2000 Ford Ford Truck

WHILE DRIVING THE EXCURSION AT A SPEED AROUND 35 MPH, HEARD A VERY LOAD POP NOISE FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND LOST POWER FROM THE ENGINE AND THE VEHICLE ROLLED TO A STOP. HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP FOR TROUBLE SHOOTING PURPOSE. THEY TOLD ME THE NUMBER 7 SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT FROM THE HEAD. THE FIX WAS EITHER A HELI-COIL OR A NEW HEAD. THE HELICOIL COST WAS 900 DOLLARS AND THE HEAD WAS 4500 DOLLARS. READING THIS SITE AND MANY MORE THERE IS A SERIOUS ISSUE WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF SIZES FROM FORD MOTORS WITH THE SPARK PLUG BLOWING OUT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WILL TAKE FOR A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. I GUESSNOTHING GETS DONE UNTIL SOMEBODY IS KILLED. *TR

2000 FORD WINDSTAR SEL -THE ACTIVE CONTROL LIGHT GOES ON SLIGHT BUMPS OR ROUGH ON HIGHWAYS-GOES OFF, BUT RECENTLY AFTER THE REAR AXLE RECALL AND CHECK OF BY DEALERSHIP ON OCT 4, 2010, OUR CAR HAS ON MORE THAN THREE OR FOUR TIMES WENT INTO THE ACTION CONTROL MODE WHEN THE LIGHT ON DASH WENT ON --AND THIS AT HIGH INTERSTATE OR PARKWAY SPEEDS OF 65 MPH, AND ON DRY SURFACES---IT HAS , I GUESS, BECAUSE OF DRY-NON SLIP CONDITIONS CAUSED DIFFICULTY IN MAINTAINING CONTROL OF VEHICLE. ON SECONDARY SLOWER SPEED HIGHWAYS ONLY THE LIGHT HAS GONE ON --NO REAL NOTICE OF ENGAGING OF ACTIVE CONTROL ACTION, SO TO SPEAK. WE HAVE REPORTED ALL THIS TO OUR DEALERSHIP AND FORD CUSTOMER RELATIONS. ALSO TAKE NOTE THAT AT AROUND 10-19-09 WHEN CAR AT 112,468 MILES OUR DEALERSHIP REPLACED A REAR RIGHT SPEED SENSOR AT PRICE OF $149.19 --ON THAT OCCASION FOR THE REPORT BY US OF ACTIVE CONTROL LIGHT GOING ON AND STAYING ON. THAT WAS NOT AS NOW -AS THE VEHICLE NEVER WENT INTO THE ACTIVE CONTROL ACTION THAT DOING NOW AT AROUND THE MILES OF 114,980. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN GARAGE KEPT AND ALL SERVICE RECORDS KEPT-FIRST BY THE OWNER I PURCHASED FROM AND NOW BY US ON OUR HOME PAGE FORD SERVICE RECORDS ACCOUNT. *TR

OUR RV SEEMED SLUGGISH ON GOING UP ON HILLS, THEN SUDDEN ENGINE FAILURE WHILE GOING UPHILL ON HWY 77 IN WV. TOWED TO A LARGE AAA REPAIR CENTRE, WHERE THEY LOOKED INTO SOME SPARK PLUGS AND PULLED 5 OUT, ONE OF WHICH WAS SO BADLY DAMAGED, FLATTENED WITH TWISTED THREADS, THEY DETERMINED IT NEEDS A NEW ENGINE. HAD IT TOWED AGAIN DEC. 26 TO AN AUTHORIZED FORD DEALER. THEY INSPECTED THE ENGINE AND FOUND A HOLE IN ONE OF THE PISTONS. REPAIR WOULD BE NEW ENGINE ASSEBLY. NOT ONE THAT HAS SEEN THE SPARK PLUG AND KNOW THE MILES (29,500) ON THIS RV BELIEVE THAT THIS COULD OR SHOULD HAPPEN. IT NEEDS TO BE TOWED AGAIN TO A CAPABLE REPAIR SHOP, WHICH SEEMS TO BE EXTREMELY HARD TO FIND. FORDS MOTOR COMPANY ANSWER IS THAT WARRANTY TIME IS OVER, FIX IT AND PAY FOR IT. APPRX. ESTIMATES ARE $6000.00 - 7000.00. THIS JUST HAPPENING BEFORE CHRISTMAS INVOLVES SO MANY PERSONAL HARDSHIPS, INCLUDING 19 HOUR BUS TRIP GOING NORTH, CANCELLATIONS OF SO MANY RESERVATIONS, INCLUDING AIRLINE TICKETS. THIS IS FAR FROM BEING OVER, AND THE REPAIR COSTS ARE UNBELIEVABLE AND WE ARE NOT READY FOR AND WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE IT IS GOING TO BE REPAIRED. EVERYONE SEEMS TO THINK THAT IT MUST BE AN ORIGINAL MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT THERE IS NO OTHER ANSWER TO HAVE A HOLE IN AT LEAST ONE PISTON AND HAVE THAT LOSE METAL PIECE SOMEWHERE IN THE ENGINE MAYBE CAUSING MORE DAMAGE IF THE WHOLE ENGINE IS NOT CHANGED. WE ARE HELPLESS AND FAR AWAY FROM OUR RV. *TR

WE RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2000 FORD EXC. LTD. AND NOW THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR LOCK WILL NOT LOCK OR UNLOCK HALF THE TIME WHEN WE USE THE REMOTE, EVEN WHEN IN THE VEHICLE WE PUSH THE LOCK BUTTON AND WE STILL HAVE TO MANUALLY PUSH THE ACTUAL LOCK DOWN. WE HAVE FRIENDS THAT PURCH. THE SAME TYPE OF VEHICLE AND YEAR, THEY ALSO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM.ALSO WE HAVE A COMB. LOCK ON THE OUTSIDE AND WE HAVE NO WAY OF BEING ABLE TO GET THE MANUF. CODE SO WE CAN ACCESS THAT IN CASE OUR KEYS GET LOCKED IN THE VEHICLE, THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT HAVE UT AND WE CANNOT FIND IT ANYWHERE.*AK

