While driving in VERY heavy traffic, engine began to lose power. Check Engine Light illuminated. Saw message, "ENGINE FAULT" in center display. Looked in right mirror to clear lane and saw white smoke pouring from the exhaust. Pulled over and stopped. I thought that the fuel filter may have become clogged, so I called my wife and had her pick me up and take me to Robinson Brothers for a new one. I installed the filter myself and bled the system per the instructions in the owner's manual, as I had done once before. The van would not start. I then called Ford Roadside Assistance. It took them nearly 4 hours to get a tow truck out, and the one they sent was not properly equipped to tow my van. Keep in mind that this is in Baton Rouge at the I-10 split, and I was sitting between two major, very busy, extremely dangerous roads. Another hour later, the correct tow truck showed up and towed me to the dealership. I got the van checked in and took their loaner. Approx. 1 week later, received call from Ford Customer Relations Center. Rep informed me that Ford would not cover the repair under warranty, citing fuel contaminated with water (I believe they were lying. I had already driven 120 miles since my last fill-up and saw no indication of water in the fuel. The van is equipped with a "water in fuel" detector, which did not illuminate, nor did the vehicle exhibit any of the normal signs of contamination, such as random misfires, shuddering, or stalling. I think there would have been some outward sign of contamination before the pump exploded). I argued that if there was water in the fuel, it should have been caught by the fuel water separator in the fuel filter housing. Ford refused to honor the warranty. I called Allstate and filed a claim on comprehensive insurance, which they paid. The vehicle was down for a total of 62 days, and I was forced to pay for the rental car, as well, as the warranty was not covering the repair. I tried to file a Lemon Law claim based on the fact that the vehicle was down and out for over 15 days, but Florida does not allow Lemon Law suits for vehicles with a GVWR of over 10,000 lbs (the van is rated at 10,360). A few weeks after I got it back, Ford released a recall notice on bad fuel pumps, but my truck wasn't included, since mine had already exploded and been replaced with the revised model.
While driving in VERY heavy traffic, engine began to lose power. Check Engine Light illuminated. Saw message, "ENGINE FAULT" in center display. Looked in right mirror to clear lane and saw white smoke pouring from the exhaust. Pulled over and stopped. I thought that the fuel filter may have become clogged, so I called my wife and had her pick me up and take me to Robinson Brothers for a new one. I installed the filter myself and bled the system per the instructions in the owner's manual, as I had done once before. The van would not start. I then called Ford Roadside Assistance. It took them nearly 4 hours to get a tow truck out, and the one they sent was not properly equipped to tow my van. Keep in mind that this is in Baton Rouge at the I-10 split, and I was sitting between two major, very busy, extremely dangerous roads. Another hour later, the correct tow truck showed up and towed me to the dealership. I got the van checked in and took their loaner. Approx. 1 week later, received call from Ford Customer Relations Center. Rep informed me that Ford would not cover the repair under warranty, citing fuel contaminated with water (I believe they were lying. I had already driven 120 miles since my last fill-up and saw no indication of water in the fuel. The van is equipped with a "water in fuel" detector, which did not illuminate, nor did the vehicle exhibit any of the normal signs of contamination, such as random misfires, shuddering, or stalling. I think there would have been some outward sign of contamination before the pump exploded). I argued that if there was water in the fuel, it should have been caught by the fuel water separator in the fuel filter housing. Ford refused to honor the warranty. I called Allstate and filed a claim on comprehensive insurance, which they paid. The vehicle was down for a total of 62 days, and I was forced to pay for the rental car, as well, as the warranty was not covering the repair. I tried to file a Lemon Law claim based on the fact that the vehicle was down and out for over 15 days, but Florida does not allow Lemon Law suits for vehicles with a GVWR of over 10,000 lbs (the van is rated at 10,360). A few weeks after I got it back, Ford released a recall notice on bad fuel pumps, but my truck wasn't included, since mine had already exploded and been replaced with the revised model.
- grierjs, Clarksville, TN, US