???
?????? ????
Mr. Bill
Ford
Chief
Executive Officer
Ford
Motor Company
Re: Ford Triton 5.4L V-8 Engine, Aluminum Cylinder Head Failures
2001 F-250 Superduty
VIN: ?????????????????
Mileage: 81,030 miles
Dear Mr. Ford:
On
Given what I learned about the history of this
engine, I asked the dealer if there was anything that Ford could and would do to
address the problem. The dealer
indicated that they could do nothing since my vehicle was out of warranty. I asked for and received the number for Ford
Customer Service.
I placed a call to Ford customer service this
morning and spoke with Marcia. The
customer call reference number is 1318671165.
Your Customer Service representative indicated that I have no recourse
at all with Ford Motor Company since my vehicle is out of warranty, and that I
did not have a contract for an extended warranty. She advised that there are no recalls for
this problem and that the full cost of this repair is the responsibility of the
customer. In response I indicated that
there is an obvious design flaw in these cylinder heads and Ford should be
accountable for remediation of the same.
She countered that I should save my repair bill and seek
reimbursement for the repairs in the event there is a future recall. My response to this was that I am not seeking
a recall; I just want Ford to stand by their product and fix my truck! As a licensed professional engineer I am
accountable for my designs. If I were to
inadequately size a piece of steel supporting your factory roof, and if that
same piece of steel failed or caused some other structural component to fail,
this would be considered a design flaw.
Whether or not the building is under warranty is a moot point. I presented an analogy similar to this to
your customer service representative.
She once again referred to the fact that if I did not have a contract
for an extended warranty and there was nothing that could be done. I inquired about escalating my issues to the
next
B. Ford
Page 2
of 6
level. She indicated that everyone at Ford Customer Service
is on the same page with respect to policy and procedure and that the next
level in the chain was to write to you!
Now we have all heard stories about the difficulties in getting past the
‘corporate gatekeepers’, I must say this is the best one I have ever
encountered. You must be one busy
man. What message is Ford sending the
customer? Is it your hope that by
placing a wall in front of the customer we will just go away? I asked your Customer Service Representative
how Ford would feel if I switched to
The lack of commitment by Ford to stand by their
product is disturbing. You know you have
a design flaw, yet you do not acknowledge it.
I am sure your market researchers go on-line and see what people say
about your product. Why has Ford
returned to full depth spark plugs threads for 5.4L Triton V-8 cylinder heads
manufactured after 2003? Was it because
there was a problem or did Ford decide to modify the design and retool the head
because there was nothing better to do?
Are you aware that there are after market products that specifically
address the cylinder head repair of the 5.4L V-8 Triton engine. Why hasn’t Ford developed such a
solution? From a business perspective a
total recall on these cylinder heads would be disastrous. In my opinion it would be prudent to fix the
problems as they occur and keep the customer happy. A happy customer is a repeat customer.
I, along with members of my family have always been
loyal Ford customers. I endeavor to
support our country and buy American products.
I have owned numerous Ford products and have always accepted repair
issues that are part and parcel to ownership of a motor vehicle. I realize things break due to normal wear and
tear. These cylinder heads failures are
not typical. I purchased your product
because I believed in it. Part of that
belief was based on the fact that Ford backs the product. I have a good relationship with my dealer and
have always been able to come to satisfactory resolution for problems I have
had in the past. Why does Ford abandon
me now? Where is your commitment to the
customer? Why is the dealer backed into
a corner? Why does Customer Service respond with a flat ‘no’? This is a unique situation, and does not
warrant a scripted response. The repair
bill I am faced with is almost one-tenth of the purchase price of the
truck! If I had known that planned
obsolescence was part of the design of this cylinder head then I would have
treated the vehicle like a disposable razor and unloaded it a long time ago.
The lack of commitment by Ford to resolve this issue
and the difficulty I have encountered in getting answers and satisfaction
leaves me no choice but to ‘kick it up a notch’. Unlike Ford, I am committed to solving this
problem. My expectation is to have both
flawed cylinder heads replaced, and receive some type of protection from future
cylinder head failures. It is my hope
that we can come to some type of mutually acceptable resolution. In the event that this cannot be resolved, I
will then have to explore other avenues to achieve satisfaction. I look forward to your response.
