Prattville, ALMassive
Ford recalls have been issued to deactivate a faulty cruise control switch, a simple operation, but Ford vehicle customers are now facing lengthy wait times for a new part. Gene, whose job entails long road travel, waited five months.
"I bought my Mercury Grand Marquis in September 1998," says Gene. "Everything went really well until I got a recall notice to have the cruise control disconnected in early September 2007. So, of course, I took it to the Ford dealership and they disconnected it on the spot.
I was told that hopefully parts would be available in mid to late October. I waited and waited. On December 19th I called Ford and the woman on the phone couldn't give me a date when the parts would be available. She said that because there'd been such a massive recall, they were couldn't get it done.
I was getting really disgusted by now because I drive a lot, and I had surgery on my right foot which has been bothering me for a long time. When I put my foot to the peddle, it hurts. I've just done a long trip to Texas and now I'm heading for Michigan.
On February 6, I had to take the car into the shop for a completely different reason. Afterwards, they told me they were replacing the part. They never told me they'd received the parts, but it just so happens I was in, because of that other issue.
When I asked them why they didn't call, they said 'we may have one part in stock, let me check. It turned out they had some for the Lincoln Town Car. I didn't ask if the part they used on my Grand Marquis was a Lincoln part - they're about the same, the two cars, but what bothers me is that they never did call. Every time I'd call I'd get: 'no parts'.
Now, the car's just fine. I went to Michigan, using the cruise control.
My main complaint is that for five months I had to go without the cruise control. I've been to Texas twice and put in between eight to ten thousand miles
I wouldn't trade the car in - I'm tall and the car is easy to get into, and it gets decent mileage, especially with today's prices."
Ford's recall to disconnect the faulty cruise control switch is said to be a temporary fix that at least eliminates the danger of the switch setting off a fire under the hood, an all-too frequent occurrence. Yet, countless Ford vehicle owners are being stonewalled by their dealerships and by Ford's inability to provide the proper parts, or a date to expect those parts, to complete the recall repairs. If that is your case, you might consider seeking the legal advice.