Ford Club Wagon 1998
Model Club Wagon made in 1998 by Ford got 40 consumer complains. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to electrical system, engine and engine and engine cooling.
Model 1998
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||
| 03/07/2001 | 3 | 06/01/2000 | |
| Aluminum head failure, spark plugs blew out of head at 60 mph--mild explosion, engine shutdown at speed--could have been a fatal rear end accident if it had happened during normal day hours, but it was at 3 am---failure still not fixed after 2 full weeks, dealer is family ford, carlisle pa.---they state that this is a known failure, and they have done several. | |||
| ENGINE | |||
| 05/13/2012 | 185000 | 1 | |
| I became one more victim of an unacceptable design flaw foisted upon the motoring public by the once proud ford motor company. #3 spark plug took an unapproved leave of absence and has grounded my e-350 van for the past 2 months. i am weighing my options; should i attempt an expensive repair only to have it fail in the near future or should i return it to the showroom of my closest ford dealer after hours? so much for the engineering that led to wins at le mans in the 1960's. there was no vehicle fire associated with this mishap; however, i have seen pictures of fires due to this problem suffered by others. i am one among thousands of ford truck owners dealing with this situation. *tr | |||
| 05/13/2012 | 185000 | ||
| I became one more victim of an unacceptable design flaw foisted upon the motoring public by the once proud ford motor company. #3 spark plug took an unapproved leave of absence and has grounded my e-350 van for the past 2 months. i am weighing my options; should i attempt an expensive repair only to have it fail in the near future or should i return it to the showroom of my closest ford dealer after hours? so much for the engineering that led to wins at le mans in the 1960's. there was no vehicle fire associated with this mishap; however, i have seen pictures of fires due to this problem suffered by others. i am one among thousands of ford truck owners dealing with this situation. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 06/01/2010 | |||
| Spark plug blew from engine, will not thread back into block. | |||
| 02/10/2008 | 76000 | 1 | 01/12/2008 |
| Ford e-350 van w/ v10 engine blew a spark plug out of the cylinder. *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 02/11/2005 | 104029 | 1 | 09/07/1998 |
| Vin fmre11lxwhc14619 1998 ford van club wagon v8 triton engine 5.4 liter- spark plug blow out. had the vehicle towed to mccoy and mills ford 700 west commonwealth, fullerton ca 92832 work order 985469 apprx date feb 11,2005 customer #whc14619. ford dealer service dept. quoted a repair fee for head replacement of minimum $3500. for blow out of spark plug and cylinder damage. when ms. mabry inquired of the cost for the entire new engine replacement as opposed to only one cylinder repair, the response was--a minimum of $5600. failure and its consequences: since vehicle owner mabry did not have $3500 , then mabry again paid another towing service to tow vehicle to mabry a distance of approx 150 miles (a very expensive towing fee). the third towing was to a repair shop 25 appx miles from shy lane. partial towing fees $250 cash and $128 cash to 3 guys towing, fullerton ca. the repair of #3 spark plug cylinder damage, ignition coil, helicoil. the replaced parts were saved. approximate costs of three towing services, vehicle repair, overnight stay waiting for repair estimate from mills ford and ultimate vehicle repair, taxi trips to from and to final repair stop approx $1100.00. *jb | |||
| 04/22/2001 | |||
| Engine blewout without any prior warning. as consumer was driving/turning vehicle shutdown. dashboard did not show any warning lights, and vehicle was well maintained. mechanic has advised consumer that this was a common problem. dealer has advised that engine just shutdown, and will need to be replaced at consumer's expense.*ak | |||
| 03/07/2001 | 3 | 06/01/2000 | |
| Aluminum head failure, spark plugs blew out of head at 60 mph--mild explosion, engine shutdown at speed--could have been a fatal rear end accident if it had happened during normal day hours, but it was at 3 am---failure still not fixed after 2 full weeks, dealer is family ford, carlisle pa.---they state that this is a known failure, and they have done several. | |||
| 1 | 08/01/1999 | ||
