NHTSA Complaint #758360 — 1997 LINCOLN TOWN CAR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A REMOTE HIGHWAY WITH THE CAR ON CRUISE CONTROL GOING 60MPH. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE ALARM SOUNDED, SO I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER. I OPENED THE HOOD AND HOT COOLANT WAS SPRAYING OUT ALL OVER THE ENGINE. SINCE THE COOLANT RESERVOIR WAS STILL OVER HALF FULL, I DROVE DOWNHILL GOING ONLY 25MPH, TO A POPULATED AREA APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES AWAY WHERE I COULD RECEIVE ASSISTANCE. I CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND HAD TO BE TOWED 75 MILES TO THE LINCOLN DEALERSHIP IN LAS VEGAS, NV. I LEFT THE CAR, AND WAS LATER INFORMED THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD HAD FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. I PICKED UP THE CAR THE NEXT DAY, ONLY DROVE A FEW MILES AND REALIZED SOMETHING WAS STILL WRONG, SO I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED THE CAR TO DESERT LINCOLN-MERCURY. THEY TOOK IT BACK INTO THE SHOP TO LOOK IT OVER...RETURNING IT AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES. THEY SAID THAT COOLANT HAD LEAKED INTO THE SPARK PLUG SOCKETS AND THEY HAD TO REMOVE THEM AND BLOW OUT THE FLUID. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLDS ON 97 LINCOLNS FAILED QUITE OFTEN AND HE FIGURED THAT EVENTUALLY FORD WOULD HAVE TO RECALL THEM. I WAS SENT OFF AGAIN WITH THE ASSURANCE THAT MY VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. TWO DAYS LATER I TRIED TO START THE CAR AND IT WOULDN'T START WITHOUT REPEATED EFFORTS. I CALLED LINCOLN AND THEY TOLD ME TO DRIVE THE CAR BACK TO LAS VEGAS...APPROXIMATELY 35 MILES AWAY. THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR THREE DAYS AND THEN INFORMED ME THAT THE CYLINDERS WERE WARPED FROM THE COOLANT AND THAT I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. I AM FURIOUS THAT FORD MOTOR COMPANY KNOWINGLY LEAVES PARTS ON THEIR VEHICLES THAT ARE OBVIOUSLY FAULTY. THE INTAKE MANIFOLDS ON SOME 97 LINCOLN TOWN CARS HAVE BEEN RECALLED, BUT APPARENTLY NOT ON THOSE WITH OUR PARTICULAR VIN NUMBER. THE DEFECTIVE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS PLASTIC AND THE NEW ONES ARE METAL. WHICH AGAIN SHOWS THAT FORD KNOWS THE PART IS THE DEFECTIVE AND WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS. NOW I'M STUCK WITH PAYING A FORTUNE FOR A NEW ENGINE. FORD SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH THIS.