1981 FORD FAIRMONT User Comment / Complaint

While vehicle was sitting in consumer's driveway consumer's child knocked the gear shift into drive and vehicle rolled backwards, slamming into a wall across the street. the child was not hurt, but the vehicle and the wall were damaged. vehicle's manual stated that vehicle could not be shifted into gear without a key being in the ignition.  view

When stepping on the brake vehicle accelerated. consumer stated that engine roared. had to step on the brakes with great pressure and it still happened. consumer took vehicle to the dealer on 3 occasions, and each time, they were unable to detect the problem. consumer contacted manufacturer, who denied of the problem. manufacturer sent an engineer to diagnose the problem, and while in his possession, the problem did not duplicate itself.  view

There was a leak of radiator fluid into the pistons. it was discovered that the plastic line in the engine was defective, and then was replaced.  view

When coming to a stop vehicle jerked forward, rear ending another vehicle. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.  view

While shifting into third gear vehicle slipped and it felt like the transmission was in neutral. transmission down shifted on its own. consumer took vehicle to dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that transmission needed to be replaced due to shaft sensor. consumer informed the mechanic that this problem occurred more than once, and had not been resolved. the consumer stated that the transmission is slipping out of gear.  view

1- vehicle (2003 mercedes-benz e55) was traveling at 65-70 mph on garden state parkway (nj). i was approaching exit 109 when a car entering from the right decided to cross three lanes of traffic, cutting me off. 10086185 2- when i took my foot off the gas quickly, the dash lit up red, a warning beep came on and a malfunction message told me "brake malfunction-stop vehicle" (a bit ironic, huh?). the brake pedal was soft to the floor. i downshifted two gears and tried pumping the brake pedal, but finally had to stop the car by downshifting the transmission again and applying the parking brake. i pulled the car onto the shoulder. the dash showed two malfunctions, brakes and esp (traction control), and the warning beep continued until i removed the key. i restarted the vehicle several times as instructed by the instrument panel, until finally the dash advised "no malfunctions," and the pedal regained its normal feel, at which point i drove slowly home. about 1/4 mile from my house the failure repeated itself. i pulled into a parking lot and tried to slow the car from a walking pace using only the brake pedal. with both feet on the pedal and considerable force applied, the brakes could barely stop the car from even that speed. i stopped the car again using the parking brake and repeated the turn it on/turn it off sequence until getting the "no malfunction" screen again and drove the rest of the way home. upon entering my driveway, i got the failure message again, slowed the car in the same manner as before and parked it. 3- the dealer picked up the car on a flatbed and brought it in for service. i also contacted the nhtsa prior to allowing the car to be towed away in case any investigation needed to be performed. ultimately, the abs/esp cpu was replaced under warranty and the car was returned on july 27, 2004. copies of the repair order have been faxed to scott yon at nhtsa for review. the car has performed properly since the repair.  view

Problems with alfa see ya motorhome. the living room slide would slide out but had to be pushed back in while the button was being pressed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer because the a/c wasn't cooling the rv adequately. although adjustments/repairs were made the a/c still didn't work properly and now it would trip the circuit breaker at the resort. the propane tank leaked. when the consumer drained the black water tank, the sewage dump started making noise. the electric awning would retract when the sensor became too hot. the bathroom door opened when going around corners.  view

Consumer' s vehicle experienced the same problems as stated in nhtsa recalls 96v071000 and 99v27500 concerning ignition system and headlights. the dealership indicated consumer's vehicle not included in the recall due to vin.  view

Consumer' s vehicle experienced the same problems as stated in nhtsa recalls 96v071000 and 99v27500 concerning ignition system and headlights. the dealership indicated consumer's vehicle not included in the recall due to vin.  view

Location of exhaust pipe is affecting brake equipment. due to the exhaust pipe being placed in front of the rear tire, the heat deteriorates the rear brake backing panel affecting the brakes and shattering the center wheel hub. the dealer advised the consumer of having the muffler tail pipe re-routed to the rear of the tire as subsequent models of the vehicle.  view