Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 0222 | 02/04/2002 | 630628 | Some vehicles may exhibit an intake manifold crossover (first runner) coolant seepage condition. *tt | 04/19/2002 | |
| 99B29 | 12/01/1999 | 612219 | Some vehicles may experience engine coolant leaks at the engine front cover gasket. owner notification program providing replacement of the engine front cover gasket. *tt | 06/07/2000 | |
| 13186 | 09/01/1999 | 6090542 | Information regarding front cover & water pump bolts-torque valve revision/3.8-4.2l. *mjs | 03/21/2000 | |
| 99207 | 10/04/1999 | 6089651 | Subject on engine coolant leaking into the engine oil on some vehicles. *tt | 02/11/2000 | |
| 99131 | 06/28/1999 | 606484 | Concerns with engine coolant leaking into engine oil on some vehicles. *tt | 08/25/1999 | |
| 97050110617 | 05/01/1997 | 52896 | Vehicles may experience illumination of the engine cooling indicator light. *tw | 10/30/1997 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - HOSE | |||||
| BC3243970210 | 02/10/1997 | 51865 | Engine cooling light on - possible oil leak at upper jam nut on the upper transmission cooler line. *tw | 07/17/1997 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 02221 | 11/11/2002 | 10008304 | Engine-gear driven synchronizers-incorrect installation-camshaft position synchronizer (cmp) installation tool correct application. *mj | 07/27/2004 | |
| 870197 | 10/22/2002 | 10000592 | Incorrectly installed gear driven camshaft position (cmp) sensor synchronizer assemblies causing surge, lost of power, malfunction indicator lamp on and diagnostic trouble codes p1336, p1309 and p0340. *tt | 03/25/2003 | |
| 99B29#1 | 04/01/2000 | 99B29 | 613562 | Information regarding replacment of engine front cover gasket. **mr | 07/21/2000 |
| 6996 | 09/01/1999 | 6090309 | Information regarding a change in the torque values of the engine front cover water pump bolts. *tt | 03/14/2000 | |
| 983224 | 02/12/1998 | 607436 | Some vehicles may have water contamination in the air filter and / or the mass air flow sensor. *tt | 09/23/1999 | |
| 9874 | 04/13/1998 | 601343 | A new silicone gasket and sealant. *yc | 07/24/1998 | |
| 97610 | 03/17/1997 | 51990 | Blower motor- chirping or squeaking from blower motor at low speeds. *jd | 07/17/1997 | |
| BC0990961021 | 10/21/1996 | 50442 | Information on engine oil leak at the oil pan, front cover &/or the front & rear crankshaft oil seal. *tt | 04/24/1997 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 01246 | 12/10/2001 | 630515 | Engine oil system priming procedures, service tips for reports of premature engine failure. *tt | 04/18/2002 | |
| 0214 | 01/21/2002 | 630001 | Some engine assemblies with aluminum cylinder heads repaired in-vehile have been found to leak coolant and/or oil from the cylinder head gasket area. *tt | 04/11/2002 | |
| 0147 | 03/05/2001 | 619424 | Subject regarding engine oil recommendations for use in 2001 vehicles - sae 5w-20 motor oil. *tt | 05/30/2001 | |
| 4643 | 08/01/1998 | 615181 | Some vehicles may exhibit an rpm flare on a forced 4/2 downshift. additionally, the commanded electronic pressure control is at appromately 10 psi. *tt | 01/03/2001 | |
| 983108 | 02/01/1998 | 607402 | Effective march 2, 1998m3.8l engine assembly is added to fqr(ford quality renewal) assembly program. *ak | 12/21/2000 | |
| 99816 | 05/03/1999 | 606420 | Ford motor company now recommends sae 5w-30 viscosity grade for servicing any ford gasoline-powered vehicle regardless of model year. *tt | 08/19/1999 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||||
| BC3288970206 | 02/06/1997 | 51884 | Vehicles may exhibit a cold start engine fead belt chirp noise. *tw | 07/17/1997 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||||
| 982010 | 10/12/1998 | 603695 | Experiencing a buzzing or rattling noise from the exhaust system. *yc | 03/02/1999 | |
| 9864 | 03/30/1998 | 601312 | Information on a buzzing or rattle noise from the exhaust system. *tt | 07/21/1998 | |
| BC0490961112 | 11/12/1996 | 50763 | Instructions for replacing diagnosed failed component. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
| BC9714961101 | 11/01/1996 | 50860 | Diagnostic instructions for servicing evaporative emission purge flow system. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
| BC0407961115 | 11/15/1996 | 50753 | Instructions for replacing diagnosed failed parts. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||||
| 982310 | 11/23/1998 | 603724 | Mass air flow (maf)- sensor contamination- service tip. *ak | 03/03/1999 | |
