Cam Failure Update - the Last Straw

updated 11/04/02

Recently I learned on good authority that we should not expect Ford to recall our cars due to cam sprocket failures. We are a niche market of an obsolete marquee so what should we expect? Ford marketing knows no group was more loyal the SHO owners, none are more fanatical and brand loyal. I know the V8 SHO is a joy to drive and once the cams are welded a joy to own.

Of the 19,730 V8 SHOs made between we suspect at least 5-10% are experiencing abrupt cam sprocket failure due to design defect. Because each engine has 4 cams the chances of any one given car having a failure are pretty good, and the consequences are catastrophic for any owner. At $10,000 repair bill that effectively totals the car.

Maybe because the engine is made by Yamaha in Japan rebuild parts and generally NOT available, neither Jasper or even engine rebuilders that specialize in Ford engines can get parts to rebuild V8 SHOs. 

The best option is to prevent cam failure. based on destructive testing done by Ford the factory Ford V8 SHO cams has an estimated life of 75,000 miles. Welded cams have an estimated life of about 1,500,000 miles. Cams pinned have an estimated life of about 4,000,000 miles.

We know of V8 SHOs with 130,000 miles with no failures and other cars with less then 40,000 miles that lost engines. Failure is not related to lack of maintenance or driver abuse.  Owners who did not buy their cars new from Ford don't seen to figure in Ford's thinking since in Ford's thinking they are not "Ford Customers."

I love my car, and have a great loyalty to it and other SHO owners, but this way my first domestic in 20 years after bad treatment from GM. For 20 years while domestic market share declined I was told Ford had quality second to none and improved customer service. What I have seen demonstrated since I purchased my SHO is: 

1. With few exceptions the least scrupulous and most incompetent  service departments on earth.
2. A car company with the middle name "motor" - Ford Motor Company can't build a reliable engine.
3. In light of overwhelming field reports and destructive testing to the contrary Ford management is will to throw the dice and hope no one get hurt because of an engine failure.  

Less than 10% of V8 SHO owners are on line and part of the enthusiast community, and most of them have welded their cams, all we are out is about $500. While I never hope any one gets hurt do to a cam failure; should someone get hurt - Ford can no longer deny knowledge of the defect, I hope they damn near bankrupt FOMOCO.

I am not going to lead a march on Dearborn for $500, but I do have standards for whom I choose to do business with. Next time some tells me we have improved quality and customer service I am going to wait a lot more than 20 years to find out.

Therefore,

I PLEDGE

Based on the way Ford Motor Company has treated me and other V8 SHO owners not to purchase any new product of theirs, be it car or truck from Ford or any of their subsidiaries, foreign or domestic. 

I also promise to not miss any opportunity to tell of my dissatisfaction with any other car lovers where ever and when ever car folks  gather. Reports of Ford's appalling treatment of customers and villainy deserves to be as broad discussed as possible..

I bought my 1998 black SHO brand new off the lot and had numerous little "Quality is Job 1" issues when I first picked up the car (factory CD player not plugged in at the factory, paint flaws on the roof, rear window would not go down, bubble in the tire near the bead, mismatched/non-color coordinated screws on the side markers, fender well screws not fully seated), but I really loved driving the car. Overall it was well balanced as far as handling, performance, versatility, and stealth.

A couple of months ago I could not stand the thought of losing an engine only to get it replaced with a rebuilt engine of unknown origin and quality (I bought the ESP Premium care plan when I bought the car) as mine had only about 24,000 all highway miles. So I traded it in for a new 2002 Dodge Durango (sorry to the new owner, but I was able to get some cash back for trading in the unused portion of the ESP warranty). My family and I have had various car makes (mostly GM, Ford, and Chrysler) over the years, including many many Fords, but I will never buy another Ford product, including Range Rover, Jaguar, and Aston Martin. I believe that my family feels the same way. My brother who has himself owned 3 Tauri (2 sedans for himself and 1 wagon for his wife), recently bought an Audi as he was disappointed in the story that was playing out among the SHO crowd. Good luck to all of you that still own the SHO and hopefully you will get more for your car than I got for mine.

