2000 FORD ECONOLINE Complaints

WATER LEAKING INTO FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE OF VEHICLE, DAMAGING CARPETING AND CAUSING MILDEW DAMAGE...HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND SOURCE OF LEAK...BUT DAMPNESS OCCURS EVEN WHEN VEHICLE IS NOT BEING DRIVEN, EVERY TIME IT RAINS OR SNOWS.

WINDSHIELD WIPER FUSE (30 AMP INSIDE FUSE PANEL) KEEPS BLOWING. THERE WAS NO EVENT EXCEPT A SMALL BUMP ( SMALL BUMP ) IN THE ROAD. THIS CAUSED RADIO TO POWER OFF FOR SECOND THEN COME BACK ON. SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING OUT FROM UNDER STEERING SIDE DASH. I REFUSED, AND WIPERS WOULD WORK UNTIL I ANY MINOR DIP,BUMP,OR TURNING WOULD CAUSE FUSE TO BLOW. NOW THE FUSE BLOWS AS SOON AS IT IS PUT IN. SAFETY ITEM, WIPERS ARE NEEDED TO DRIVE SAFE, IN FOG,RAIN AND SNOW

FRONT WELD AT UNIVERSAL JOINT, FAILED CAUSING DRIVESHAFT TO DROP TO THE GROUND WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH. EXAMINATION OF THE FAILED COMPONENTS SUGGESTS A LIKELY FATIGUE FAILURE CAUSED BY A POOR WELD. WELD CONTAINED SPHERE-SHAPED PORES AND WAS NOT CENTERED ON THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE U-JOINT AND THE SHAFT. ALTHOUGH FAILURE WAS LIKELY CAUSED BY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, DEALER HAS THUS FAR DENIED A WARRANTY CLAIM CITING TO THE VEHICLE'S MILEAGE. SINCE THIS WELD WAS PROBABLY PRODUCED BY AUTOMATED EQUIPMENT, IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT OTHER DRIVESHAFTS MANUFACTURED DURING THE SAME TIME PERIOD MAY ALSO BE DEFECTIVE. A FAILURE AT A HIGHER SPEED, SUCH AS ON THE HIGHWAY, MAY RESULT IN MUCH MORE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES.*AK

CONSUMER HEARD A FUNNY NOISE WHILE DRIVING, AND WAS TOLD BY PASSING MOTORIST THAT THE REAR TIRE WAS SHIMMYING BACK AND FORTH, AND WAS READY TO FALL OFF. UPON INSPECTION OF THE TIRE BY THE DEALERSHIP, THEY INDICATED THAT A LUG BROKE. *AK

CONSUMER NOTICED WHILE MAKING A LEFT OR RIGHT TURN AT 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD FISH TAIL. DEALER HAD BEEN CONTACTED. *AK DUE TO THE VEHICLE FISHTAILING THERE WAS A CRASH. *JB *NM

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT AIR CONDITIONING SWITCH THAT CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE DRIVING. MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AT THE TIME OF THIS CALL.*AK