| 9834 | 02/16/1998 | 600588 | Air inlet-water in air inlet elbow-malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illuminates due to water contamination of air filter and/or mass air flow sensor (maf)- vehicle swith 4.6l engine. *ak | 05/27/1998 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 07/06/2011 | 60000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1996 ford thunderbird. the contact stated while driving at 30mph he notice a strong coolant odor and while inspecting the vehicle he found the antifreeze intake manifold failed the intact manifold cracked causing the antifreeze to spill. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and the current miles was 60,000. li | |||
| 08/31/1998 | 20000 | 6 | 12/10/1996 |
| Intake (plastic) cracks ;leaving family and i stranded on 30 mile stretch of highway with no houses or business. towed to station and fixed recalled intake. taxi cost home and back 2 days later to retrieve car soon started having heater coil leaks and overheating;antifreeze causing headaches. almost $1000.00 to replace 30 dollar part(dash board and console removed and air condition unit disconnected and recharged) dealer took cost of next 2 replacement heater coils and it still needs 4th;no heat;still leaks antifreeze inside car. intake manifold(plastic) cracked again;overheated and burnt me this time also causing serious damage to car;very costly which i guess we the consumer will have to bear. how many complaints does it take? *tr | |||
| 09/08/2006 | 84518 | 1 | |
| Defective intake manifold on 1996 ford thunderbird. the car only has 84,450 miles on it! cost was $1002.02 to repair. why is the consumer being charged for this costly repair when this is a known defective part from the ford motor company?*jb | |||
| 08/15/2004 | 60000 | 1 | 08/15/2004 |
| 3.8 cylinder head failure | |||
| 06/21/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving 40 mph vehicle stalled. this caused loss of steering and brakes. vehicle was towed to the independent shop, and mechanic did not know what was wrong with the vehicle. *ak | |||
| 04/15/2003 | 96000 | ||
| Head gaskets failed ruining my cylinders as well while driving on the highway with my children. barely got the car home with a cloud of white smoke. i cannot afford to fix this the car has been sitting for almost 1 and a half months, and i still owe 5900 dollars on it. i have to ride my bike to work over 3 miles each way and rent a car for the weekends costing me a fortune. i believe they need to pay for my engine to be rebuilt especially after reading all the articles of how the 3.8 litre v6 engine has failed continuously throughout the years and ford has known it. i love fords and have never drove anything else. i am in a serious bind and need help for something that failed due to a defective part. thank you for listening and i hope ford gets the message. derek haugh | |||
| 3 | |||
| Intake manifold cracked behind the alternator leaking anti-freeze all over the place. consumer found a tsb regarding the problem. *la the consumer felt that ford should continue to replace the part(s) until the vehicle is fixed. the intake manifold had been replaced on two occasions and may be on it's third. (the first replacement was covered under recall) *sc *jb | |||
| 10/09/2003 | 150000 | 5 | 03/06/2001 |
| The 1996 ford thunderbird's head gasket blew and transmission is slipping. it has been using water since we bought it from the dealer. *la | |||
| 1 | 08/21/1999 | ||
| Engine surge at idle and loss of power/ problems with oil and intake manifold crossover. *mr ph | |||
| 05/17/2003 | 48000 | 1 | |
| While driving at any speed or at an idle the vehicle experienced a power serge or loss of power (tsb 870197). *nlm rpms jumped from 500 to 1100 at idle. *tt *jb | |||
| 12/22/2002 | 75000 | ||
| Consumer started vehicle while parked in garage. placed gear in reverse with foot applied to brake and car suddenly accelerated, in reverse, crashing into closed garage door. consumer turned off ignition, restarted car and placed gear in drive to move forward. vehicle suddenly accelerated again crashing into forward wall of garage. incident caused over $7000 in damage to vehicle and $4000 damage to consumer's home. vehicle's engine had previously surged without warning while driving. dealer inspected was not able to determine cause. ts | |||
| 12/18/1999 | 2 | 05/01/1998 | |
