WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2000
-- After thousands of customer complaints, two class action
consumer law suits and a growing
tide of negative publicity, Ford Motor Co. has agreed to extend
its warranty on head gaskets in the 3.8L V-6 engine in certain
1994-95 models.
Response from consumers was heavily negative, both in an online
poll and in emails.
Warranties are being extended to seven years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. Ford said it was taking the action "in the interest of customer satisfaction."
It's the second warranty extension for the groubled engines, found in the 1994 Lincoln Continental, 1994-95 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable and 1995 Windstar.
The original extension, issued in 1998, was for five years/60,000 miles for the Taurus, Sable and Windstar vehicles, and six years/75,000 miles on Continental.
"When Ford issued the original warranty
extension, our data indicated that the extension would cover
the affected vehicles over the time and mileage where owners
were most likely to have a head gasket concern," said Ann O'Neill,
director, vehicle service and programs, Ford Customer Service
Division.
"But, as these vehicles have aged, we have received new data
that indicate that some owners are having failures outside the
original warranty extension."
Owners of these vehicles who experienced head gasket failures during the 7year/100,000 mile time frame will be eligible for a full refund for past repairs, or for a limited time, may choose a $4,000 certificate to be used towards the purchase or lease of a new Ford, Mercury or Lincoln.
Vehicle owners will receive a communication from Ford via first-class mail in March explaining the warranty extension, the company said.
"Victory is ours!" screamed an Internet email from Chuck Catanese, a Windstar owner who has rallied fellow Ford owners through emails and postings to Web sites. But later in the email, Catanese coneded the "victory" may be less than total.
"Still won't help the now-crappy resale value, but at lease I feel more at ease with keeping the van for a while," he said.
Attorneys involved in the class action suits against Ford said they were studying the Ford announcement.