Respectfully,
Joseph
????????
(???) ???-???? (H)
(???) ???-????
(W)
cc: ?. ??????? (????? ????)
???
?????? ??
Mr. Bill
Ford
Chief
Executive Officer
Ford
Motor Company
Re: Follow-Up Correspondence to:
Complaint Letter - Ford Triton 5.4L V-8 Engine, Aluminum Cylinder Head Failures,
Dated
Dear Mr.
Ford:
On
The problem with the cylinder heads in these engines
is due to a design flaw or engineering oversight. Numerous Ford consumers have been affected by
this problem, the repair to which is quite costly. Why do you ignore this problem?
As stated previously I am committed to resolving
this issue. I have complained to the
NHTSA and the New York State Attorney General.
Enclosed is a copy of my original letter in case it got lost
somehow. Also when you do reply, please
note the address above.
Respectfully,
Joseph
????????
(???) ???-???? (H)
(???)
???-????(W)
cc: ?. ?????? (????? ????)
New York State Attorney General
???
?????? ??
Attorney
General Eliot Spitzer
State
of
Office
of the Attorney General
Bureau
of Consumer Frauds and Protection
The
Capitol
Re: Ford Triton 5.4L V-8 Engine, Aluminum Cylinder Head Failures
2001 F-250 Superduty
VIN: ???????????????
Mileage: 81,030 miles
Dear Mr.
Spitzer:
I believe
there is a design flaw in the referenced Ford Motor Company product, which said
company fails to recognize or correct. A
description of the problem, excerpted from my complaint letter to Ford, dated
‘On
To date I have not heard anything from Ford Motor,
except for an automated customer service survey (sent via postcard) which was
in response to my original call to Ford Customer Service on April 25,2005. The dealership where I purchased my vehicle
(Metro Ford,
Enclosed is the following documentation;
E. Spitzer
Page 2 of 2
·
Exhibit A – letter to Ford Motor Company, dated
·
Exhibit B – discussion threads from ‘Ford
Truck Enthusiasts’ website.
·
Exhibit C – discussion ‘A Mark’s
Life: Ejecting Sparkplugs’
blog
site.
·
Exhibit D – discussion threads from ‘www.f150online.com’ web site.
·
Exhibit E -
aftermarket repair kit product data.
·
Exhibit F – follow-up letter to Ford Motor Company dated
As a consumer I should not have to play ‘Russian
Roulette’ with the engine on my vehicle.
I realize my vehicle is out of warranty however sparkplug ejection out
of cylinder head is unheard of on a stock non-modified motor. This problem may also present significant
safety issues. The plug that ejected out
of my engine caused the ignition coil, which sits over the sparkplug, to impact
the fuel rail above the cylinder head. The ignition coil was destroyed by the
impact. Fortunately the fuel rail above
the cylinder head was not compromised.
If the fuel rail had been punctured there would have been a fuel leak
inside the engine compartment. Through
the course of my research I also read that a consumer had a sparkplug eject through the hood of the vehicle.
Ford Motor Company should be held accountable for
their poor design and their arrogance towards the consumer. The repair cost for problems of this nature
are in the $2,000 to $3,000 range. This
is a considerable expense for the average person. Please note that these costs do not consider
the hardships the consumer is faced with when they lose a means of
transportation. I have created a website
to educate and inform consumers of what they may face if and when their engine
fails. The site is located at www.tritonlemon.com. This site will direct you to the
documentation referenced here-in. If
your office requires additional information please call on me. I am more than willing to assist. In the event there is nothing your office can
do, would you please provide guidance as to what legal options are available. Thank
you for your time and consideration of this matter. I look forward to your response.
Respectfully,
Joseph
????????
(???) ???-???? (H)
(???) ???-????
(W)
??? ?????? ????
Mr. Bill Rickard
Customer
Relations Manager
Metro
Ford Sales Inc.
