This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Even though the van I just purchased does not seem to have a recall on it I had total brake failure due to complete leaking out of all the brake fluid through the cruise control deactivation switch, the dual master cylinder is supposed to prevent this but it didn't. the switch on the bottom of the master cylinder and the fact that the rear wheel cylinders were seeping allowed all the fluid to leave after only three weeks of driving. I just purchased the vehicle. I had mechanics check it out and the switch is the same type that is causing the fires. I have to wonder if the leaking dripping on to hot motor parts could cause the fires as well as some electrical overload due to the brake fluid eating through plastic and rubber. I truly regret purchasing this vehicle before researching. I may be asking the dealer to trade me into another vehicle just due to not wanting to die at an early age due to Ford lack of quality control it is a shame that any manufacturer can build any piece of junk without regards to end result and only worrying about the profit of selling and the fact that risk management after the fact of waiting for many to be effected by death or loss of vehicle to have a recall forced and fixing a bad design once pressed to do so. I feel the master cylinders whole safety is in that one chamber is most likely functional under most system failures of wheel cylinders, hoses, etc but having a part directly attached to the front chamber and with the common likelihood of rear wheel cylinder leakage at some point could lead to total system failure like I experienced. The fact that this master cylinder is hidden from easy view does not allow the owner to easily visualize a leak at this part. Why is brake fluid needed to actuate a deactivation of the cruise control wouldn't a switch (electrical or mechanical) placed with the brake pedal arm activating it a simpler way of making this happen.
On 4/12/02 59,173 miles. Windstar had ABS & brake light on. Disc brakes replaced and rotors machined. 2/26/04 82,240 miles all ABS sensors, disc brakes, brake fluid reservoir/float assembly replaced, rotors machined. 95,487 miles brake light on. 3/05 cruise control on and off. ABS light flicker on & off. Dealer said not worth money to fix. 9/04/05 fire under battery tray. Van off 2 to 3 minutes. Dealer said cruise control module ignited fire. Brake fluid leaked into it. The ABS pump overheated wire caused leak. Our van is now at chapman Ford awaiting our approval to repair problems at a cost of $2200. We are now without a vehicle and don't want to approve repairs without talking to someone from your office. Please respond and let us know what our next step should be. We are a one income family so getting a new vehicle is not an option. Your prompt attention would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Cruise control malfunctioned & turned on causing vehicle to begin to speed up. I was in the wal-mart parking lot, when my van suddenly revved up & raced towards 2 pedestrians. I first tried the regular brake - no luck, so I threw the van in park & turned the ignition off. When I would turn the van on again the rpms would jump up immediately to 4000+. I had to be towed in. I did not have the cruise control on at all during the trip so I (as well as the repair shop) was surprised that the cruise control module was the culprit.
- Indianapolis, IN, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
1. transmission: The vehicle would act as if it were in neutral after coming to a stop. Sometimes this would happen right as I pulled into an intersection, leaving me in the path of oncoming traffic with no power. 2. A/C: the control module failed to engage the A/C but still cycled the idle speed. This was dangerous because the braking required to hold the vehicle at a stop was insufficient when the idle randomly surged to high. Both failures had potential to cause accident but were repaired before any incident occurred.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Portsmouth, VA, USA