1994 Ford Aerostar

RECALL REQUIRED THAT THE TRANSFER CASE BE REPAIRED, IT WAS REPLACED WITH A DEFECTIVE ONE. THE ELECTRONIC CLUTCH IN THE NEW TRANSFER CASE STARTED MAKING POPPING SOUNDS AT APPROX. 8057 MILES. PROBLEM REPORTED WHILE UNDER RECALL PART WARRANTEE BUT I WAS TOLD THE TRANSFER CASE WOULD NOT MAKE THAT SOUND. IT DID AND LATER FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY. IT WAS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE VEHICLE UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES, FORD SHOULD REPLACE DEFECTIVE UNIT WITH A GOOD ONE BUT REFUSE TO DO SO. *AK

TRANSFER CASE PROBLEMS BEGAN WHEN FLUID WAS LEAKING. TOOK TO MECHANIC, WHO REPLACED THE GASKETS. ABOUT A MONTH LATER THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT, AND WAS REBUILT BY DIFFERENT MECHANIC. FLUID CONTINUED TO LEAK, GASKETS WERE REPLACED A SECOND TIME. FLUID SPEWED DURING DRIVING, WHICH MECHANIC SAID WAS DUE TO CATALYTIC CONVERTER BLOWING HOT AIR ON TRANSMISSION FLUID, CAUSING ITS RELEASE. REPLACED CATALYTIC CONVERTER. FLUID STILL CONTINUED TO SPEW, ALL OVER THE UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. IT WAS DRIVEN 120 MILES, A QT. OF TRANSMISSION FLUID ADDED, AND BACK 120 MILES, WITH ANOTHER QT. ADDED. MECHANIC TAKES TRANSFER CASE APART, FINDING THE BEARINGS WORN TO A NON-ROUND SHAPE, AND THE SHAFT END WORN DOWN. CHECKED FOR RECALL, AND THERE IS ONE, 99V094000 BUT FORD SAYS OUR VAN DOESN'T FALL INTO THIS RECALL AND REFUSES TO HELP.

THIS AEROSTAR VAN HAS BEEN AN EXTREMELY GOOD VEHICLE UNTIL WE RECENTLY STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE FRONT TRANSFER CASE. WE RECEIVED A RECALL IN 1998 FOR THE TRANSFER CASE, ALTHOUGH ALL THAT WAS REPLACED WAS THE REAR CASE. ABOUT 1 YEAR LATER WE STARTED HAVING LEAKAGE FROM THE FRONT TRANSFER CASE. WE RETURNED THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL, BUT WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE THIS CRACK REPAIRED. WE WENT TO SEVERAL TRANSMISSION REPAIR FACILITIES AND THEY INDICATED THAT THEY SEE THIS CRACK IN THE FRONT CASE FREQUENTLY IN THE AEROSTAR VAN. WE HAVE HAD IT WELDED, BUT WILL NOT TAKE THE VAN OUT ON THE HIGHWAY. WE WANT IT REPLACED AND IF IT IS HAPPENING AS FREQUENTLY AS THEY SAY, IT IS CERTAINLY A SAFETY ISSUE. *AK

