1998 Ford Escort

I HAVE A 1998 FORD ESCORT I ONLY HAVE 19.099 MILES. I PURCHASE THIS CARD ON NOVEMBER OF1998, THEREFORE THE DRIVING TIME WILL BE 4 YEARS ON THIS NOVEMBER. MY ENGINE WENT DEAD. THE DEALER IS TELLING ME THAT MY CAR NO LONGER HAS ANY WARRANTY.*AK I HAVE EXPLAINED THAT I HAVE EXPENDED $14.000 FOR THE USE OF THIS NEW CAR FOR 4 YEARS. AN AS FAR I COLD SEE. THE ENGINE WAS ALREADY DEFECTIVE FROM THE MANUFACTURER. BECAUSE IF I HAVE DRIVEN THIS CAR 20.000 MILES ON THE FIRST TWO YEARS THE DEFECTIVE ENGINE WOULD HAD GONE LONG BEFORE THAT. AND YOU WOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT THIS ENGINES A LEMON AND I WOULD HAVE A REPLACEMENT THEN. I HAVE THIS CAR SERVICE BY THEM. THEY HAVE ALL SERVICE RECORDS OF MY VEHICLE ENGINE CHECKS. SO MY QUESTION IS WHAT WENT WRONG WHEN THERE WERE SERVICING MY CAR ALL THIS TIME? I DO NOT HAVE A CAR NOW WHEN I MOST NEED IT.YOU SEE THE REASON I BOUGHT A NEW CAR WAS BECAUSE MY WIFE BECAME DISABLE AND I NEED IT A DEPENDABLE CAR. MY WIFE HAS MS.

THERE HAVE BEEN MANY PROBLEMS WITH MY 1998 FORD ESCORT SINCE I PURCHASED IT NEW IN AUGUST, 1998. THE MOST SEVERE AND RECENT PROBLEM WAS REPAIRED IN DECEMBER, 2002. THE HEAD GASKET BLEW, CAUSING MAJOR OVERHEATING PROBLEMS IN MY VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD LESS THAN 40,000 MILES. I AM NOT CERTAIN IF THE HEAD GASKET BECAME FAULTY WHILE VEHICLE WAS BEING BUILT, OR IF FULLERTON FORD DAMAGED THE GASKET WHILE DOING WORK ON MY VEHICLE, AND THEN ATTEMPTED TO SODDER THE PART TOGETHER. ACCORDING TO CORBO'S AUTO SERVICE IN SOMERVILLE, THE GASKET HAD A "SODDERED" HOLE IN IT WHICH CAUSED THE GASKET TO BLOW. FULLERTON FORM WAS THE ONLY REPAIR FACILITY I HAD TAKEN MY VEHICLE TO BE REPAIRED BEFORE IT WAS TAKEN TO CORBO'S. I HAVE CALLED FORD ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SERVICE WORK AT FULLERTON. I HAVE EXPRESSED TO THEM THAT I BELIEVE FULLERTON FORD WAS HURTING MY VEHICLE MORE THAN IT WAS HELPING IT. THE FORD COMPANY HAS NOT BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE IN MY EFFORTS TO INVESTIGATE FULLERTON FORDS SERVICE PRACTICES.

HARMONIC BALANCER FOR THE KING PIN BROKE.*AK CONSUMER STATES WHILE EXITING PARKWAY, THERE WAS A LOUD VIBRATION COMING FROM THE FRONT END, THE HARMONIC BALANCER WAS HITTING INTO THE WALL OF THE VEHICLE, CONSUMERS HUSBAND CHECKED UNDER THE VEHICLE TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS, HIS HAND SLIPPED AND GOT CAUGHT BETWEEN THE BELT AND THE BALANCER, RESULTING IN HIS FINGER HAVING TO BE AMPUTATED. *SLC

WHEN YOU TRY TO USE THE WASHER FLUID IT LEAKS ON THE HOOD OF THE CAR CAUSING THE HOOD TO BECOME DISCOLORED FROM THE WINDSHEILD WASHER FLUID. ALSO WHENEVER YOU ARE AT A STOP THE CAR STARTS TO SHAKE, THEY FORD SAY THAT IT IS FROM THE ENGINE MOUNTS AND THAT IT IS NOT HAZARDOUS SO THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT. LAST THEIR IS PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISION, WHENEVER YOU ARE MOVING SLOW OR IN A STOP POSITION AND START TO MOVE THE CAR JERKS REALLY BAD. IT MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE SOMEONE RAN INTO YOU OR THAT YOU RAN SOMETHING OVER. I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO THE COMPANY, BUT THEY CAN'T DO NOTHING ABOUT. I HAVE HEARD OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE ECAXT SAME CAR HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS

DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE VEHICLE PROBLEM OF HIGH PITCH WHINING SOUND THAT DEVELOPED AFTER THE ENGINE WARMED UP TO NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURE. IN MY OBSERVATIONS I NOTED THAT THE ENGINE WAS NOT CIRCULATING THE ENGINE OIL PROPERLY. WHEN PULLING OUT THE OIL DIPSTICK IT WAS APPARENT THAT A VACUUM PROBLEM EXISTED IN THE ENGINE. ALSO WHEN TAKING OFF THE OIL FILLER CAP A VACUUM SOUND WAS DETECTED. FINALLY I REMOVED THE PART AT THE TOP REAR OF THE ENGINE WHICH IS CONNECTED WITH HOSES TO THE AIR FILTER HOUSING. I IMMEDIATELY NOTED THAT THE ENGINE STARTED TO RUN SMOOTHER AND AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR 2 HRS NO NOISE WAS DETECTED FROM THE ENGINE. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE VACUUM CAUSED BY THE DEFECTIVE FILTER DID NOT ALLOW THE ENGINE TO BE PROPERLY CIRCULATED IN THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE RAN HOT AND THE COOLANT HAD TO BE TOPPED OFF. I FEEL THE DEFECTIVE FILTER HAS CAUSED ENGINE DAMAGE. I TOOK THE PART #F8CZ-6A768-AB TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP PARTS DEPT AND HAVE ORDERED A REPLACEMENT. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT FORD AND THEIR DEALERSHIPS COULD NOT DIAGNOSE A PROBLEM THAT COULD LEAD TO COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO OVERHEATING.*AK