Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - hi pitched sound coming from front of vehicle

SanFran.Evan · 06-28-2007, 12:10 PM

I drive a '98 Explorer and have had my "dust seals' replaced 6 times by 4 different Ford Dealers over a 6 year period, under both the MFG. standard warranty and my 100k mike extended warranty and I still have the same noise problem. My Explorer can be so noisy that people scurry to get out of my way, it's VERY EMBARRASSING when I get those dirty looks!

The bigger problem is this could lead to a SAFETY concern. These dust seals will eventually fail and not be able to keep the moving parts free from dust & debris. Those unprotected moving parts could fail and create a dangerous condition. Ford is aware of the problem and should not allow this. There is a TSB from the NHTSA so the Gov is also aware of the issue. With all of the negative news in the media over the last 10 years regarding the poor safety of the Explorer/Ranger, Ford would be well advised to do something about it.

My ESP expired in Dec.'04 and Ford washed their hands of my noise problem stating that "after 7 years, Ford wont offer MFG. support for any more vehicle concerns". Mind you I bought my Explorer brand-new with the longest extended warranty that Ford sold: 6 years/100k miles (as peace-of-mind insurance), I also bought the longest maintenance agreement and had my vehicle serviced at Ford dealer's exclusively after that for a total of 7 years.

I was a loyal Ford customer for 7 years. I guess I too wasn't aggressive enough about my Explorer's defective dust seal problem and now am stuck paying the price for being a nice guy. I was extremely patient, allowing them every opportunity to fix this problem when I should have put my foot down and been one of those irate people who make a scene when they are wronged.

The service manager at my local dealer offered to "repair" my noisy dust seals but he would have to charge me for the service. I was left with no options because I sure wasn't going to begin spending my money to fix a problem that "Ford Certified Factory Technicians" couldn't fix after 6 attempts. What was I going to do start paying for another 6 replacement dust seals out of my own pocket, I don't think so?

I was so frustrated that I "explored" my rights and discovered the California Lemon Law and got an attorney. I am now suing Ford under the California Lemon Law. You can too, my '98 Explorer has 94K miles and under the Lemon Law I am entitled to a "MFG. Buy-Back" where Ford has to buy my Explorer from me for the price that I paid back in '98 plus tax, title, reg, everything, then deducting a small percentage for use. The law is very clear with regard to product liability you as a consumer have rights. With so many of us we may have a class-action lawsuit against Ford.

My court date is in July '07, I will let you know how it goes unless we settle and I have to sign a nondisclosure agreement, until then I'll tell anyone and everyone who wants to know about it.

06-28-2007, 12:10 PM	#22 (permalink)
SanFran.Evan Upright	LEMON LAWCLASS-ACTION*: Dust seals Whining Noise I drive a '98 Explorer and have had my "dust seals' replaced 6 times by 4 different Ford Dealers over a 6 year period, under both the MFG. standard warranty and my 100k mike extended warranty and I still have the same noise problem. My Explorer can be so noisy that people scurry to get out of my way, it's VERY EMBARRASSING when I get those dirty looks! The bigger problem is this could lead to a SAFETY concern. These dust seals will eventually fail and not be able to keep the moving parts free from dust & debris. Those unprotected moving parts could fail and create a dangerous condition. Ford is aware of the problem and should not allow this. There is a TSB from the NHTSA so the Gov is also aware of the issue. With all of the negative news in the media over the last 10 years regarding the poor safety of the Explorer/Ranger, Ford would be well advised to do something about it. My ESP expired in Dec.'04 and Ford washed their hands of my noise problem stating that "after 7 years, Ford wont offer MFG. support for any more vehicle concerns". Mind you I bought my Explorer brand-new with the longest extended warranty that Ford sold: 6 years/100k miles (as peace-of-mind insurance), I also bought the longest maintenance agreement and had my vehicle serviced at Ford dealer's exclusively after that for a total of 7 years. I was a loyal Ford customer for 7 years. I guess I too wasn't aggressive enough about my Explorer's defective dust seal problem and now am stuck paying the price for being a nice guy. I was extremely patient, allowing them every opportunity to fix this problem when I should have put my foot down and been one of those irate people who make a scene when they are wronged. The service manager at my local dealer offered to "repair" my noisy dust seals but he would have to charge me for the service. I was left with no options because I sure wasn't going to begin spending my money to fix a problem that "Ford Certified Factory Technicians" couldn't fix after 6 attempts. What was I going to do start paying for another 6 replacement dust seals out of my own pocket, I don't think so? I was so frustrated that I "explored" my rights and discovered the California Lemon Law and got an attorney. I am now suing Ford under the California Lemon Law. You can too, my '98 Explorer has 94K miles and under the Lemon Law I am entitled to a "MFG. Buy-Back" where Ford has to buy my Explorer from me for the price that I paid back in '98 plus tax, title, reg, everything, then deducting a small percentage for use. The law is very clear with regard to product liability you as a consumer have rights. With so many of us we may have a class-action lawsuit against Ford. My court date is in July '07, I will let you know how it goes unless we settle and I have to sign a nondisclosure agreement, until then I'll tell anyone and everyone who wants to know about it.