THIS VAN RELEASES AUTOMATIC TRANS. FLUID FROM THE SEAL BETWEEN THE TORQUE CONVERTER AND THE TRANSMISSION BODY. IT DOES THIS WHEN HOT (BUT NOT OVERHEATING), IN THE SUMMER, WHILE TOWING A LIGHT WEIGHT CAMPING TRAILER (LOAD WITHIN FORD TOWING LIMITS). THIS OCCURS TYPICALLY WHILE CLIMBING, BUT ALSO ON A FLAT GRADE AT HIGH SPEEDS (65-70 MPH) IN HOT TEMPERATURES (85F +). THE FLUID SQUIRTS ONTO THE EXHAUST PIPE, RELEASING LARGE AMOUNTS OF SMOKE. THERE WAS A PREVIOUS RECALL ON THIS VAN FOR A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH RELEASING TRANS. FLUID ONTO THE EXHAUST PIPE, AND I HAD THE RECALL WORK DONE, BUT IT INVOLVED THE TRANSFER CASE AND DRIVESHAFT, NOT THE TORQUE CONVERTER TO TRANSMISSION SEAL. I HAVE HAD A LARGE AFTERMARKET TRANS. COOLER INSTALLED AS WELL AS A TRANS. FLUID TEMP. GUAGE. THE ENGINE COOLANT AND TRANS. FLUID ARE WITHIN NORMAL TEMP. LIMITS WHEN THESE INCIDENTS OCCUR. THE DEALER SERVICE DEPT. HAS TOLD ME THAT THIS PROBLEM WOULD NOT BE FIXED BY REPLACING THE SEAL; THAT IT WOULD CONTINUE BECAUSE OF COMPONENT LIMITATIONS. ALTHOUGH THE DRIVETRAIN COMPONENTS HAVE NOT BEEN DETECTABLY MECHANICALLY DAMAGED BY THESE INCIDENTS, THE INCIDENTS ARE A CLEAR SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE OF THE FIRE HAZARD AS WELL AS THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF CONTROL IF THE DRIVTRAIN COMPONENTS WERE TO FAIL PRECIPITOUSLY. WHEN THESE INCIDENTS OCCUR, I HAVE TO PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND LET THE TRANS. COOL FOR A TIME, AND THIS IS ANOTHER SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THERE IS NOT ALWAYS A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER. I BELIEVE THAT THE PREVIOUS RECALL FOR THIS (OR A SIMILAR) PROBLEM DID NOT RESULT IN AN ADEQUATE FIX AND THAT THE ISSUE SHOULD BE RE-EXAMINED. THE DATE OF THE INCIDENT NOTED ON THIS REPORT WAS THE FIRST OCCURRENCE.

IN MARCH OF 1995 I TOOK CUSTODY OF MY THREE NIECES, DUE TO THEIR MOTHER'S ADDICTION TO METH. AT THAT POINT WE OWNED A FORD EXCORT, WHICH WE TRADED IN ON THE FORD AEROSTAR IN MAY OF THAT YEAR, WITH APPROXIMATELY 18,000 MILES. WHEN THE VAN REACHED APPROX. 55,000 MILES MY WIFE WAS DRIVING IN PHOENIX AND THE TRANSFER CASE WENT OUT, WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING AROUND 35 MPH. SINCE THE COMPONENT WAS UNDER WARRANTY PIONEER FORD REPLACED THE COMPONENT, AND THIS ONLY TOOK THEM 5 TO 6 WEEKS. IN AUGUST OF 1998 THE TRANSFER CASE WENT OUT AGAIN, WITH APPROX. 108,000 MILES, AND THIS TIME THE FORD DEALER IN BLYTHE REPLACED THE COMPONENT AND DRIVE SHAFT UNDER A RECALL NOTICE. LESS THAN 12 MONTHS LATER, ON AUGUST 13, 1999, THE TRANSFER CASE WENT OUT AGAIN. WE TOOK IT TO FIRESTONE AND THEY THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS A CV JOINT, WHICH THEY REPLACED. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED AND THEY SENT US TO BOB TURNER'S FORD IN ALBUQUERQUE, NM. EVEN THOUGH FIRESTONE HAD INFORMED THEM OF THE PROBLEM, THEY PROCEEDED TO SAY IT WAS BAD CV JOINTS (INCLUDING THE NEW ONE) AND REPLACED THESE AND OTHER MISC. AT A COST OF $900.00 AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST. THEY NOW INFORM ME THAT IT IS THE TRANSFER CASE AND IT WILL COST $2500.00 TO FIX. I CONTACTED FORD ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND THE FACT THAT 3 TRANSFER CASES IN 3 YEARS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE, BUT THEY REFUSE TO HELP IN THIS MATTER. WHEN I TALKED TO A PERSON AT CUSTOMER SERVICE, HE SAID FORD WOULD REPLACE THE PART IF DEFECTIVE, I THEN ASKED PAUL AT BOB TURNER'S FORD IF THE PART WAS DEFECTIVE, AND HE SAID "YES" BUT FORD NOW SAYS THAT SINCE IT HAS OVER 12,000 MILES THEY WILL DO NOTHING. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT A VEHICLE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN IN 4-WHEEL DRIVE SHOULD HAVE GONE THROUGH 3 TRANSFER CASES IN 3 YEARS, THIS IS A DEFECT TO ME AND THE MANY MECHANICS THAT I HAVE TALKED TO. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER AND LET ME KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE, FOR I CAN NOT BE THE ONLY PERSON IN THIS SITUATION.