| Oil in my engine poured out and engine locked up would not keep oil in it. had to replace brakes twice i one year because of brake fluid leakage then finally it got so bad had to replace the rotors on front end, my temperature gauge for the outside just happen to start going crazy one day as i was driving along on a trip to the beach and has been in correct ever since. and by the way i am still making payments on this vehicle. i has been more trouble than a joy. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 12/09/2005 | 127000 | 1 | 03/01/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the intake manifold cracked and caused the vehicle to overheat without prior warning. the vehicle was seen by an independent repair shop. the repair shop personnel suggested the manifold cracked due to the composite plastic used in manufacturing. the manifold was replaced with an after market manifold made of metal material. *nm | |||
| 05/10/2005 | 1 | ||
| I had a 96 t-bird that my daughter now owns. the plastic manifold cracked last spring causing me to be stranded on the highway. my sister towed me to her house where the vehicle sat until i got a new manifold for about $289 online. i installed it myself taking me about 2 days and driving 45 miles each way twice to my sister's house. old part was discarded. *nm | |||
| 05/01/2000 | 1 | 12/01/1997 | |
| Vehicle's intake manifold cracked on 1996 ford thunderbird.*mr the vehicle intake manifold failed and was replaced under recall. about one year after the intake manifold was replaced the consumer started smelling antifreeze inside the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the shop where the consumer was told that drops of antifreeze could be seen by the water pump and that it needed to be replaced. after it was replaced the consumer continued to smell antifreeze. it was later determined that the manifold cracked again and that the antifreeze had soaked the first two cylinders causing them to misfire. the consumer was responsible for replacing this manifold. *nm | |||
| 05/01/2000 | 83166 | 3 | 12/01/1997 |
| Problems with the intake manifold on 1996 ford thunderbird.*mr the vehicle's intake manifold cracked. the manifold was replaced, free of charge, with another plastic manifold due to a recall. approximately a year after the manifold was replaced the consumer started smelling anti-freeze inside the vehicle. it was later determined that manifold cracked again and anti-freeze soaked the first two cylinders which caused them to misfire. the consumer is seeking reimbursement. *nm | |||
| 49500 | 2 | ||
| After the recall for the coolant system was performed the defect recurred ( recall # 99b29 ). the coolant system ran warmer than normal, but didn't boil over or out and only leaked when the engine was off. *nlm *jb | |||
| 02/05/2001 | 07/01/2000 | ||
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 06/04/2000 | 1 | 08/01/1998 | |
| Tsb 97m91, replaced already 11/14/98, left myself and daughter stranded in middle of desert. manufacturer refuses to cover costs of loss. no safety defect listed in summary. *ak | |||
| 07/28/1999 | 0 | 07/07/1999 | |
| Coolant light kept coming on and off. vehicle taken to dealer several times, but they were unable to fix the problem. problem still exists. dealer still has vehicle, repairs are being made, dealer is helping to cover some of cost. *ml | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||
| 04/04/2006 | 50 | 03/14/2006 | |
| Compliant is that through my insurance provider i was alerted to two recalls that should be at least looked into on my auto. the first is the blower on the climate control began to work erratically and now it does not work at all. meaning that my defrosting does not work at all. the other and more serious is that the drivers side door latch sticks at smacks against the peg and does not latch properly or at all, unless the latch is manually lifted. both of these are recalls for other t-birds but somehow mine slipped through. vin is 1falp62w6th111113. if these are such common problems why weren't all the t-birds recalled? i am looking at over 600.00 to replace these parts. which is irritating when ford should be fixing it's known problems. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 10/29/2004 | 114000 | 1 | |
| 1996 ford thunderbird 4.6l 281cid v8 motor failure of plastic intake manifold. driving home under normal conditions and check coolant light came on. wife said she had thought she smelled burning coolant for several days prior. took to mechanic and he pointed out the crack in the intake manifold. said this was a very common problem with this motor. paid over $800.00 to have repaired with upgraded part. ford motor co. has been aware of problem for years and issued a recall for taxis and police vehicles but recall does not cover privately owned vehicles. car has approximately 114,000 miles. | |||
| 09/16/2004 | 66000 | 1 | 03/01/1996 |
