1994 Lincoln Continental

AFTER A TUNE UP AND COMPLETE CHECK CONSUMER DROVE ABOUT 250 MILES AND ANTI-FREEZE STARTED BOILING IN THE OVERFLOW CONTAINER, AND A WARNING BELL STARTED TO RING. CONSUMER PULLED INTO A GAS STATION, AND ALL THE ANTI-FREEZE RAN OUT. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED. DEALER HAD TO REPLACE RADIATOR BECAUSE CONSUMER COULD NOT MAKE IT BACK WITH OUT IT. *AK

AT RANDOM TIMES DURING ANY TRIP IN THE VEHICLE, THE OIL LEVEL GAUGE WILL DROP AND WARNING BELLS WILL TOLL. UPON REPEATED TRIPS TO THE DEALER, THE PROBLEM PERSISTS YET THE ACTUAL OIL LEVEL ALWAYS REMAINS NORMAL. UPON COMPLETE CHANCE, IT WAS FOUND THAT A FIRM TAP ON THE DASHBOARD DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE RIGHTMOST EDGE OF THE STEERING WHEEL WILL CAUSE THE GAUGE TO READ CORRECTLY AGAIN. THE PROBLEM OCCURS WITH UTTER RANDOMNESS BUT WITH FAR TOO MUCH PERSISTANCE FOR THE DEALER NOT TO BE ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM.

WITHOUT PREVIOUS SYMPTOMS OR WARNING SIGNS, ON A FULLY MAINTAINED VEHICHLE, THE FACTORY TRANSMISSION REQUIRES A COMPLETE REBUILD. I DISCOVERED THAT OF THE 152 TSB'S ISSUED FOR THIS VEHICLE MODEL/YEAR, 51 ARE REGARDING PROBLEMS WITH THIS TRANSMISSION. THE FOLLOWING ITEMS MUST BE REPLACED: TORQUE CONVERTER, PLANTETARY GEAR SYSTEM, LUBRICATING PUMP, 4 SOLENOID VALVES, FORWARD CLUTCH PISTON, BANDS, SEALS, EXTERNAL SPEED SENSOR, GASKETS, MISC. PARTS AS REQUIRED. ONLY THE TRANSIMISSION HOUSING IS SALVAGABLE. THE MECHANIC INFORMED US THAT IT "LOOKS LIKE A BOMB WENT OFF" INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION. THERE ARE OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAWS IN THIS PRODUCT. 1993 WAS APPARANTLY THE FIRST YEAR THIS RELEASE OF THIS TRANSMISSION WAS USED AND SUBSEQUENT YEARS WERE SUPPOSED THE HAVE REPAIRED THE DESIGN ERRORS INHERENT IN THE SYSTEM. MY CAR WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A STEEL FORWARD CLUTCH PISTON TO CORRECT A PREVIOUS MODELS PROBLEMS, BUT IT HAS, IN FACT, AN ALUMINUM PISTON. MY RESEARCH HAS FOUND A TREND OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THIS TRANSMISSION IN LINCOLNS AS WELL AS OTHER FORD PRODUCTS THAT THIS UNIT IS PLACED IN. SPECIFICALLY, THIS IS THE AXOD-E TRANSMISSION. MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE, IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, AND ONLY THE GRACE OF GOD ALLOWED HIM TO CROSS SEVERAL LANES OF TRAFFIC, AND GET TO THE EMERGENCY SHOULDER WHEN HE LOST ALL USE OF THE TRANSMISSION, WITHOUT PREVIOUS WARNING OR SYMPTOMS OF PROBLEMS. AS THERE HAVE BEEN 4 SAFETY RECALLS AND 3 GENERAL RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE YEAR/MAKE/MODEL, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THERE ARE BASIS DESIGN FLAWS IN THE VEHICLE. *AK

IN APRIL 2000 AT POULSON, NJ ENGINE DEVELOPED A NOISE LIKE TAPPETS OR LIFTER CLANING. WE HAD THE CAR DROVE TO PAGE, AZ (100 MILES) TO THE FORD LINCOLN DEALERSHIP, THEIR INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE CONFIRMED THE ROD WAS LOOSE. THE ENGINE WAS RUNINED, NO ENGINE WERE AVAILABLE TO REPLACE OUR ENGINE. THE REASON GIVE WAS BECAUSE OF THE "HEAD GASKET FAILURES".

CONTACTED FORD MOTOR CO 6 10 2000 ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, THEY SAID THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT EVEN THOUGH THEY SAY THAT A RECALL WAS NOT SENT OUT TO ALL OWNERS OF THIS CAR. I AM THE SECOND OWNER AND HE WAS NOT CONTACTED EITHER. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE SAME RECOURSE THAT ALL OTHER OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE HAD! NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED IN RECAL.