Monday, 12-May-08 07:11:46 PDT

Disclaimer: The information offered on this page is my opinion only. I have not yet received any compensation from Ford Canada regarding my claim, so following the suggestions below is no guarantee of compensation.

You've just been told by your mechanic that the engine of your Windstar has to be replaced due to a problem with the head gasket, which caused coolant to leak into the engine oil. The worst of it, though, is that you will have to cover 100% of the cost. Now What?

On the Documentation web page of this site, I've listed off and included the letters I've sent to Ford Canada and other agencies and the results. In hind sight, though, I think I would have done things a little differently. Based on this, here are my suggestions to those who are at the beginning of this process.

Step 1
Contact Ford - Your initial contact with Ford will probably be through calling their Customer Relationship Centre (CRC). Speak with a CSR and tell them your problem and what you expect from Ford. Make sure you stick to the facts of the problem. If you've received poor service from your dealer, mention this as well, but remember, the only thing Ford will even consider after warranty assistance for is, or course, an after warranty issue, not a customer service issue. While I think it's important to let Ford know if you are treated unfairly by anyone in thier organization, the main issue should be that they sold you a faulty product, and you'd like compensation. In all likelihood, you will be told that Ford is unable to compensate you, but taking this step is important in the documentation process.

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Step 2
Write a letter to Ford Head Office - Once you've filed your complaint with the CRC and been told that you are on your own, now it's time to write a carefully worded letter to Ford's head office. This website provides the names of some of the people you should consider addressing your letter to. I've also included the letters I wrote to Ford on this site for reference, and there are other sites on the web that have done the same, so take a look around at the examples before you begin. It's important to stick to the facts in your letter and to come across as levelheaded and professional. A fact that may be worth mentioning in your letter is that the head gasket in your Windstar failed in the same location (#4 plug) as in the 1995 Windstar's, which were covered by an extended warranty. Do some research on the web and talk to your dealer about the similarities between your problem and the problem with the 1995 Windstar's. Use any information you gain in your letter.

The response you receive from Ford will determine your next step. In my case, all the responses to my letters to Ford were in the form of phone calls from someone other than the person I addressed my letters to. It became clear to me that this person had no real power to make any decisions. If this happens to you, try to deal directly with the person you wrote the letter to. If they are willing to offer you a goodwill settlement, and you are dealing directly with someone who has the authority to make things happen, you may have some success negotiating a deal that you are happy with.

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Step 3

Contact Consumer Agencies and Consumer Advocates - If you've gotten this far, it means that you weren't able to come to a settlement with Ford directly. If this is the case, you now have some work ahead of you. Your next letters should be directed to your local Better Business Bureau, your Province's Attorney General and any other consumer agency available in your Province. If your Windstar is less than four years old, contact CAMVAP to see if they will assist you with your claim. These agencies may or may not be able to help you, but once again, these contacts serve as more documentation. Also, if these agencies receive an onslaught of of complaints from unsatisfied owners, it could prompt them to do an investigation of their own.

Another idea at this stage is to contact any consumer news reporters from TV or newspaper and ask them to do a story about your situation. This may not prompt Ford to settle with you, but the reporter may dig up info for you that you wouldn't have had access to on your own.

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Step 4

Take Ford to Small Claims Court - With all other avenues exhausted, your last resort may be to go the small claims court route. You will need to make sure you've done your homework for this one. Try to find an expert witness who will testify that yours is not the only Windstar van that's had this problem and that the problem occurs in the same location of the head gasket as in the 1995's. Find out what constitues hearsay in your Province, i.e. will the judge accept documentation taken from the Internet. See if you can get other Windstar owners to provide you with an affidavit saying that they had the same problem with their Windstar, and that the head gasket failed in the same location as yours. In the Province of BC, there is an 8 month wait for your day in court. I don't know how long the wait may be in other Provinces, but I think it's safe to say it's probably similar, so the sooner you file your Notice of Claim the better. Be prepared for Ford to show up in court and use whatever means are at their disposal to deny that they should bear any responsibility for your problem. They will probably have expert witnesses of their own to counter your claim.

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Document Last Modified on Friday, 23-May-03 10:53:11 PDT