Ken Dolin

Tim,

I'm at work and I just logged on to the V8SHO.com site, I saw The Pledge, I have, since December of 2000, felt this way in fact every time I see a Ford commercial I utter "F.... U Ford". I have been treated so poorly by this manufacturer that it often brought me to tears, just out of frustration. I spent thousands of dollars on repairs plus it's paid off, however, I will never, ever consider buying a Ford again. They are sleezy, greedy manufacturers who are taking the V8 SHO owners for every dime they have. After two cam failures and shoddy repairs by their "Certified Technicians" I pray that I will never have to step foot in a Ford Dealership again. I will keep the car, put it away and drive it on Sundays or special occasions, I will buy another new car or maybe two new cars, but you can bet NONE of them will be a Ford product. I recently unsubscribed from the list because I never have the chance to read all of the emails, I am however, proud to be a V8SHO Owner and would like to be added to "The Pledge". My personal email address is natural0218@aol.com.

Thanks to all of you who created this document.
Iva Hairston
'96 ES
2 cam failures

The following was submitted to FOMOCO via their national website:

I am a dissatisfied Ford Motor Company customer.

I am a member, of the Taurus SHO community, the National SHO registry and the V8 SHO (96-99) news group. I am a long time FORD owner, and since 1968 I have had many Ford products in my garage, both new and used. Recently it was learned that we should not expect a Ford recall for our cars due to cam sprocket failures. Apparently, we are just a niche market, of an obsolete marquee; so what should we expect? Ford marketing knows no group has been more loyal the SHO owners, none are more fanatical or brand loyal. I know that my 97 SHO is a joy to drive and once the cams are welded a joy to own.

Of the 19,730 V8 SHOs made between 1996 and 1999, we (the V8 SHO newsgroup) suspect at least 5-10% are experiencing abrupt cam sprocket failure due to design defect. Because each engine has 4 cams the chances of any one given car having a failure are pretty good, and the consequences are catastrophic for any owner. At $10,000 repair bill that effectively totals the car.

Perhaps, because the engine is assembled by Yamaha, in Japan; rebuild parts are generally NOT available. Neither Jasper, nor engine re-builders that specialize in Ford engines, can get parts to rebuild the 3.4L V8 SHO engines.

The best option is to prevent cam failure. Based on destructive testing done by Ford, the factory Ford V8 SHO cams have an estimated life of 75,000 miles. Welded cams have an estimated life of about 1,500,000 miles. Cams that have been pinned have an estimated life of about 4,000,000 miles. I can accept that a camshaft is a wear part, however, the cams are not wearing, they are breaking. A cam should never break in normal usage.

I know of V8 SHOs with 130,000 miles with no failures and other cars with less then 40,000 miles that lost engines. Failure is not related to lack of maintenance or driver abuse. Owners who did not buy their cars new from Ford don't seen to figure in Ford's thinking since in Ford's thinking they are not "Ford Customers."

I love my car, and have a great loyalty to it and other SHO owners. This was not my First FORD product, however it will be my last. For 20 years while domestic market share declined, I was told Ford had quality second to none and improved customer service. What I have seen demonstrated since I purchased my SHO is:

1. With few exceptions, demonstrably, the most incompetent service departments on earth.

2. A car company with the middle name "motor" - Ford Motor Company can't build a reliable engine.

3. In light of overwhelming field reports and destructive testing to the contrary, Ford management is willing to throw the dice and hope no one gets hurt because of an engine failure.

Less than 10% of V8 SHO owners are on line and part of the enthusiast community, and many have welded their cams. The cost is about $500. While I hope no one gets hurt due to a cam failure; should someone get hurt - Ford
can no longer deny the problem. I have standards for who I will choose to do business. The next time someone tells me that FOMOCO has improved quality and customer service, when I finish laughing at them, I am going to wait a lot more than 20 years to find out.

Therefore, it is my pledge, to YOU, Ford Motor Company, as well as my fellow SHO enthusiasts, that: Based on the way Ford Motor Company has treated me, and the other V8 SHO owners, I will not purchase any new product of theirs, be it car or truck from Ford or any of their subsidiaries, foreign or domestic.

I also promise that I will not miss any opportunity to tell of my dissatisfaction, to my family, my extended family, my coworkers, fellow military retiree's, or with any other car enthusiasts, where ever and whenever they gather. I believe that the reports of Ford's treatment of customers deserve to be as broadly transmitted as possible.

