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October 30, 1996
Consumer Assistance Program
University of Vermont
104 Morrill Hall
Burlington, VT 05405
To whom it may concern,
We own a 1992 Ford Explorer (VIN 1FMDU34X0NUA41058) which we
bought new in October 1991 from Heritage Ford in South
Burlington, VT. There have been several problems with this
particular car, among them are:
1) Tape deck destroys tapes, replaced (10/14/91, dealer invoice
#098317)
2) Antenna base paint peels off, replaced (7/17/92 #105128)
3) Emergency brake sticks, replaced cable; passenger seat belt
does not retract, replaced (2/12/93 #105629)
4) Hood paint peeling, stripped and refinished (9/11/93 #82405)
5) Brakes "grinding" - caliper slides broken or rusted, replaced
(9/29/93 #83742)
6) "Clunking" noise in front in 4 wheel drive, replaced U-joints,
shaft and hubs; rear window seal sags, replaced (1/5/94
#89865)
7) Driver’s seat slide does not lock, tightened mounting bolts
(5/31/94 #10110)
8) Catalytic converter shield rattles, new clamps installed
(6/16/94 #11267)
9) Front end problems, replaced front coil springs and alignment
cams (8/31/94 #16429)
10) Exhaust system rusted through, replaced muffler and pipe
(2/24/95 #29322)
11) Replaced radius arm bushings and insulators per recall #94M85
(12/4/95 #47186)
12) Manual transmission locks into 4th gear, rebuilt (9/5/96 Not
fixed at dealership - see below)
13) Valve cover gasket leaks oil onto exhaust manifold (not
fixed)
14) Air conditioning system seals leak freon (not fixed)
The latest problem we have had happened on September 4 while
traveling on vacation. We had driven the Explorer for about
40 miles and were traveling up a steep incline on Route 74 in
New York. We downshifted from 5th to 4th gear and reached the
top of the hill at a speed of approximately 50 mph. When
trying to shift back into 5th gear, the shifter could not be
moved out of 4th, with the clutch in or out. As the
transmission became "locked" in 4th gear, we were forced to
stop the truck and attempted to make it back home. After
towing the truck to a transmission shop, the mechanic said
that, due to a bearing failure (with resulting damage from the
broken part) and wear, the synchronizer had slipped past the
detents and hung up in 4th gear. The repair bill was $1400
parts and $300 labor. At the time of failure, the truck had
61,124 miles on it. We have saved the parts that were
replaced in the transmission.
We have contacted Heritage Ford about this premature failure
of the manual transmission (or are they supposed to wear out
at 60,000 miles?!) and they have said that, since it is out of
warranty, they cannot help us. We then asked to speak to the
Ford district representative. The dealer contacted him for us
(we were not allowed to talk directly to him) and this person
also said that Ford would not help. We have also contacted
Ford national customer service in Detroit and registered a
complaint with them and we were told the same answer.
We believe that the 5-speed transmission should not fail at
60,000 miles, especially when there was nothing we, as owners,
could have done to prevent the failure. In fact, this seems
to be a manufacturing/assembly problem more common than just
our case. I have outlined the reasons we believe this below:
1) Here is a list of NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation case
numbers and dates of failure that I have found on the Internet
(http://www-nsa.nhtsa.dot.gov/nquery.shtml) highlighting the
exact same problem for the same year and model truck:
410371 - ?
412092 - 15 Jan 1992
431703 - 6 Jan 1992
444548 - 1 Apr 1992
454742 - 18 Nov 1992
911403 - 13 Nov 1991
930555 - 12 Mar 1992
930689 - 13 Mar 1992
931023 - 19 Apr 1992
949525 - 7 Apr 1994
958906 - 19 Jan 1995
959543 - 14 Jan 1995
These ODI ID numbers cite cases where the owner’s description
includes the transmission "locking up". There are also
several others not mentioned here that simply state that the
transmission "failed", which could include the locking up
problem.
I have also submitted a complaint to the NHTSA.
2) I have written to and received permission to use the following
peoples’ names who have also had the same problem with their
1992 Explorer (or Navajo with the same transmission):
Joseph Balenzano (jpb@ix.netcom.com)
Jim Higgins (jthiggin@erols.com)
------------ (------------------) (removed by request)
Schuyler Denham (BaltoVACS@aol.com)
Barbara Pallone (bpallone@zk3.dec.com)
3) It seems that Ford "discovered" this very problem with their
5-speed transmissions and published a Technical Service
Bulletin in December 1991 outlining the problem. The TSB
number is BC0190911221, NHTSA item #SB030415.
We are asking Ford to reimburse us for the parts needed to
rebuild this defective transmission. The total for parts was
$1400. We feel this a fair settlement in consideration that
the transmission was faulty as delivered from the factory, but
did not fail until after the standard 3 yr., 36,000 mile
warranty expired.
Enclosed with this letter is a copy of the bill from the
transmission shop for the rebuild of the transmission.
Thank you,
Bryan and Diane Cass
November 21, 1996
Mr. Bryan Cass
______________
______________
Mr. Cass:
Your letter of complaint regarding your 1992 Explorer was forwarded to our office
for review by the Vermont Attorney General's Office.
The Ford warranty states that Ford will pay for defects in material or workmanship
with the prescribed time and mileage limitation as outlined in your Owner's Guide.
Warranty repairs must be performed at an authorized Ford or Lincoln Mercury
dealership.
Your Explorer is substantially beyond the manufacturer's warranty and your repairs
were performed at a non-Ford repair facility. Therefore, your request for
reimbursement for transmission repairs is declined.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this matter for you.
Sincerely,
(signed)
K.E. Gilreath
Consumer Intervention
Owner Relations Operations
cc: Vermont Attorney General's Office
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