| Van is on 2nd engine&torque converter.has vibration @ all speeds.pulls hard left. any sort of rough road & you think you will lose control. vibrates so bad front doors are eating in to body. has terrible smell ventilation & heating system. what a hunk of junk !!! | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| Strong odor of fuel fumes are coming in and around the vehicle. dealer stated to make sure that windows are rolled down, and a/c is shut off. vehicle is subject to explode. dealer claims there is no solution. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 06/12/2003 | 33000 | 1 | 02/01/1998 |
| All four wheel rims were bent, which caused the consumer to purchase new tires. dealer notified. *ak all 5 rims were bent. but no flats. the consumer bought a new rim two and a half years ago and in may bought four new michelin tires 245/75/16 mls. at ntb who showed the consumer the bent rims. the vehicle continued to vibrate. the consumer thought the new tires would solve the vibration problem, but it didn't. the vehicle also needed a new transmission. *scc *jb | |||
| 1 | 08/01/1999 | ||
| Van is on 2nd engine&torque converter.has vibration @ all speeds.pulls hard left. any sort of rough road & you think you will lose control. vibrates so bad front doors are eating in to body. has terrible smell ventilation & heating system. what a hunk of junk !!! | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - TORQUE CONVERTER | |||
| 1 | 08/01/1999 | ||
| Van is on 2nd engine&torque converter.has vibration @ all speeds.pulls hard left. any sort of rough road & you think you will lose control. vibrates so bad front doors are eating in to body. has terrible smell ventilation & heating system. what a hunk of junk !!! | |||
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - ANCHORAGE | |||
| 06/27/1999 | 1 | ||
| Niece was belted sleeping. ratchet mechanism engaged. belt became twisted and when her tried to free herself, belt retracted trapping her in belt. buckle would not release. she was in pain. we had to cut belt to free her. | |||
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - RETRACTOR | |||
| 11/01/1998 | 1 | 01/01/1998 | |
| Seat belt retractor malfunctioned. *yc | |||
| SEATS | |||
| 06/01/2001 | 0 | ||
| Consumer leaned back on his driver seat to hand son some water and seat collapsed, and will not return back to normal position. *ak | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - RECLINER | |||
| 09/27/1997 | 1 | ||
| The seat did not latch and moved forward causing driver to lose control, resulting in a collision. (new jersey state police report) | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 12/18/2000 | 1 | 02/01/2000 | |
| Total brake failure occurred with no warning or indication (even the brake light did not illuminate). i was approaching an intersection with stopped vehicles slowly but could not get any brake response, causing a crash and then pushing until three other vehicles would be hit. *ak | |||
| 05/08/1998 | 2 | 05/01/1998 | |
| Abs system failed and replaced. yh | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC | |||
| 11/01/1998 | 1 | 01/01/1998 | |
| Front disc brake pads where prematurly worn to rivets. *yc | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR | |||
| 06/13/2000 | 1 | 09/01/2099 | |
| Front rotors warp for apparently no reasonable cause. master mechanic suggests its due to mass of rotors not large enough to handle braking loads, or bad materials. same with warped rear brake drums. this vehicle is now on its second set of rotors (6-21-2002), and they have been lathe turned to the limit of their width. rotors have now warped again, but i'll continue to put up with the pulsation till it drives me crazy. i live in a rural area and braking is not a constant thing here. this van is used to transport my children and for errands, so the vehicle (ford e350 1 ton club wagon van) is not being worked hard.*ak | |||
| STEERING | |||
| 1 | 02/18/1998 | ||
| Design of vehicle causes it to wander while driving. | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR | |||
| 1 | 06/01/1998 | ||
| Door locks failed. yh | |||
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 1 | |||
| Very difficult to control when going over bumps and driving in wind. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 10/09/1998 | 3 | 01/01/1998 | |
