NHTSA Complaint #748689 — 1990 LINCOLN TOWN CAR

HOOD LATCH ASSEMBLY - ON CHRISTMAS DAY HOOD FLEW UP INTO THE WINDSHIELD CAUSING THE WINDSHIELD TO GET SMASHED, THE HOOD WAS COMPLETELY BENT IN HALF, AND DAMAGED WAS DONE TO THE ROOF. MY FAMILY AND I WERE TERRIFIED AND I WAS VERY HAPPY THAT MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING. IF HE DIDN'T DRIVE I AM SURE THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A FATAL CAR ACCIDENT. AS THIS HAPPENED, CAR SWERVED INTO LANE TO LEFT AND WE WERE SIDE-SWIPED BY A VAN. THE VAN DID NOT STOP, NO ONE STOPPED. WE WERE THERE FOR QUITE AWHILE BUT NO POLICE CAME. WE JUST WANTED TO GET HOME. OTHER OBVIOUS DAMAGE WAS THE DRIVERS FRONT END. TOOK TO SALVAGE YARD BECAUSE WE WERE NOT AWARE OF THE SAFETY RECALL AND THAT IT WAS NOT DONE ON THIS CAR. THIS CAR HAD NO COLLISION ON IT BECAUSE IT WAS "OLDER" DID FINALLY REPORT TO INSURANCE JUST TO HAVE ON RECORD. IF WE KNEW ABOUT THE RECALL ON THIS I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN DRIVING MY 2 & 4 YEAR OLD SONS IN THIS "SAFE" CAR. I WOULD HAVE DONE DIRECTLY TO DEALER IF I KNEW ABOUT RECALL. HAVE TRIED GOING THROUGH DEALER RECENTLY AND CALLING LINCOLN'S 800# TO SPEAK WITH THEIR CONSUMER AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT. NO ONE IS CLAIMING ANY KIND OF RESPONSIBILITY AND YET IN MY MIND WE WERE ALMOST KILLED. I NEVER RECEIVED A LETTER ABOUT THE RECALL. ONLY THE PREVIOUS OWNERS APPARANTLY RECEIVED ONE. I'M SURE LINCOLN WOULD PAY ATTENTION IF SOMEONE WAS KILLED DUE TO A SAFETY RECALL. HOW CAN I GET LINCOLN TO MAKE MY CAR SAFE AND REIMBURSE ME FOR MONEY I DID PAY OUT DUE TO THIS OCCURRENCE -- THEY WON'T EVEN LOOK AT THE PART OF THE CAR THAT WAS RECALLED BECAUSE I HAD GONE TO A SALVAGE YARD TO HAVE HOOD REPLACED, WINDSHIELD REPLACED AND FRONT END DRIVERS HEADLIGHT REPLACED. *AK