PURCHASED A 2000 FORD WINDSTAR LAST WEEK OF JANUARY 2004 FOR THE PRICE OF 13900.00. THE VAN WAS STORED OUT BACK FOR A WHILE, AND WAS UNDER 30,000 MILES WHEN I BOUGHT IT. THE DEALER NEVER GOT IT INSPECTED UNTIL TWO WEEKS AFTER I PURCHASED AND PICKED UP THE VEHICLE. BY JULY 2004, OUR VAN WAS IN THE SHOP REGARDING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. THEY HAD IT FOR TWO WEEKS. UPON PICKING IT UP, THEY LEFT ME NO WORK ORDER THAT WAS DONE AND CLAIMED THEY PUT IN 4,000 DOLLARS WORTH OF WORK (VERBALLY). I THEREFORE CONTACTED A LAWYER. BY DECEMBER 2004, CHRISTMAS EVE DAY, MY TRANNY BLEW. IT WOULDN'T GO FORWARD AND YET THE MOTOR WAS RUNNING FINE. IT WOULD ONLY REVERSE. TWO AUTO TECH'S CAME TO MY RESCUE AND SAID IT NEEDS TO BE FULLY REPLACED. I HAD THE VAN TOWED AFTER THE HOLIDAYS (EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED FOR THE FOUR DAY WEEKEND). SO ON MONDAY UPON MY ARRIVAL, THE COMPANY DIDN'T WANT TO PUT IN FOR THE REPAIRS WITHOUT MY PAYING. I TOLD THEM IN SIX SHORT MONTHS SINCE JULY THE TRANNY IS GONE? FIRST REPAIR WAS AT 45 THOUSAND MILES AND THE NEXT WAS AT 60 THOUSAND MILES. I AM NOW HAVING MORE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. THEY ONLY REPAIRED IT, NEVER REPLACED IT. FOR THE PRICE I PAY FOR MY MONTHLY PAYMENTS AND THE INSURANCE AND ALL, I DON'T THINK FORD IS BEING HONEST ABOUT THEIR CARS AND FORD DEALERS ARE LOUSY TOWARDS THEIR CUSTOMERS. I FEEL VERY RIPPED OFF. ALL I WANT IS MY MONEY REFUNDED (ALL THAT I PAID IN PAYMENTS INCLUDING INSURANCE AND REPAIRS IF ANY) SO I CAN GO AND FIND MYSELF A "SAFE" RELIABLE CAR. *JB

I OWN A '00 FORD LIGHTNING AND IT RECENTLY LAUNCHED A PLUG OUT OF THE HEAD. I AM OUTSIDE OF THE FACTORY WARRANTY, SO I AM FORCED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR OUT OF POCKET. THIS FAILURE IS DUE TO A FAULTY MECHANICAL DESIGN OF THE 5.4L ALUMINUM HEADS THAT FORD PUTS ON IT'S 5.4L V8 TRUCKS. THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM ONLY ON LIGHTNINGS, IT IS INHERRENT TO ALL OF THE 5.4L HEADS. I AM A MEMBER OF SEVERAL MESSAGE BOARDS AND HAVE INCREASINGLY HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM WITH LIGHTNINGS AS WELL AS REGULAR F150'S. THE DESIGN OF THE HEAD IS FATALLY FLAWED. IT IS AN ALUMINUM HEAD, SO IT EXPANDS/CONTRACTS WITH HEAT, NOT TO MENTION THE SPARK PLUGS ARE STEEL THAT SCREW INTO THESE HEADS. THE BIGGEST FLAW ABOUT THEM IS THAT THEY ONLY HAVE3-4 THREADS TO HOLD IN THE SPARK PLUG(WHICH HAS 8-9 THREADS). THE SPARK PLUGS BASICALLY WORK THEIR WAY LOOSE AND EJECT FROM THE HOLE, RIPPING OUT THE REMAINING 2-3 THREADS, THUS CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BE INOPERABLE AND RENDERING THE HEAD USELESS AND IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT. TO THIS DAY FORD REFUSES TO OFFICIALLY ADMIT THAT THIS PROBLEM EXISTS, EVEN THOUGH I COULD GO ONLINE AND FIND 50 INSTANCES OF THIS ISSUE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. I PERSONALLY KNOW OF 4 OTHERS WITHIN 30 MILES OF ME THAT HAVE SUFFERED THIS SAME ISSUE. FORD DOES KNOW THE ISSUE EXISTS, BUT REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THEY HAVE COME OUT WITH A REVISED HEAD THAT HAS THE MORE APPROPRIATE 8-9 THREADS. THEY CAME OUT WITH THIS IN LATE NOV '02. IT'S NICE THAT THE FUTURE 5.4L ENGINES WONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS ISSUE, HOWEVER THIS DOES LITTLE FOR THOSE OF US WHO HAVE ALREADY SHOT OUT A SPARK PLUG OR WILL IN THE NEAR FUTURE BECAUSE OF THIS FAULTY DESIGN. WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE THIS VERY WELL KNOWN ISSUE (AT LEAST INSIDE THE COMMUNITY) ABOUT THESE HEADS, BETTER KNOWN TO SOMEONE WHO COULD POSSIBLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. WE WOULD LIKE FORD TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND REPLACE THE FAULTY HEADS THAT HAVE SHOT OUT A PLUG AT THEIR EXPENSE UNDER WARRANTY.