2000 Ford E-450 Problems

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD E450. THE VEHICLE HAS NEXEN TIRES (NA), SIZE LT24574R16 (NA). WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE, BOTH THE REAR PASSENGER AND FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRES BLEW OUT. THE CONTACT CHANGED ONE OF THE TIRES AND DROVE TO THE TIRE SHOP. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE WAS FULL OF BUBBLES AND WOULD ALSO BLOW OUT. THE REMAINING TIRE APPEARED TO BE FINE; HOWEVER, ALL OF THE TIRES WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER SENT HIM A LETTER STATING THAT THEY WOULD CHECK FOR ANY MANUFACTURER DEFECTS. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT THE TIRES SHOULD BE RECALLED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 166,500 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 168,000.

I HAVE A 2000 CHATEAU MOTOR HOME BUILT ON A FORD E450 CHASIS WHICH CAME WITH OEM TIRES - FIRESTONE STEELTEX 256/75 R16 TIRES. AS OF THE DATE OF THIS COMPLAINT, THE VEHICLE AND TIES HAVE APPROXIMATELY 5,500 MILES ON THEM. IN APPROXIMATELY 2004, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE FIRESTONE COMPLETE AUTO CARE STORE LOCATED AT 655 COURTHOUSE ROAD, GULFPORT, MS 39507 (228.897.1423) TO GET THE STATE SAFETY INSPECTION AND TO LOOK AT UNUSUALLY CRACKING IN THE SIDE WALLS OF THE EQUIPMENT TIRES. I WAS GIVEN THE STATE SAFETY INSPECTION AND TOLD THAT THE CRACKING IN THE SIDE WALLS WAS NORMAL AND THERE WAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. AFTER NOT DRIVING THE VEHICLE MUCH AS WE LIVED IN IT IMMEDIATELY AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA FOR OVER A YEAR WHILE WE AWAITED OUR HOUSE TO BE REPAIRED, I DEPARTED IN IT FOR AN APPROXIMATELY 200 MILE TRIP IN RESPONSE TO EVACUATION FOR HURRICANE GUSTAV. UPON THE RETURN FROM OUR EVACUATION ON SEPT 2ND, 2008, AFTER DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 150 MILES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE OUTER REAR PASSENGER SIDE DULLY EXPERIENCED A TREAD SEPARATION WHERE THE TREAD OUTER TREAD SIMPLY SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. AS I WAS TRAVELING AT A VERY LOW SPEED, THE TREAD DID NOT COME COMPLETELY OFF THE TIRE BUT JUST RATHER SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE AND THUS CAUSED IT TO GO FLAT. THIS DID HOWEVER CAUSE ADDITIONAL DAMAGE TO THE TIRE HUB-CAP. I EMAIL FIRESTONE/BRIDGESTONE THE NEXT DAY VIA THEIR ON LINE CONTACT FORM AND WAS CONTACTED THE NEXT DAY. I WAS ASKED TO TAKE THE TIRE TO THE LOCAL FIRESTONE COMPLETE AUTO CARE (REFERENCED ABOVE) TO HAVE IT INSPECTED. I TOOK THE TIRE THEIR THE NEXT DAY AND THE STORE MANAGER STATED THAT HE HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THE FAILURE OF THIS TIRE AT IT LOOKED AS IT WAS A RE-TREAD. I REMINDED HIM THAT ALL TIRES WERE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR CRACKING ON THE SIDE WALLS WHERE THE TREAD ATTACHES TO THE TIRE. THE STORE MANAGER THEN SAID HE WOULD REPLACE ALL 7 TIRES BUT AFTER TAKING THE VEHICLE BACK TO HIS SHOP, HE HAS NOW DECLINED TO DO SO BASED ON ADVICE FROM FIRESTONE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD WINNEBAGO MINI WINNIE (NA). WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE CONTACT SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT WHEN SHE WOULD DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE BRAKES WOULD PUSH BACK AGAINST HER FOOT. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 59,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,000.

