1995 Ford Mustang

THIS REPORTS A FAILURE WHICH OCCURRED VERY EARLY IN THE CAR OWNERSHIP, BUT WHICH ONLY RECENTLY CAME TO LIGHT. IT IS A REPORT OF A DEFECTIVE SWAY BAR WHICH APPARENTLY FRACTURED DURING THE FIRST MONTH OF OWNERSHIP CAUSING IMPROPER HANDLING AND CONTROL, ALONG WITH EXCESSIVE VIBRATION OF THE VEHICLE DURING THE ENSUING YEARS OF OWNERSHIP. THE OWNER DID NOT REALIZE THE SOURCE OF THIS IMPROPER PERFORMANCE UNTIL SOME TIME LATER WHEN THE FRACTURED SWAY BAR BROKE OFF ON ONE SIDE CAUSING A NOW NOTICEABLE RATTLING NOISE. HOWEVER, THIS NOISE ONLY OCCURRED AT SPEEDS OVER 30 MPH AND BUMPY ROAD SURFACE CONDITIONS. IT WAS ONLY AFTER THE SERVICE MANAGER HAD VISUALLY INSPECTED THE BREAK UPON REPLACEMENT OF THE SWAY BAR THAT A FRACTURE-BRAKING SEQUENCE OVER TIME WAS EVIDENT DUE TO RUST IN ONLY A PORTION OF THE BREAK. THE MOST STARTLING DISCOVERY WAS THE EVIDENCE OF METAL CRYSTALIZATION IN AND AROUND THE SITE OF THE BREAK. THUS, IT WAS APPARENT THAT THIS WAS A MOLDED HOLE RATHER THAN A MACHINED OR DRILLED HOLE. IN ASSESSING THIS INCIDENT THE MANAGER VERBALLY CONFIRMED THAT THIS WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE IMPROPER VEHICLE HANDLING AND POOR PERFORMANCE, ALONG WITH THE EXCESSIVE VIBRATION EXPERIENCED BY THE OWNER SOON AFTER PURCHASE. THE MANAGER ALSO AGREED THAT AT HIGH SPEEDS THIS LOSS OF THE SWAY BAR STRENGTHENING OF THE VEHICLE FRAME MIGHT RESULT IN COMPLETE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. HE URGED ME TO REPORT IT TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. HE PROVIDED ME WITH THE APPROPRIATE PHONE NUMBER. I DID VERBALLY REPORT THIS INCIDENT AND ASKED THAT THE INFORMATION BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF OTHER SIMILARLY-EQUIPPED FORD CONVERTIBLES OWNERS FOR A SAFETY INSPECTION OF THE SWAY BAR INSTALLATION IN THEIR OWN VEHICLE. ALSO, I ASKED THAT THE SYMPTOMS OF EXCESSIVE VIBRATION AND POOR HANDLING (UNSTABLE SWAYING) BE BROUGHT TO THEIR ATTENTION AS A CLUE TO POSSIBLE FRACTURE OF THE SWAY BAR SINCE BOTH OF THESE SYMPTOMS HAD COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED AFTER BAR REPLACEMENT.

FIRST TIME FALIURE WAS NOTICED ...WAS GOING 65 DOWN THE INTERSTATE WE PROCDED TO PULL OVER CAUSE THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A NORMAL EVERYDAY OVERHEAT,SO WE PULLED OFF TO A REST AREA TO LET IT COOL DOWN SO WE COULD THEN ADD SOME WATER IN HOPES THE PROBLEM WOULD GO AWAY ..WE THEN STARTED TO DRIVE AT A SLOWER SPEED CAUSE WHEN WE GOT BACK IN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON .WE THEN GOT HOME AND WHEN WE GOT THERE WHICH IS A APROXIMATE MILES WOULD BE LESS THEN 30 MILES FROM WHERE FIRST CAME IN TO THE PROBLEM ..I THEN ADDED MORE WATER AND SOME ANTIFREZZE IN HOPES THAT WOULD HELP ..THEN I LET THE CAR SET FOR THE REST OF THE DAY AND THROUGH THE NIGHT ..WHEN I WOKE UP TO GO TO WORK I GOT BACK IN THE CAR AND SENN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS STILL ON I ALSO NOTICED THE TEMP WENT BACK DOWN BUT OF COURSE TIME WOULD SHOW IT WOULD HEAT BACK UP TO A BUBBLING IN LESS THEN 15 MINS TIME FROM WHEN THE CAR WAS STARTED ..I THEN TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL GARAGE AND THEY INFORMED ME THE LEFT HEAD GASKET HAD TO BE REPLACED ..AND SINCE THEN IT HAS RAN LIKE A CHARM..THANK YOU SALLY