Primm, Alan 

Hi Tim,

As one of the original eight V8 SHO members that moved here from ShoTimes, it saddens me to say that I am no longer a V8 SHO owner. The thought of my "MINT" 97 SHO (42k miles) developing the dreaded CAM failure or transmission failure drove me to trade my SHO for a MUCH more reliable 03 Acura CL Type S (thought I'd try a 2 door again:-).

And it's not just my experience with my SHO, or the experiences of other SHO owners that lead me to my final decision to NEVER by from Ford Again. Within one month of each other I had a neighbor and my Dad experience dramatic problems with their Ford products. My Dad's 95 Mercury Sable LS, with the "optional" 3.8 had the now famous head gasket failure, not to mention a transmission failure. Then my neighbor experienced the exact same problems with his 95 Windstar (engine AND transmission)! After MUCH battling with Ford, both got their problems resolved only to have the engine failures reappear (in BOTH cars)! Needless to say both my dad and my neighbor have joined the anti-Ford club.

Too bad... I truly loved my Ford SHO, and would have bought the new Mercury Marauder if not for Ford's TOTAL LACK of customer loyalty and quality.

Take care Tim,

Mike Michel - former 97 SF SHO owner

My pledge is that not only I, but the company that relies on me to offer recommendations for a fleet in the ten's of thousands shall never again own a new Ford. I have so far succeeded in having the first of our SUV/van fleet replaced with instead of the Escapes that were planned, are now all Subaru Outbacks. The remainder of the pickups in our fleet are being changed from F-150's to $25,000 Chevy extended cab's. My best calculations have placed this year alone about $1.75 million in vehicle purchases and leases of this company have NOT included ONE Ford product. Next year is slated to be an even bigger fleet purchase as the company I work for replaces the larger F350's and larger vehicles. It might be noted that all the executives no longer are required to lease Volvo's or Lincoln's. I sincerely hope that Ford is quite satisfied that there "roll of the dice" was a good decision.

If those in Dearborn think pissing on one "little consumer" won't mount to anything of consequence, they might care to remember, it only took one little $4.00 O-ring to loose a billion dollar spacecraft. I trust that analogy is correctly understood by the 6 figure execs that helped me choose the direction of corrective action they are sure to feel in due time.

Carter Fujibayashi
Greenwood, AR.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Corey W.
To: heroes@customersupportctr.com
Sent: Sunday, November 03, 2002 8:54 PM
Subject: phase 2 - v8sho engine concern

I just bought a used 1997 Ford Taurus SHO from a Ford dealer in my area. It was a one-owner car, and was well taken care of. I asked them before I bought it if they knew of any problems with these cars. They told me they knew of none, and may very well be truthful. I am a working man with a wife and 2 young children and use this car as my family’s main form of transportation. This means to the doctor, shopping for groceries, and visiting family. It disturbs me to find out about all of the problems with the "cam gear failures". I called the only person I knew of that has a car like mine (same year, make, and an SHO), and he had already had to replace his engine when it died on his way to visit his family. (Due to the cam gear) Total cost to him was over $4500. I have been a loyal Ford owner for many years, but if this issue is not resolved, and I go through what many others already have, I will take a vow never to own a Ford Product again. This goes without saying that I will try to influence every friend, even stranger, not to purchase a Ford. And this is coming from a very, very, loving mustang fan that plans to buy a new Mustang GT in the future.

Sincerely,
Corey Wilkins.

Tim,

I would like to take the Pledge. I am the owner of a 1996 Ford Taurus SHO. I experienced the cam sprocket failure two weeks ago; my car had 56,000 miles on it and was very well maintained.

Since then, I have called the Ford Customer Relationship Center (800-392-FORD) three times. They have offered NO support or assistance to help me with this predicament.

I also called two local Ford Dealer Service Centers. Neither offered any assistance. One of the Ford Dealers quoted me $21,000 for replacing the engine!!!

I am disgusted at Ford's response (or lack thereof) to this situation. My first Ford was a 1966 Galaxie 500 with a 289 and I have owned multiple Fords since then. Unfortunately, the SHO will be my last unless Ford takes actions
shortly. Based on what I have seen thus far, I am not holding my breath.

If anyone is interested in filing a class action lawsuit against Ford, I would happily be part of this effort.

Dan Mariani
Sterling Heights, Michigan
daniele.mariani@att.net