 MONTH AGO, VEHICLE FAILED JUST AFTER LEAVING THE FREEWAY AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALER. THE PROBLEM WAS FOUND TO BE THE MAIN FUSE CONTROLLING ALL DRIVE-TRAIN COMPONENTS, INCLUDING COMPUTER, FUEL INJECTORS, TRANSMISSION, ETC. THE DEALER ( HARRIS FORD) COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE AFTER TWO DAYS OF INVESTIGATION. I WAS RETURNED THE VEHICLE WITH TWO EXTRA 30 AMP FUSES (AND A $500 BILL) IN CASE THE PROBLEM RECURRED. APPROX. TWO WEEKS LATER, THE VEHICLE AGAIN DIED, THIS TIME IN PORTLAND, OR. FORTUNATELY IT DID NOT HAPPEN ON THE FREEWAY, SINCE ALL POWER WAS LOST WHEN THE ENGINE DIED. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN AT A PORTLAND DEALER FOR THE PAST WEEK, AGAIN WITH NO EXPLANATION OF THE CAUSE. DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE VEHICLE WILL NOT RUN, AND I HAVE AN ESP, FORD NOR ITS DEALERS WILL COMMIT TO COVERING REPAIRS UNDER WARRANTY. HAD THIS HAPPENED AT FREEWAY SPEED OF 60 OR 70 MPH, A SERIOUS ACCIDENT COULD OCCUR, POTENTIALLY WITH FATAL INJURIES.*AK