| Extreme front end shudder at 50+mph braking, occasionally bellow 50mph. first near crash was avoided by downshift and parking brake application. front end wobble and squeel and felt like brake fade but was only coming to stop from 35mph in residential/retail zone. stopped half way into intersection and was almost broadsided by a motorcyclyst. replaced with new pair of rotors and brake pads as original rotors were extremly warped and had minor crack on right front. pads were worn to metal in places. i have put on yet another set of rotors with same extreme warpage and more cracks than last set. i'm now on my fourth set of brake shoes. and the shuddering has been intensifying. took it to dealer once after first failure and they said everthing was fine with the system with exception of minor crack on right front rotor wich was later replaced. i'm about to go back again to have the shudder checked out as it is really bad now. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - TORSION BAR | |||
| 12/12/1998 | 02/04/1998 | ||
| When making a sharp left turn the wheel rubs against the torsion bar. the dealer / manufacturer is aware of the problem. the problem has not been corrected. *ak | |||
| TIRES - TREAD/BELT | |||
| 08/09/2000 | 1 | 11/01/1997 | |
| Driver's side front tire blewout. tire dealer said tire failure was due to tread separation.*ak (dot number: vd1l 1xd tiresize: lt225-75r1) | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 1 | 09/01/2000 | |
| I received a recall notice for our 1998 ford club wagon in august 2007. i keep calling to get an appointment for the part(it has to do with the cruise control defect that can catch fire) and no one has the parts. in september, we receive a card saying that the that unforeseen shortage has made it impossible for ford to replace the part at this time. they are offering a band aid approach by only disconnecting the cruise control until the parts become available. i find this absolutely unacceptable. the bean counter obviously blew it for ford and now we the consumers are paying the price. i called again today, november 3, and still the parts are not available and was told they may not be available until january? i also found out today that our lincoln town car is on the list and we have never received any notification concerning this car! now, we have two cars waiting for a part that won't be available until who know when! no one can provide a straight answer. i would sincerely appreciate a direct response to my complaint. i also want a guarantee that our two vehicles will be first on the list to get the cruise control parts replaced as soon as possible. ford has allowed all of us that trusted them enough to purchase their vehicles to drive them all this time before they ever put out a recall. that is nine and a half years! trust is a difficult thing to get back once it is lost. i expect ford to live up to its name and get the parts within a thirty day period, since they have already have had several months to have the parts manufactured and sent out to its dealerships. our lives and those that are on the road with us are at stake. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2006 | 112382 | 1 | |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 75 mph, the cruise control became stuck in the on position, raising the speed of the vehicle to over 90 mph. the vehicle was shifted into neutral and coasted to a rest area. a private repair shop was consulted, who disconnected the speed control cable at the throttle body, which closed the throttle. the vehicle was then taken to a service dealer, where the dealer was unable to determine the problem. updated 10/17/2006 - *nm | |||
| 10/07/1998 | 1 | 02/01/1998 | |
| Accelerator cable. | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - CABLES | |||
| 10/07/1998 | 1 | 02/01/1998 | |
| Accelerator cable failed causing vehicle to stall and loose control in traffic. | |||
| 10/07/1998 | |||
| While driving the vehicle the accelerator cable broke, causing the vehicle to stall, almost caused an accident. dealer cannot determine problem. please provide details. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - GLASS, SIDE/REAR | |||
| 1 | |||
| Glass in van is difficult to see through when it rains. | |||
| WHEELS - RIM | |||
| 06/12/2003 | 33000 | 1 | 02/01/1998 |
| All four wheel rims were bent, which caused the consumer to purchase new tires. dealer notified. *ak all 5 rims were bent. but no flats. the consumer bought a new rim two and a half years ago and in may bought four new michelin tires 245/75/16 mls. at ntb who showed the consumer the bent rims. the vehicle continued to vibrate. the consumer thought the new tires would solve the vibration problem, but it didn't. the vehicle also needed a new transmission. *scc *jb | |||
Car dealers selling
| State | City | Zip | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | GLENDORA | COLLEY FORD | ||
| OH | ORRVILLE | 44667 | BOB SNYDER AUTO EXCHANGE | 330-683-2886 |