1994 Ford Thunderbird

BRAKE ROTORS WARP UNNESSESSARILY EARLY IN LIFE, FORD REPLACES PER TSB BUT NO RECALL. -- TAILLAMPS FAIL AFTER TRUNK TRAUMA (IE CLOSING IT) OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS. FORD FIXES UNDER WARRANTY, BUT NO RECALL FOR DEFECTIVE ASSEMBLIES. -- THE MN12'S 4R70W TRANSMISSION IS NOTED FOR TORQUE CONVERTER SHUDDER AND NUMEROUS SHIFT PROBLEMS THAT ARE ADDRESSED IN TSB'S BUT THE NUMBER OF TSB'S AND FAILURES OF THE AODE/4R70W TRANSMISSION WARRANTS A RECALL ON THE CONTROL ASSEMBLY (VALVE BODY). TRANNY IS PRONE TO FAIL.

6 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, TRANSMISSION FAILED, WAS REBUILT. IN 1998 HAD TO HAVE THE ROTORS, PADS AND CALIBERS REPLACED. ALSO, IN 1998, HEAD GASKETS BLEW, HAD TO REPLACE. IN 1999, PCV AND PCP VALVE REPLACE, OIL SENSOR, DASHBOARD GUAGE MODULE REPLACED. NOW IN AUGUST OF 1999, TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING AGAIN. NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.

FIRST COMPLAINED TO DEALER THAT TRANSMISSION SHIFTED HARD ON 11/04/1994 @ 10378 MILES: DEALER RESPONDED NO PROBLEM FOUND. NEXT VISIT TO DEALER ON 09/20/1995 COMPLAINT VIBRATION IN DRIVELINE AT UPSHIFTS - DEALER RESPONDED NO PROBLEM FOUND. CONTINUED TO TAKE CARD IN TO DEALER COMPLAINING OF INTERMITTENT PROBLEM - ENGINE REVS (TACHOMETER INCREASES) AND VEHICLE NOT MOVING FORWARD. DEALER SAID CONTINUALLY THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. FINALLY CAR GOT TO POINT WHERE PROBLEM WAS OCCURRING AT NEARLY EVERY SPEED EVERY DAY. HAD TRANSMISSION REBUILT AT AMERICAN TRANSMISSIONS, ROYAL OAK, MI. PROBLEM STILL NOT SOLVED. AFTER SEVERAL RETURN VISITS, PROBLEM WAS FOUND TO BE FAULTY ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE, FORD PART NO. F3LP-7F293-BA, WHICH ESSENTIALLY PUT TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL WHILE IN DRIVE. THIS FAILURE IS WHAT I TRIED TO RESOLVE UNSUCCESSFULLY WITH FORD DEALER FOR APPROX. 5 YEARS. PROBLEM WAS THE SAME EACH TIME, AND WAS FINALLY IDENTIFIED AND REPAIRED BY SOMEONE OUTSIDE THE FORD SERVICE NETWORK. THIS PROBLEM IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE MY CAR WAS "COASTING" UNTIL THE TRANS "CAUGHT".

WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT JUST ABOUT ANY SPEED THE CAR STARTS TO SHUDDER. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS MY TORQUE CONVERTER IN MY TRANSMISSION AND REPLACED IT AT 39,000 MILES AND AT THAT TIME WE WERE TOLD THAT THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED 3 OR MORE A WEEK BECAUSE THE TORQUE CONVERTER IN THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT BUILT STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE SIZE MOTOR BUILT IN THE CAR. NOW AT 60,000 THE CAR IS DOING THE SAME THING BUT THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY CANNOT REPLACE IT AGAIN BECAUSE IT LASTED MORE THAN 12,00 MILES AND IT WOULD COST ME BETWEEN $700 TO$1,000 DOLLARS. PLEASE HELP I DONT HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY RIGHT NOW.