NHTSA Complaint #768606 — 1995 FORD WINDSTAR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK TO DEALER NEXT DAY. THEY SAID IT WAS A FAILED HEAD GASKET. I WENT ON INTERNET AND DISCOVERED THERE HAD BEEN TWO GENERAL RECALL PROGRAMS FOR THIS PROBLEM ONE IN MAY 1998 AND ONE IN FEB. 2000. I RECEIVED NO NOTIFICATION OF THESE BUT FORD SAID IT WOULD NOT HAVE MADE ANY DIFFERENCE BACAUSE THEY WERE NOT REQUIRED TO FIX IT UNLESS IT HAD FAILED. I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW IN 1995. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AT 60,000 MILES AND THREE MONTHS PAST SEVEN YEARS. FORD SAID NTSB HAD REQUIRED THE WARRANTY PERIOD TO BE EXTENDED TWO TIMES AND IF THEY RECEIVED INFORMATION THAT IT WAS A CONTINUALLY RECURRING PROBLEM, THE PERIOD MIGHT BE EXTENDED AGAIN. I BELIEVE FORD SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM FREE OF CHARGE SINCE I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE CAR AND THE PROBLEM HAPPENED AT ONLY 60,000 MILES, REGARDLESS OF THE TIME PERIOD OWNED. THEY HAVE OBVIOUSLY BEEN AWARE OF THE PROBLEM SINCE AT LEAST 1998 AND SHOULD BE LIABLE FOR FIXING IT FOR ALL ORIGINAL OWNERS, REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE AND TIME OWNED. IT IS UNFAIR TO ALLOW A LIMITATION ON THIS PROBLEM FOR ORIGINAL OWNERS. I ASK THAT NTSB REQUIRE FORD TO EXTEND THE TIME PERIOD INDEFINITELY ON THIS PROBLEM FOR ALL ORIGINAL OWNERS. DT