2003 Ford Navigator

03 NAVIGATOR BEGAN "STUTTERING" WHEN DRIVING, FELT LIKE A TRANSMISSION SLIPPING. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THREE OF THE EIGHT CYLINDERS WERE NOT AT FULL COMPRESSION. HE ADVISED NEW HEADS WERE NEEDED. COST: $7000. SEVERAL SERVICE BULLETINS HAVE BEEN ISSUED ON THE PROBLEM, INDEPENDENT (FORMER FORD TECH) MECHANIC LOOKED AT THE PROBLEM. HE ADVISED THIS IS VERY COMMON ON THE TRITAN MOTOR AND THERE IS A CASTING PROBLEM WITH THE HEADS. *TR

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR. ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS THE SPARK PLUGS EXPLODED, AND SHE HAS HAD TO REPLACE THE SPARK PLUGS AND COILS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE SPARK PLUGS EXPLODED THEY SENT SENDS THE FRAGMENTS FROM THE SPARK PLUGS INTO THE ENGINE. EACH TIME THIS HAPPENED THE NUMBER 3 AND NUMBER 4 SPARKS WERETHE ONES THAT EXPLODED. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH ON JANUARY 11, 2007 IT WAS THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT. SHE HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN WITH THE MECHANIC SINCE 01/11/2007. *AK THE BRAKES SQUEAKED, THE SEAT BELT BUTTON WAS REPLACED, THE IDLER ARM WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WOULD ALWAYS RUN ROUGH AND LOOSE POWER. UPDATD 02/27/07. *JB

2003 FORD EXPEDITION XLT WITH 5.4 LITER TRITON V8 ENGINE WITH 59,000 MILES. THE VEHICLE IS WELL MAINTAINED AND NOT ABUSED. THE #3 SPARK PLUG WAS BLOWN OUT OF THE ALUMINUM CYLINDER HEAD DURING DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH. THIS EVENT WAS PRECEDED BY A TAPPING NOISE WHICH OCCURRED OVER THE PRECEDING TWO WEEKS. THE NOISE WAS SIMILAR TO A NOISY VALVE LIFTER. THE ENGINE HAD THE ORIGINAL FACTORY INSTALLED SPARK PLUGS THAT WERE NEVER REMOVED, REPLACED OR SERVICED. THE FACTORY CHANGE INTERVAL ON THE PLUGS IS 100,000 MILES. SPARK PLUG BLOW OUT RESULTED IN THE THE NEED TO REPLACE THE CYLINDER HEAD AND COIL PACK. INSPECTION OF THE OLD PART REVEALED THAT ONLY 4 TO 5 THREADS WERE PROVIDED TO RETAIN THE SPARK PLUG. INSPECTION OF THE NEW REPLACEMENT HEAD REVEALED THAT 9 THREADS ARE PROVIDED TO RETAIN THE SPARK PLUG. FORD KEPT THE OLD PARTS. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW THAT HAS BEEN CORRECTED BY AN IMPROVED NEW HEAD. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OR POSSIBLY MILLIONS OF VEHICLES ON THE ROAD WITH THIS DEFECT. THE TRITON ENGINES WITH CYLINDER HEADS HAVING THIS DEFECT WERE USED IN FORD AND LINCOLN SUV'S AND TRUCKS FROM APPROXIMATELY 1998 TO 2003, INCLUDING HE POPULAR F150 PICKUP. AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURRED THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING VERY ROUGH, MAKING A LOUD NOISE AND COULD NOT BE SAFELY DRIVEN. THE VEHICLE STALLED. *NM

ON FEBRUARY 25, 2005, I TOOK MY 2003 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR A MAJOR FRONT AIR SUSPENSION PROBLEM; THE FRONT HALF OF MY CAR WAS SO LOW TO THE GROUND WHILE THE BACK HALF WAS SET HIGH. THE RIDE WAS VERY BUMPY, ROUGH,AND UNWIELDY . THE DEALERSHIPS SERVICE PERSONNEL DETERMINED THE VEHICLE'S AIR SUSPENSION COMPRESSOR WAS INOPERABLE AND THAT THERE WAS A FAILURE OF THE CAR'S FRONT PNEUMATIC SYSTEM. DEALER INSTALLED NEW COMPRESSOR AND PERFORMED RECALIBRATING TESTS OF THE PNEUMATIC SYSTEM BUT LESS THAN A MONTH LATER ON MARCH 22ND, THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED AND I HAD TO TAKE THE CAR IN TO THE DEALER FOR ANOTHER REPAIR. THIS TIME THE "RIDE HEIGHT CALIBRATION" WAS INACCURATE AND WAS SUPPOSEDLY RE-MEASURED AND RECALCULATED. THE FOLLOWING DAY I NOTICED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE FRONT OF MY CAR LOW TO THE GROUND. ON MARCH 25TH, I CONTACTED THE SERVICE MANAGER ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM. ON MARCH 28TH, THE CAR IS IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE THIRD TIME FOR THE SAME SUSPENSION PROBLEM. THE SERVICE MANAGER INDICATED THAT THE CAR WILL BE TESTED AND KEPT OVERNIGHT TO MAKE SURE THE PROBLEM DOES NOT CONTINUE. THE TECHNICIANS AT THIS POINT DO NOT KNOW WHY THIS SUSPENSION PROBLEM KEEPS HAPPENING. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS THE CAR IS VERY UNWIELDY WHEN IT IS DRIVEN. I'M AFRAID THAT THE CAR HAS AN EVEN GREATER TENDENCY TO ROLLOVER IF THIS PROBLEM IS NOT SOLVED.*JB