| I was told that their is a recall on my 1996 ford thunderbird for a faulty intake cooling manifold. can you please confirm this. i do not see it on your recall list. *jb | |||
| 02/04/2004 | 1 | 05/20/1996 | |
| The consumer's 1996 ford thunderbird completely broke down due to the failure of the plastic intake manifold. *ph the vehicle was purchased new and the consumer wasn't given prior warning that this existed. the defective part was on the vehicle between the dates of may 1996 and february 2004. the manifold was found cracked. ford motor issued program #97m91 in re to vehicles built with the plastic manifold. the consumer requested reimbursement. *sc *jb | |||
| 86000 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle stalled and made a weird noise. due to oil pump being defected. now the engine needed to be replaced. *tt | |||
| 02/18/2002 | 1 | ||
| Blown head gasket--engine coolant leaks--as these engines have a documented history of being defective | |||
| 05/01/2002 | 1 | 11/01/1995 | |
| Consumer states head gasket failed and needed replaced, consumer asked ford to extend the warranty like they did with the 1994 and 1995 models with the same problems, however ford declined. *slc | |||
| 07/11/2001 | 1 | 08/01/1996 | |
| Head gaskets failed on 1996 ford thunderbird 3.8 liter, v6 engine. car under 5 years old with less than 50,000 miles. ford would not cover full cost of repair even though an extended warranty has been issued for the same engine/same problem in other models.*ak | |||
| 1 | 06/01/1997 | ||
| Blown engine due to head gaskets at 58528 miles. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Engine check light was illuminating on dashboard. contacted dealer, dealer has determined that head gasket was leaking fluids onto oxygen sensor, causing engine check light to illuminate. also, note head gasket needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 12/01/1999 | 07/01/1997 | ||
| Timing chain cover gasket replaced under recall in 2000 , suppose to stop coolant leak, but mechanic now reports the problem is head gasket, common to ford's 3.8 v6. *ak | |||
| 11/15/2000 | 1 | 10/01/1996 | |
| Head gasket leaking - car just turned 4 - ford refuses to cover under recall. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Head gasket failed prematurely due to design flaw. nlm | |||
| 10/11/1997 | 1 | 09/17/1997 | |
| Vehicle is a lemon. engine was leaking oil and making noise. dealership told consumer that the crankshaft inside had to be replaced. also the tires had to be changed every three months because treads on tires wore out. *ak | |||
| 01/19/2000 | 01/01/1996 | ||
| In 1998 i started having car problems, a mechanic told me that fluid was getting past the head gasket. in january of 1999 i had to have the engine replaced by heritage ford. i recently read an article in the paper that said there was a defect in the 3.8l motors causing this to happen. i called ford motor co. & heritage ford & was told that since my car wasn't on their list they can't help me. they have already announced publicly there is a defect with the same motor we had & i feel they should reimburse us also,not because of the model of our car but the kind of motor they sold us. we have had numerous problems since they installed the new motor, & have had to bring the car back at least 5 times & of course pay a bill each time, the car still spits & sputters in hot weather. can you help us??? *ak | |||
| 10/24/1999 | 0 | 10/01/1997 | |
| The oil pump failed causing engine to lock-up which could have resulted in injury. ford has redesign a new engine. *yc | |||
| 10/25/1999 | 1 | 03/01/1997 | |
| 3.8 liter 6 cylinder engine headgaskets failed | |||
| 02/01/1999 | |||
| Crankshaft sensor and the oxygen sensor malfunctioned, causing a no start condition and stalling while driving. may cause an accident. dealer replaced th sensors twice. problem is still reoccurring. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| 1 | 06/01/1997 | ||
| Engine motor mounts failed. | |||
| 11/03/1997 | 08/23/1996 | ||
| The engine air inlet elbow does not drain properly. | |||
| 06/29/1996 | 1 | 11/27/1995 | |
| Motor mounts failed. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 08/22/2001 | 1 | ||
| The vehicle stalls during rain storms, consumer stated that this is a very dangerous situation because the sudden loss of power causes loss of power brakes and power steering, consumer is asking for reimbursement for repairs. *yh | |||
| 01/01/1998 | |||
| Oil pump failure. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Both cylinder heads and intake manifold failed causing coolant light to come on and off while driving. nlm | |||
