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Alison White - Cam Failure #151

new 12/14/02


Hi there,

I am a 1997 SHO owner and I have recently had a problem with the camshaft.

 The VIN number is. . . . . 1FALP54N3VA275493
 

 My email. . . . sweetcopper10@hotmail.com 

 I have had the car since 1998. I purchased it with 8,000 miles from the Ford B lot. (My dad is a retiree From Fords) Up to this point, I have never had any major problems with the car and have taken very good care of it.  

This passed July I took my car to the Ford dealership service department to get a major tune up. It cost me approximately $400.00. After the car was picked up we noticed a very loud ticking sound that was not there before. My dad, who picked up the car, mentioned to the service manager that the car was running very loudly. The service manager agreed but offered no apparent reason nor did he mention any precaution to be taken. It was picked up on a Friday and because of the terrible sound, I was planning on taking it back to the dealership at the start of the week. I drove the car approximately 40 miles that weekend and while I was driving home at approximately 45mph the engine shut down and I was forced to the side of the road. I had it towed back to the dealership and was charged again for them to look at it a second time. I was told that it looked like there was a problem with the camshaft and that it would cost me thousands for them to take the head off of it and to diagnose the problem any further. I told him that I didn't understand why that had happened. I just paid for a major tune up and reminded him that it sounded much worse after the tune up. He offered no explanation except to say that it was a mechanical problem and that it had nothing  to do with their initial service on the vehicle. I don't understand how they couldn't have known about the problem nor how they could have sent the car out of the shop with the loud ticking noise that it acquired while it was there. I had it towed to another dealership and they also confirmed the problem and gave me a higher estimated cost for the repairs. I ended up taking it to a private mechanic who, after further investigation, informed me that all of the valves were bent as well.  

As with several other SHO owners, I was left with thousands of dollars of repairs that I felt could have been avoided. I was forced to buy another vehicle and that compounded my expenses. I learned of the lawsuit from the Detroit Free Press and would like to be a part of it. Any information you have about this would be greatly appreciated. 

 Any information can be directed to me or my dad, Clifford White, who is also involved with the problem.  

With Much Appreciation, 

Alison White


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