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.
Intermittently while driving at any speed, vehicle cuts off without any kind of warning. Dealer was aware of the problem. Engine has been replaced twice because of blown head gaskets.
Noticed that white smoke was coming from exhaust, pulled over and had vehicle towed to nearest repair facility. They told me the head gasket was blown and there was anti-freeze in the cylinders. The repair facility contacted easy care(extended warranty) folks and they had the mechanic open up the engine and drop the oil and report back to them. The repair facility at that time told easy care that the vehicle required a new engine. Easy care sent an inspector and he also suggested that the engine be replaced. Easy care opted to overhaul the engine. The day after I got the vehicle the engine died on the highway doing 65mph and I could not get it started again. I had it towed back to repair facility where it sits to this day. Easy care will not authorize any additional work nor will it replace the engine. I am stuck with a $12000 piece of metal.
Engine head gasket and the transmission were defective. There was no heat inside of the car, and white smoke was coming from the exhaust system. Transmission went into neutral, and slipped upon shifting gears. Also, there was a clanking and knocking noise.
- Tallmadge, OH, USA
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Headgasket, while on travel, failed within one week of receiving a service advisory regarding the problem. Headgasket was repaired under warranty at no cost. Concerned about reading large numbers of other owners with same engine experiencing the same problem. Headgasket failure is extremely premature compared to other Ford and other engines.
Engine head gasket problem: While driving vehicle started smoking white smoke and overheating. After vehicle cooled off, it was driven to a repair shop where the bolts on the head gasket were found to be stretched. Vehicle was being repaired by the shop.
The head gasket blew on this engine and thankfully I was covered by an additional warranty. They chose not to replace the engine but to have my mechanic overhaul it. I got the van back a week later and while traveling on the highway the next day the engine just shut down and would not restart which almost resulted in an accident. Thankfully I was able to pull of to the side of the road. Now the mechanic is telling me that the crankshaft is bad. They have already paid out $2200 and who knows how much more they will have to pay before they figure out that replacing the engine is the way to go.
After owner noticed van was leaking van was driven around and began to smoke. After contacting several mechanics, van was towed to a garage, after being advised not to drive. Van was checked for problems, and engine head gasket was found to be blown. Engine head gasket will be replaced at owner's expense.
Premature headgasket failure on Ford 3.8L engine left me stranded at the side of the road in sub-freezing temperatures. Van temperature guage rose rapidly, followed by loss of all heat, reduced power, and illumination of the "check engine" light. Fortunately, I was in a populated area, and I was able to arrange transportation from there. This premature engine failure occurring in a remote area under similar temperature & weather conditions could have been disasterous. Dealer troubleshooting yielded headgasket failure and major damage to #4 cylinder. Van now needs new engine. Personal research has shown that this is a well-known engine design & manufacturing problem plaguing Ford 3.8L engines, yet Ford Motor Company refuses to accept any responsibility for the $3500 cost to replace the engine, or to issue a recall to correct the problem before catastrophic damage occurs. Ford's own instruction manuals list headgaskets as a 120,000 mile maintenance item. Headgaskets should last the lifetime of the engine. The dealer acknowledged that this is a huge problem in these engines, but could not or would not help resolve the problem. I was advised of a Ford "program" that extended warranty on this problem to 5-yrs, 60,000 miles. This alone seems like Ford's accnowledgement of a problem, but is clearly not adequate for a 120,000 mile part. The dealer also acknowledged that not all owners received the notice on the "program" (I haven't found anyone who did), and that they "are dealing with a tremendous number of very-upset customers" because of it. In daily use, this van is routinely used to Transport small children, including my 10-year old son who has muscular dystrophy, is non-ambulatory and is confined to a wheelchair. Ford has produced a well-known and well-documented design/manufacturing defect in these engines, and in doing so, has placed the safety of my family (and countless others) in jeopardy, yet refuses to admit the problem, and worse yet, to act.
The alternator went out 4 times and the head gasket went out. Then the engine went out because of head gasket damage. With a total repairs being $7,500 dealer only covered alternator after 4 monthes of fighting with them.
This is the continuation of problems with a highly problematic vehicle. 5 years, 90,000 miles have replaced so far: Head gaskets, rear suspension twice, front suspension, ignition wires, O2 sensors twice, and now injector and fuel pump. Over $3,000 in out of pocked expenses over what was covered on extended warrantee. Vehicle is not reliable and am looking to trade in on anything other than a Ford! at Ford, quality is job none!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Wittmann, AZ, USA