| 12/18/1999 | 2 | 05/01/1998 | |
| Oil in my engine poured out and engine locked up would not keep oil in it. had to replace brakes twice i one year because of brake fluid leakage then finally it got so bad had to replace the rotors on front end, my temperature gauge for the outside just happen to start going crazy one day as i was driving along on a trip to the beach and has been in correct ever since. and by the way i am still making payments on this vehicle. i has been more trouble than a joy. *ak | |||
| 06/03/1999 | 1 | 09/01/1996 | |
| Oil gauge pressure varies, brought in twice during warranty, they replaced engine due to slapping rod, got car back oil pressure on gauge still varies high & low. *ak | |||
| 04/08/1996 | 1 | 02/10/1996 | |
| During inclement weather, design of engine allows water to saturate the air filter, causing engine to cut out. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 07/12/1999 | 2 | 09/01/1996 | |
| Engine check light on, dealer replaced mass air flow sensor. returned to dealer 4 times for gas mileage down 10-20%, low idle and stalls, poor driveability - ford and dealer state car is normal - all data from purchase date available - clearly shows negative change at time of part replacement | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 02/01/1999 | |||
| Crankshaft sensor and the oxygen sensor malfunctioned, causing a no start condition and stalling while driving. may cause an accident. dealer replaced th sensors twice. problem is still reoccurring. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| 08/23/1997 | 1 | 08/23/1996 | |
| The engine air inlet elbow does not drain properly. | |||
| 01/10/1996 | 1 | 05/15/1996 | |
| Sensor system failed. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 06/18/2007 | 95700 | 2 | 02/15/1996 |
| Defective intake manifold. ford replaced once, free of charge @ 48,523 miles. cracked again @ appx. 95,700 miles. ford refused to replace free of charge. replaced one defective manifold with one that was just as defective. there was a class action suit on this manifold, it was so bad. *jb | |||
| 10/30/2006 | 80000 | 1 | |
| Tl* - the contact wanted to have repair done to 1996 ford thunderbird, however service bulletin #97m91, dated jan 19, 1998 (nhtsa item number: 605621) expired and ford charged for the repairs. the mileage at the time of the failure was 80000. the contact said that the service bulletin was for the intake manifold. the contact wrote to ford. the refused to honor the service bulletin. *ak updated 2/6/2007 - *nm | |||
| 07/08/2005 | 78652 | 1 | 08/03/2003 |
| Intake manifold cracked. this part was made out of nylon and is a known defective part installed at the factory. ford motor company refused to reimburse stating that there was a customer satisfaction action in 1996. since the problem was due to a known defectivepart i think it should be covered for life of the vehicle. later ford redisigned the part using aluminum instead of nylon. *nm | |||
| 04/10/2005 | 81335 | 1 | 12/20/1995 |
| Plastic intake manifold failure on a 1996 ford thunderbird v8. part failure was preceded by a check engine light and low coolant light. turns out that ford had put out service bulletin in 1999 and followed up on it in 2001 on this issue (97m91) yet they never notified any owners. cost of repairs for this part will be around $1,000 yet ford will not do anything willingly to rectify the situation. failure of part could lead to catastrophic engine failure if not corrected. *mn | |||
| 08/01/2004 | 1 | ||
| 1996 ford thunderbird 4.6l v8 motor failure of plastic intake manifold. driving home under normal conditions and check coolant light came on. duaghter said she had thought she smelled burning coolant for several days prior. took to mechanic and he pointed out the crack in the intake manifold. said this was a very common problem with this motor. paid over $900.00 to have repaired with upgraded part. told by mechanic that recall issued but expired about 6 months prior to repair.*ak | |||
| 04/10/2004 | 170000 | 1 | 06/01/1998 |
| Coolant fumes/odor was coming inside the vehicle while driving at any speed. consumer inspected the vehicle and found a crack in the intake manifold. consumer notified the dealer, who informed the consumer that this vehicle was not covered under a present recall.*ak | |||
| 08/18/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving consumer noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to a body shop. mechanic determined that the intake manifold was cracked and needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 06/02/2004 | 54000 | 2 | 03/25/1997 |