THE VAN SMELLED OF BURNING RUBBER SEVERAL TIMES DURING MY 1000 MILE DEER HUNTING TRIP TO WEST VIRGINIA. I STOPPED AT MY NEPHEW JOHN DAILEY'S HOME (A DEPUTY SHERRIF IN PUTNAM COUNTY WV)TO UNLOAD MY GUNS AND A FEW MAJOR ITEMS. I INFORMED HIM I SMELLED BURNING RUBBER IN MY VAN AND WAS TAKING IT TO THE FORD GARAGE TO BE CHECKED. APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES FROM HIS HOME SMOKE BILLOWED FROM BENEATH THE DASH. IT SEEMED TO ORIGINATE UNDER THE DASH APPROXIMATELY HALF WAY ACROSS THE VEHICLE. IT SEEMED TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE BEHIND THE RADIO. I HAD A BAG OF TRASH AND OLD NEWSPAPERS ALONG WITH PAPER BAGS OF BELONGINGS ON THE FLOOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, IN THE SEAT AND BEHIND THE PASSENGER SEAT. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE PAPER MATERIALS ON THE FRONT FLOOR WERE ON FIRE AND IT SPREAD QUICKLY ACROSS THE SEAT TO THE REAR COMPARTMENT. I SLOWED THE VEHICLE TO JUMP OUT BUT CARS WERE STOPPED IN THE OTHER LANE. PARENTS HAD PICKED UP CHILDREN FROM SCHOOL AND THE LONG LINE OF VEHICLES WERE FILLED WITH CHILDREN. I WAS AFRAID THE ABANDONED VEHICLE WOULD CONTINUE TO TRAVEL DOWN THE ROAD AND HIT ONE OR MORE OF THE CARS. SO I TRIED TO DRIVE IT OFF THE ROAD TO A SAFE RESTING PLACE BEFORE JUMPING OUT. I JUMPED OUT AS I STEERED IT ACROSS THE DITCH AND UP ON THE BANK BESIDE THE ROAD. IT ROLLED BACKWARDS INTO THE DITCH WERE IT BURNED COMPLETELY. I CONTACTED THE DEALER FROM WHOM I HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE JUST A FEW MONTHS EARLIER AND TOLD HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I HOPED FOR A DISCOUNT ON A REPLACEMENT VAN BUT I WAS TREATED RUDELY. UPON THE ADVICE OF AND WITH THE HELP OF THE SERVICE MANAGER I COMPLETED A DEALER REQUEST FOR CONSUMER AFFAIRS REVIEW. I FOLLOWED UP WITH THE DEALER TO AS CERTAIN HE STATUS OF MY REQUEST BUT HE HAS NEVER HAD ANY INFORMATION. TO DATE NOON HAS CONTACTED ME ABOUT THE INCIDENT. ON MY WAS HOME TO FLORIDA I RELAYED MY INCIDEN TO A FEW INDIVIDUALS AT REST AREAS, GAS STATIONS, ETC AND FOUND THREE (3) HAD PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF 2000 FORD ECONOLINE VANS THAT HAD BURN

WHILE PROCEEDING SLOWLY, APPROX. 3 MPH, MOVING UP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, STEERING WHEEL JERKED TO THE LEFT, FELT SLACK WITH SOME SLIGHT VIBRATION & POPPING AT , AND WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKES IT ALMOST SEEMED AS THOSE THE BRAKES LOCKED UP. PEDAL WOULD ONLY DEPRESS APPROX 1/4 , WITH SOME VIBRATION IN PEDAL, WITH A GRUMBLING NOISE. THE VAN THEN FELT AS THOUGH BRAKES LOCKED UP WITH THE REAR END SLIDING. NO COLLISION BUT WAS EXTREMELY CLOSE. THERE WERE NO HIGH SPEEDS INVOLVED & IN ADDITION THE ROADS WERE NOT WET. THE VAN WAS THEN TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHERE THE PROBLEM WOULD NOT DUPLICATE; THEREFORE NO ACTION WAS TAKEN FOR REPAIR.*AK

WHEN BRAKING CONSUMER'S FOOT COME IN CONTACT WITH FOOT REST AND INTERFERED WITH BRAKING PRESSURE OF BRAKE PEDAL. DEALER / MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER INTERMITTENTLY FAILS, AND DRIVER CANNOT DETERMINE THE SPEED AT WHICH VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN. DURATION OF FAILURE WILL LAST FOR A FEW MINUTES OR FOR LONGER THAN A WEEK. DEALERSHIP EXAMINED VEHICLE AT 34,000 MILES WHEN PROBLEM FIRST APPEARED, AND REPLACED A FUSE WHICH TEMPORARILY REMEDIED THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, WITH 43,000 MILES ON VEHICLE, PROBLEM HAS STARTED TO REOCCUR. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / DOCUMENTATION. *AK