ON THE DOWN HILL SIDE OF A BRIDGE IN JACKSONVILLE, FL AND IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED BUT WOULD NOT RELEASE. SMOKE POURED OUT AND THE BRAKES WERE COOKED ON ALL FOUR WHEELS. I THEN HAD NO BRAKES. I LIMPED OUT OF TRAFFIC AND SPEND THE NIGHT IN MY RV- WITH AN UNPLEASANT ODER. THE NEXT DAY I HAD SOME BRAKING POWER AND LIMPED TO GARBER AUTOMALL FORD DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS.*AK

OUR RV HAS A V-10 ENGINE. WE DROVE 244 MILES TO THE BEACH ON THANKSGIVING WEEK. NO PROBLEMS UNTIL WE HAD TO STOP AND WAIT ON A PARKING SPACE. WE TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND WHEN WE RESTARTED IT A SPARK PLUG BLOW OUT OF THE ENGINE. IT BROKE THE PIECE ON TOP OF IT. WE WERE BROKE DOWN AT THE BEACH ON A HOLIDAY. A HELI CORD WAS USED TO REPAIR THE PLUG. IS THIS A TEMPORARY FIX OR WILL WE BE STRANDED AGAIN. WE ONLY HAVE 33,000 MILES ON THE RV. *TR

TURBO ON AN E-450 FELL OFF BLEW A HIGH PRESSURE LINE ONLY TO SHUT DOWN AND WAS REAPPLIED ONLY TO BECOME LOOSE AGAIN,BY WHICH FORD DEALER APPLIED SOME TYPE OF BRACKET AND NOW HAS POOR FUEL ECONOMY AND LACK OF POWER . *TR

WHILE DRIVING TWO U-BOLTS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE BROKE, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LEAN, A TIRE BLEWOUT AND CREATED A HOLE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE AMBULANCE, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR THE STATE OF MINNESOTA WROTE IN BEHALF OF THE RUSHFORD COMMUNITY AMBULANCE SERVICE, THE VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH A VELVET RIDE SUSPENSION. *YD

DEALER REFUSES TO REPLACE VEHICLE OR TO INVESTIGATE VIBRATION PROBLEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD E-450. WHILE DRIVING WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AT A HIGH SPEED. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THE CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT DISENGAGE. THE CONTACT PRESSED THE OFF BUTTON ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE CRUISE CONTRL STILL FAILED TO SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL DISENGAGED INDEPENDENTLY AFTER A FEW MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT A DIAGNOSIS WAS NOT PROVIDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 116,000.

ON OCCASION, WHEN USING THE RIGHT DIRECTIONAL TURN SIGNAL, THERE IS INTERMITTENT SMOKE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN ALONG WITH A STRONG "BURNING" SMELL. RETURNING THE DIRECTIONAL TO IT'S NEUTRAL POSITION STOPS THE SMOKING. A FORD DEALER HAS REPLACED THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH IN THE STEERING COLUMN BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. *TR

TL* - THE CONTACT EXPLAINED SHE HAD A DOMETIC REFRIGERATOR ,AND SHE SMELLED GAS FUMES. SHE CALLED A REPAIRMAN TWICE TO FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT THE SMELL CONTINUED. SHE READ IN A MAGAZINE ABOUT THE DOMETIC REFRIGERATOR RECALL, SO SHE CHECKED UNDER HER REFRIGERATOR AND WAS OVER COME BY THE FUMES. THE COOLANT WAS LEAKING OUT OF THE REFRIGERATOR. SHE CALLED THE NUMBER THAT WAS IN THE BOOK, AND THEY INFORMED HER IT WOULD NOT BE REPAIRED UNTIL APRIL 2006. *AK UPDATED 2/27/2007 - *NM

UPON INSPECTION BY FORD-CERTIFIED MECHANIC IT WAS DETERMINED THAT TWO OF THE BOLTS ON THE CONNECTOR BETWEEN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND THE DRIVE SHAFT HAD SHEARED. THE REMAINING BOLTS HAD LOOSENED AND THE SLACK WAS CREATING VIBRATION NOISES THAT WERE HEARD AT LOW SPEEDS. IF THE DRIVE SHAFT HAD SEPARATED FROM THE AT THE FAILURE COULD HAVE HAD CATASTROPHIC RESULTS AS THE LOOSE DRIVE SHAFT COULD HAVE DUG INTO THE PAVEMENT AND DEFINITELY CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE AND PERHAPS INJURY AND DEATH TO THE OCCUPANTS.*AK

2000 FORD E450 CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE DRIVING. CONSUMER PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROADWAY AND PARKED ON THE BERM AND VEHICLE BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES. *NJ THE ALTERNATOR CAUGHT ON FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, WHICH CAUSED THE FIRE. OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT # 19-0415-91. *JB UPDATED 04/15/10 *BF