NO ACCIDENT OR INJURY; NO LAWSUIT - WE ARE REPORTING THIS SOLELY FOR YOUR INFO, IN CASE IT'S IN ANY WAY RELEVANT TO YOUR FIRESTONE INVESTIGATION. / AT THE TIME, WE HAD TWO AFFINITY TIRES ON THE REAR, AND TWO OTHER FIRESTONE TIRES ON THE FRONT. THE AFFINITIES WERE NEARING THE END OF THEIR USEFUL LIFE; OUR MECHANIC (A LOCAL FORD DEALER) HAD JUST TOLD US WE SHOULD REPLACE THEM ON OUR NEXT VISIT, BUT DIDN'T NEED TO DO SO AT THIS TIME. THE REASON I BOTHER TO REPORT IS BECAUSE AT THE END OF A 200-MILE DRIVE TO LA, MY WIFE AND I EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT ON THE FREEWAY. NOTHING UNUSUAL THERE - BUT WHEN I MANAGED TO GET TO A GAS STATION AND WE INSPECTED THE DAMAGE, WE FOUND ONE OF THE AFFINITIES (THE ONE THAT BLEW OUT) SEEMED TO HAVE "EXPLODED": THERE WERE GIANT HOLES IN THE SIDE OF THE TIRE, AND WE COULD SEE THINGS THAT LOOKED LIKE STRINGS ON THE INSIDE WHICH I ASSUME WERE PART OF THE INTERIOR TIRE ASSEMBLY. (I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT TIRE MANUFACTURE, SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY REALLY WERE, BUT THEY LOOKED LIKE BIG PIECES OF STRING.) THE HOLES IN THE SIDE WERE EXTREMELY BIG - THE SIDE OF THE TIRE LOOKED SOMETHING LIKE A TIRE-SIZED BLACK PIECE OF SWISS CHEESE. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PIECES OF TIRE THAT USED TO BE WHERE THE BIG HOLES IN THE SIDE ENDED UP. I HAVE EXPERIENCED BLOWOUTS BEFORE, BUT HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS; SO IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT FIRESTONE ISSUES, THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW. THE TIRES WERE PURCHASED LOCALLY TO US, PROBABLY IN ABOUT 1997 OR SO - IF IT WERE IMPORTANT ENOUGH, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DIG OUT THAT INFO WHEN MY WIFE RETURNS IN A FEW DAYS. ANYWAY, WE AREN'T SUING, NO ONE WAS HURT, AND IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE ANYTHING OTHER THAN A BLOWOUT EXCEPT FOR WHAT WE SAW VISUALLY - I'M JUST REPORTING BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW.--MICHAEL( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P225/60R16 )

ENGINE LIGHT STAY ON, RETURN CAR FOR REPAIR, NEXT DAY ENGINE OVERHEATED; MADE A WHINING NOISE AND SMOKE CAME OUT FROM ENGINE. RETURN CAR FOR REPAIR, ADVISED NEEDS NEW THERMOSTAT. NEXT DAY THE CAR WOULD NOT START, BATTERY WAS DEAD. TOWED CAR TO FORD DEALERSHIP, ADVISED BY SERVICE, MAY HAVE A HEAD GASKET DEFECT. SERVICE CHECKS AND CONFIRMED HEAD GASKET BLOWN.