Re: Response to Ford’s Proposed Resolution of the
5.4 L Triton V-8 cylinder head failure.
Dear Mr. Rickard:
Pursuant to our phone conversation earlier today, I
must decline Ford’s offer to replace the damaged cylinder head in my
engine. My reasons for doing so are as
follows;
1. The Ford Factory Service Representative has
offered to replace the damaged cylinder head provided
I pay a one-third cost share of the estimated $2,100 it will cost to replace
the head. What a magnanimous offer! I
did not design the faulty head nor did I do anything to contribute to its
failure. Why should I have to pay for it?
As I have stated previously, Ford has a problem and they should own up to it. What part of the customer service game does
Ford not understand! The simplest way to
keep and retain your customers is to satisfy them. I am not asking for something ridiculous here!
2.
I have fixed the engine myself and currently it is working fine. Tearing my
engine down may cause additional problems.
I see no good reason to install a replacement head, which is exactly the
same as the defective one coming
out. What happens when the head fails
again, do I get to pay another cost share?
My issue is not with Metro Ford. If I had a problem with your company I would
have been in your office a long time ago.
My issue is with the Ford Motor Corporation and their failure to stand
by their faulty product. To date I have
received nothing but scripted party line responses regarding this problem from
Ford. They continually refer to the fact
that the vehicle is out of warranty.
Once again this is not a warranty issue.
This is an engineering issue, the design of these cylinder heads are
flawed. Even if I had an extended
warranty, Ford would not cover it because of the disclaimer language for non-lubricated
parts. Please recall that Ford states
the cylinder heads are non-lubricated parts.
If this is true then why is oil (a lubricant) which flows in and around
the cylinder head required in my engine?
At this point in time the money issue is almost secondary. The primary issue is with how I and many
other Ford customers have been treated. The treatment I have received from Ford is my
motivation to get something done. I have
documented to date, one-hundred and thirty (130) instances of the Triton 5.4L
V-8 and 6.8L V-10 engine sparkplug failures.
Statistically, this is a drop in the bucket compared to the number of
engines manufactured by Ford; however these are only the reported
instances. Many people just shell out
their three grand at dealerships and other repair facilities and move on. I don’t like being treated like a drop in a
bucket. It is my intent to gather other
drops and create a flood. Since the name
and contact information for the Ford Factory Service Representative is guarded
closer than the Coca-Cola recipe, would you please relay this to her.
Customer service in this country is horrible, and
Ford is a fine example of it. It is sad
that your franchise will lose valued customers due to the arrogance of your
supplier. The simplest resolution to
this problem is to satisfy the customer.
I know I have already said this but reinforcement is necessary. It is my hope someone at Ford will eventually
understand this point. Do they want to
see a recall? Wouldn’t it be easier to just
fix the problems as they occur?
The engine in my vehicle may or may not eject
another sparkplug. It is such a
comforting feeling to drive down the road knowing this. The potential of an ejected plug impacting
and compromising the fuel rail is another wonderful thought I get to
ponder. Who knew the freedom of the open
road had such benefits! But wait,
there’s more, I also enjoy the fact that I now have to check my plugs at short
term intervals (say every 10,000 miles or so, I hope) to make sure they stay
seated. Please recall that Ford says the
plugs don’t need to be changed for 100,000 miles. Maybe they should reword this to “100,000 miles or sparkplug ejection
whichever comes first”. This specification
should be no problem and should cost Ford nothing if failure occurs, just make
sure they retain the person who wrote the “Non-lubricated
Part” disclaimer in the extended warranty contracts currently in place for
the 5.4 L V-8 engines.
As an extremely dissatisfied consumer of a Ford
product it is my expectation that Ford will be honorable, and fix this problem.
Enclosed are my time and material receipts for the repairs I made to my
vehicle. My labor rates are consistent
with those used by Ford dealerships. The
reimbursement I seek for my repair effort totals $ 1,386.18. In addition to monetary compensation I expect
Ford to extend to me some type of transferable warranty that addresses future
sparkplug failures on my vehicle.
Respectfully,
Joseph
???????
(???) ???-???? (H)
(???) ???-????
(W)
Enc.
cc: File
NYS Attorney General