| In febrruary 2003, my 1996 ford thunderbird 4.6l started spewing what i thought was smoke from the engine compartment. i was just at my driveway and pulled in. after opening the hood i realized it was not smoke but coolant that was being sprayed all over the hot engine. i had the car towed to friendly ford in las vegas, nevada, where i had bought the vehicle, and after some discussion, they replaced the intake manifold under a tsb. on 6-2-04, some 16 months later, the intake is again leaking. after doing some research, i found that the part they put on the car is not the recommended part as stated in a letter from ford motor company in flint, michigan,dated december 2001. the part which ford states is the replacement part is f6az9424aa. the part listed on the repair invoice is f8az8424aaa. the part actually installed on the car has a part number of ae9424ca. i talked to the service manager, dennis eich, at friendly ford on 6-22-04, who stated that the part number doesn't matter, they don't need to install the part recommended by ford in the letter, and because the part is out of warranty now they won't fix it correctly. i unfortunately am not alone in this problem. my research, via the internet, shows numerous complaints of the same problem. this is a manufacturers defect which should be subject to a full blown recall and ford should be required to repair the vehicles with the recommended parts.*ak | |||
| 01/09/2004 | 145000 | 1 | 01/15/1996 |
| Cracked plastic intake manifold that caused a major coolant leak. *la | |||
| 09/01/2003 | 1 | 08/17/2003 | |
| My complaint is about the cracked intake manifold currently sitting in my 1996 thunderbird 4.6l although i can find only a little bit of information on this matter regarding recalls; class action suits; and free of charge replacements; i am very interested in finding out if there is actually anything like that happening and to file my complaint and/or join any other consumer who is having the same problem on any class action suit.*ak | |||
| 10/20/1998 | 46582 | 2 | 05/24/1998 |
| In october of 1998 vehicle was repaired under a recall for the intake manifold. currently, the vehicle overheated due to a crack in the intake manifold. *ak when the intake manifold is replaced, the old style is used which is why the consumer believes it fails again. consumer feels ford should reimburse him the cost of repairs. *ph | |||
| 10/08/2003 | 68423 | 1 | 02/18/1996 |
| Defective plastic intake manifold. never notified of any recall concerning defective intake manifold. ford says it's not covered. i paid to have it fixed and they replaced it with another plastic intake manifold -- the link below shows over 250 other consumers complaining about the same thing. http://www.public.fotki.com/trsi/ford_intake_recall/ *la | |||
| 05/23/2002 | 64018 | 1 | 06/03/2000 |
| Ford recall not honored - intake manifold http://www.bigclassaction.com/class_action/ford_manifold.html upon acceleration, smoke came out of under hood & i believe engine light came on. it all happened so quickly. made it to the nearest lot, where i could pull off the road. all coolant leaked out. had to call for tow. mechanic did coolant pressure test, and showed only leak was at back of engine. had to pull transmission to get to it. water pouting out back of engine but no freeze plug blown, traced backward to intake manifold crack that never showed up on intial pressure testing. i was charged over $750. for repairs. called dealer to check on warranty (expired 1200 miles earlier) and recalls. said there were none. just recently discovered the recall at an autozone website, and contacted dealer about it. he said to send in original receipt & ford would reimburse. they gave me the runaround, and finally said the claim was denied because i should've taken it to a ford dealer/service. since the warranty was expired, & i knew of no recall, i saw no reason to spend the extra money ford mechanics charge, so i went with the other private mechanic. ford's argument is that i should've gone to ford mechanic, and mine is that ford should have notified me of the recall, especially when i asked them. at least they should reimburse me for something they should have taken care of. i bought the car in 2000, recall was in 1999. dealer or someone should've notified me of the recall.*ak | |||
| 03/13/2001 | |||
| While driving consumer noticed smoke coming from under hood, took vehicle dealer who found manifold had cracked. *ak | |||
| 04/24/1999 | 1 | 02/01/1997 | |
| Leaked coolant due to crack in manifold,,did not signify overheating. *ak | |||