1996 Mercury Mystique

I AM WRITING IN REGARDS TO MY 1996 MERCURY MYSTIQUE IN WHICH JUST HAD A FIRE. ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 10TH, 2001, AS I WAS DRIVING, SMOKE STARTECOME OUT OF BOTH EXITS WHERE MY REAR SEAT SHOULDER HARNESS SEATBELTS RELEASE. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND RUN TO A BUSINESS FOR HELP. A GENTLEMAN SPRAYED SPRAYED THE FIRE EXTINGISHER INTO THE OPENING ON THE SIDE WALLS WHERE SMOKE WAS COMING OUT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED ALSO. THE FIREMAN CHECKED MY FUSE BUX AND FOUND A FUSE MELTED INTO THE BOX. MY EXTENDED WARRANTY - WESTERN GENERAL - SAYS THE PART BETWEEN THE SEAT AND PANEL WAS BENT MAKING WIRES TOUCH AND START A FIRE. THE DEALER WON'T ADMIT ANYTHING. THEY GUTTED THE WHOLE INSIDE, BENDING THE PART WESTERN GENERAL MENTIONED, IN ORDER TO GET TO THE WIRING UNDERNEATH. I AM WAITING FOR A CALL FROM FORD MOTOR COMPANY. *AK

TOOK VEHICLE TO A FORD DEALER FOR RECALL OF ENGINE COOLING FAN MOTOR. THEY CHECKED AND SAID THERE WAS NO PROBLEM, HOWEVER A FUSE WAS BLOWN AND THEY DID REPLACE THE FUSE. THIS TELLS ME THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM FOR THE FUSE TO NEED REPLACING. APPROX. 3 WEEKS LATER, WITHOUT ANY SIGNS, WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND THE "CHECK ENGINE SOON" LIGHT CAME ON. IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS THE CAR STOPPED. THE ENGINE OVERHEATED AND TOTALLY MELTED THE ENGINE COMPONENTS. THE CAR HAD JUST BEEN SERVICED. I FEEL THAT THERE OBVIOUSLY WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE COOLING FAN AND THE RESULT WAS EXACTLY AS THE RECALL WARNED FOR THE ENGINE COOLING FAN. I HAVE CALLED FORD WITH NO RESULTS. I NOW HAVE TO REPLACE THE MOTOR. PLEASE ADVISE. WHAT IS MY RECOURSE?*AK

COMPUTER AT MECHANIC SHOW MAJOR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DEFECTS-IT APPEARS THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING THIS AS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR AND FORD CONTOUR. FORD/MERCURY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING-ALSO THE TRANSMISSION GOES OUT QUIT OFTEN-HAD A NEW ONE AT 50,000 MILES-HAS HAD MANY RECALLS ALREADY AND NOTHING HAS BEEN FIXED ON THIS CAR-WINDOWS DONT GO DOWN (DUE TO ELECTRICAL SHORT)

ENGINE FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, VEHICLE WAS THEN PUSHED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE CONSUMER THEN NOTICED SMOKE AND A HORRIBILE SMELL COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD, VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED INTO DEALERSHIP, CONSUMER WAS THEN ADVISED THAT ONLY A BATTERY WAS NEEDED AND SAID NOTHING ELSE WAS WRONG, AFTER THREE DAYS OF DEALERSHIP HAVING THE VEHICLE AND NOT TRYING TO FIND THE CAUSE OF THE THE SMELL AND SMOKE CONSUMER PICKED VEHICLE UP, ON THE WAY HOME THE HEAD GASKET BLEW AND IT WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP, AFTER THE HEAD GASKET WAS REPAIRED, THE ENGINE STILL SOUNDED BAD, SO CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO ANOTHER SHOP AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CYLINDER WAS BAD, CONSUMER THEN TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO THE REPAIR SHOP THAT REPAIRED THE HEAD GASKET AND WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT CYLINDER WAS BAD, ON THE WAY HOME THE ENGINE AND BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON, VEHICLE WAS TOWED INTO DEALERSHIP THAT REPLACED THE BATTERY,DEALERSHIP TOLD CUSTOMER THAT THE PEOPLE WHO HAD REPLACED THE HEAD GASKET MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING WRONG, DEALERSHIP STATES THEY ONLY DID WHAT THEY WERE TOLD TO DO AND THAT WAS TO REPLACE THE BATTERY. *JB

THE ELECTRICAL WORK ON THE CAR IS IN TERRIBLE CONDITION. I PURCHASED THE CAR WITHOUT NOTICING A FAILURE IN THE REVERSE LIGHTING. THE REVERSE LIGHTS FAILED TO WORK THEREFORE SINCE PURCHASING THE CAR IN GREENVILLE MY DAUGHTER COMMUTED FROM GREENSBORO TO GREENVILLE 3 TIMES TO HAVE THE PROBLEM CORRECTED. NEXT THE SYSTEM FAILED AGAIN AND WITH THE SAME REVERSE LIGHTING PROBLEM. I RETURNED TO CAR TO THE DEALER AND THE SYSTEM WAS CORRECTED, HOWEVER THE PANEL LIGHTS FAILED AND I HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM UP UNTIL THIS POINT.

THE MORNING OF 12/12/00 I DROVE 25 MILES TO A MEETING, MET FOR 2 HOURS, RETURNED TO THE CAR. IT STARTED FINE, WARMED UP, AND DEFROSTED THE WINDOWS. WHEN I PUT IT IN REVERSE TO BACK OUT, EVERYTHING STOPPED. THERE WAS NO IGNITION CLICKING WHEN I TRIED TO START IT AGAIN, JUST NOTHING. INTERIOR LIGHTS AND DOOR "BELLS" (FOR KEY IN THE IGNITION) WORKED, BUT EVERYTHING ELSE WAS JUST DEAD. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO NEAREST DEALERSHIP (DEAN BROS IN LINCOLN, NE), NOT WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR. THEY SAID THAT BATTERY ACID HAD EATEN AWAY THE CONNECTIONS OF THE WIRE HARNESS. IF THE PLACEMENT OF THE BATTERY IN RELATION TO THE WIRE HARNESS IS A DEFECT IN MANUFACTURE OR DESIGN, I'D LIKE SOME REIMBURSEMENT OF THE REPAIR BILL.