1999 Ford Escort

NOTICED THAT ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS COMING UP ON AND OFF, CHANGED SPARK PLUGS,WIRES, LIGHT WOULD GO OFF FOR A PERIOD AND THAN COME BACK ON. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY BETWEEN 65-70 MILES/HOUR WHEN I HURED A LOUD BANG , PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY, I HAD THE CAR TAKING TO A LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP, SERVICE WRITER TOLD ME THAT THE VALVE SEAT IN THE HEAD HAD SEPERATED AND FELL INTO THE MOTOR. HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT THE 1.9 MOTOR HAD A FLAW IN THE HEAD AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY NEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR MANY YEARS. THAN HE SHOWED ME ANOTHER ESCORT THAT6 HAD THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM AND THAT THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST CAR HE SEENED WITH THIS PROBLEM. SECOND PROBLEM: I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE 3 TRANSMITIONS WITH IN A YEAR, WHICH WAS COVERED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND POSSIBLY A 4TH. I DON'T KNOW BECAUSE THE MOTOR WENT. THIRD PROBLEM: WHILE AT A STOP SIGN A WAS REAR ENDED AN ABOUT 30-35 MILES/HOUR, MY SEAT BELLT DID NOT HOLD ME AND MY SEAT COLLEPSED ON TOP OF MY CHILD WHO WAS IN A CAR SEAT BEHIND ME. THE CAR WAS IN THE SHOPE ABOUT THE WEEK BEFORE THE MOTOR WENT AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE PROBLEM HAD TO DO WITH THE TRANSMITION BUT I BELIEVE THAT THE COMPUTER IN THE CAR NEW THAT THE VALVE WAS PREPERING TO FAIL. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAD REDESIGNED THE HEAD, SO THIS PROBLEM COULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.

TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE, AND TECHNICIAN FOUND THAT BOTH REAR SPRINGS WERE BROKEN. I WAS UNAWARE OF THIS DAMAGE, THOUGH I HAD NOTICED SOME SUSPENSION NOISE WHEN TURNING. ALSO, THE HANDLING OF THE VEHICLE WAS MUCH "LOOSER" IN THE REAR. TECHNICIAN INFORMED ME THAT THE SPRINGS COULD FURTHER DETERIOTE AND THE BODY OF THE VECHICLE COULD COLLAPSE ONTO THE CHASSIS. THE ESTIMATE FOR REPAIRS WAS $750.00, THOUGH NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE TO DATE.

ON 12-11-04 WHILE RETURNING HOME FROM WORK, I HEARD A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE AND THE CAR STALLED. AT FIRST I THOUGH IT WAS THE TIMING BELT. I TOOK THE CAR TO A LOCAL SHOP WHO SAID THAT THE TIMING BELT HAD BEEN STRETCHED AND HAD ACTUALLY SKIPPED GEARS. THEY REPLACED THE TIMING BELT AND UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, THEY HEARD A LOUD NOISE FROM THE ENGINE. THEY REMOVED THE SPARK PLUGS TO FIND THAT THE #4 PLUG HAD BEEN BROKEN DUE TO AN IMPACT FROM THE ENGINE. AFTER CONTACTING THE SPARK PLUG MANUFACTUER, THEY SAID THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH FORD 2.0 ENGINES MANUFACTURERED BETWEEN 1991 AND 2000. FORD USED A POWDERED METAL VALVE SEAL INSTEAD OF A STAINLESS STEEL ONE WHICH OVER TIME BREAKS APART AND FALLS INTO THE ENGINE DAMAGING THE ENGINE. AS A RESULT, THE ENGINE MUST BE REPLACED.*AK

IN 1999 WE PURCHASED A FORD ESCORT. WITHIN THE FIRST 6 MONTHS, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WE TOOK IT IN AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR, THAT SOMETIMES A NEW CAR WOULD DO THAT JUST BY GOING OVER A BUMP. WITHIN THE NEXT TWO YEARS THE CAR DEVELOPED SOME REALLY WEIRD PROBLEMS. DIAGNOSTICS WERE DONE, PARTS CHANGED AND MONEY PAID. NO CHANGE. THE CAR WILL STALL AFTER BEING DRIVEN FOR A WHILE, ESPECIALLY IN THE SUMMER. NOW IT STALLS CONSTANTLY. WE HAVE TAKEN IT TO FIVE DIFFERENT MECHANICS PLUS THE FORD DEALERSHIP AGAIN, AND NO ONE CAN TELL US WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. DIAGNOSTICS ARE CONSTANTLY BEING DONE. PARTS CHANGED "JUST TO SEE" AND MORE AND MORE MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED EXCEPT IT IS GETTING WORSE. MY DAUGHTER IS NOW EXPECTING HER FIRST CHILD AND THE CAR IS HERS. WE ARE AFRAID TO LET HER DRIVE IT ANYMORE BECAUSE OF ITS INSTABILITY. FORD KEEPS TELLING US TO BRING IT BACK TO THEM AND THEY'LL DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM...THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO YET AND NOW THEY WON'T EVEN RESPOND ANYMORE. SO FORD IS ULTIMATELY THE PROBLEM...ALONG WITH THEIR CAR. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO NOW. WE CAN'T SELL THE CAR THIS WAY. WE CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY ANOTHER ONE WITHOUT SELLING THIS ONE FIRST. DO WE HAVE ANY RECOURSE AT THIS POINT? *NM