new 12/16/02
Hopefully I am emailing the correct person. I have been reading the website V8SHO.com lately when I recently had my engine fail on me. I was driving down the highway one morning at roughly 6:30 AM when I heard a ticking in the engine and wondered if it was road noise or the engine. I gave the engine some gas as I had been coasting at about 70 mph and the ticking became a much louder knocking. I immediately crossed lanes of traffic and exited the highway and at the access road light, my SHO stalled. I was able to get it started again after a couple of tries but the knocking was very loud by this point and I drove about a ¼ to ½ mile to the nearest next parking lot. Right as I let off the gas to turn, the engine stalled again and that was the last time I got the engine to run. I had to finish pushing the car into a parking space and was luckily near a service station so I had a service guy come over and listen as I attempted to start the engine and it would barely try to turn over and he told me it was major like a thrown rod or camshaft or valve/piston problem. Then the engine failed to turn over or anything, just a buzz. So, I got car towed and began hunting down mechanics, not wanting to go back to a ford dealership even though I knew that it was an extensive problem because I had horrible service from different Ford dealerships my whole warranty period. Every good mechanic that I had received recommendations for would not touch then engine because it was so high-tech and told me I would have to replace it because they are un-repairable for the damage that was done. Early estimates were for $6,000 to $7,000 plus. I started looking then on the internet for used SHO engines, still unaware that this was an extensive problem, but being appalled the whole time that an engine with only 102,000+ would suddenly blow up. I then found your site and articles by the Detroit press detailing exactly the problem I had and causing me to realize I had now a lemon of a vehicle that I am going to be upside down on when I only owed about $2,500 or so to finish paying it off. I have had multiple problems with the vehicle and had even been warned by Ford dealership service techs to get rid of the vehicle before the warranty ran out as I would have major engine problems and they would be inevitable. I thought they were full of cr_p, but now I wonder if they were trying to forewarn me of preemptive engine failures. I had the vehicle repaired multiple times around the 40,000 to 50,000 mile mark for slipping transmission and hesitation and warning lights and they would have the vehicle for a week or two and then we would get it back to only have the problem again the same day and immediately take it back. Also, we have had multiple engine oil leaks that we complained about well within our extended warranty period that they could never find (even though the evidence was in my driveway) and then when we took the vehicle back in for what we thought was our last chance to get warranty work and get the oil leaks checked, we conveniently find out we missed our warranty by one month and on top of that, the dealership claimed to have no record of there ever being a complaint of oil leaks with the vehicle. So, I get stuck with estimates of $2,500 worth of oil leaks that I began to fix one by one when I had the money (on top of having to watch the oil levels constantly to take care of the engine). All this has resulted in the worst luck I have ever had with engine problems. Seems to justify itself now that when I tried to take the service techs advice and get rid of the car, the dealership would only offer me $2,000 as a trade-in. $2,000, you have to be joking when the car blue booked for over $13,000. Anyway, now my baby is dead and even though I just bought a new 2002 Eddie Bauer Expedition, it will be my last Ford vehicle ever. And I mean ever, even if I do somehow get relief and get this SHO fixed from a recall or something.
I would like to be added to the list of owners of an SHO failure and informed of anyway that I can provide my voice in the lawsuit or just in general.
Thanks,
Chris Gordon