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Ford Lightning Strikes Twice

Ford 3.8l V-6 Unanswered Questions •Ford Extends Warranty •Ford Extends II •1995 Windstar •1996 Windstar •1997 Windstar •1998 Windstar •Taurus/Sable •Mustang •Transmission Problems •Lightning Strikes Twice •Refund Problems

We know a couple of Ford owners who may be looking for a Chevrolet dealer next time they're in the market for a car.

Scott of Loda IL writes (4/9/02):
Own a 1995 Windstar and the head gaskets blew. 12,000 miles later I had to put in a new Ford engine for $3500. This happened in July of 2001.

Bought a 1993 taurus in july of 2001 that had just had new gaskets installed at 60,000 miles when we bought it. 4,000 miles later it spun the same main bearing that the Windstar had spun. This cost me another $3500 for another new Ford engine. That is $7000 on the last 7 months.

Ford needs to admit that their gasket problem causes engine failure and needs to take the responsibility of fixing their junk.

Rick of Brookfield, WI writes:

We just found out that the engine in our 1995 Windstar is junk, due to a headgasket failure. This is a well-maintained car with 68,000 miles on it. We went through a similar and very frustrating run-around with Ford on similar engine issues on a 1992 Taurus with the same 3.8L engine a few years ago.

Unfortunately, we already owned the Windstar, despite my vow never to deal with Ford again. Just like the last time, no matter who we called or tried to call in Ford, not an ounce of concern could be detected. They've also mastered the art of stonewalling, by not providing any ability to speak to a supervisor or anyone else in a decision making capacity. So for now, we're faced with a good car and no engine. Ford offered to replace it with a remanufactured engine for only $3300.

We'll be looking for a new car ASAP rather than spend that kind of money on a repair that should never have happened in the first place. This has also resulted in erasing virtually all resale value we might have had in the Windstar before last week. This is especially critical for my family, since we need a dependable car. We have four childrein, and our 10-year old son has muscular dystrophy. Being stranded in the middle of anywhere just isn't an option.

Neither is spending the kind of money chasing a "well-known problem" that Ford simply refuses to admit or act upon.

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