Hello...My name is Matthew McConnell. You may use my full name. I have an automobile issue. Like many people I rely on my automobile to get me to work and wherever I need to go. Just recently, 12/07/2002 my 1999 Ford Ranger XLT began making a terrible noise. I initially heard the sound that night (Saturday 12/07/2002) and thought that a belt was loose or some other minor problem. The next morning I went outside in the light to check where the belt was loose. To my surprise there was no belt loose and nothing seemed to be out of place. The sound was coming from the engine! I thought that this was a mistake since I only had 56K original miles on my truck and I am not a mechanic. Regardless, I took the truck to my mechanic on Monday 12/09/2002 and as soon as he heard the sound coming from my engine he told me I had two options..."either we take it apart and rebuild it" or "you have to buy a new engine." I couldn't believe my ears. I need a brand new engine, or a replacement for the truck I have owned since August 2001...unbelievable!

I quickly started making phone calls to my insurance, Ford customer service line and the dealership I financed the truck through. At first, I thought Ford would be eager to help and want to replace this defective engine at their cost. To my surprise it was the exact opposite. When I spoke with a Service Rep in a call center he told me that I would have to contact the Service Manager at my dealership (his name is BLAINE). BLAINE was on vacation so I spoke with JAIME in his absence.

JAIME was a nice man, however he was not helpful. He told me that I would have to bring in my truck (that is no longer mobile) and then they would have a FORD technician look at the engine and assess that it is indeed "dead." Makes sense, if Ford is going to replace my engine they will want to know for sure if it is their defect. But I didn't hear JAIME mention anything about Ford absorbing the cost associated with my diagnostics test, so how much will this cost I ask? Between $200 and $600! This is the cost, out of my pocket whether Ford takes responsibility or not, to officially tell me that I need an engine replacement. At this point I want to know that if I have this diagnostic test done and they find that my engine is at fault, will they replace it? No.

JAIME goes into an explanation that my truck is out of warranty and that Ford technically has no liability to repair my Truck. I ask if Ford cares that I owe $12500 on a truck that only has 56K miles on it and does not run? No. I will still have to make payments on time for something that I cannot use. I should also add that Mr. Keifer seemed taken aback by the fact that I found the truck through a private dealer and I actually have a complaint. Does it matter? I have all of the service records and the carfax from before my purchase and it is still a Ford truck, they should be eager to prove that this is a fluke...but I guess that doesn't matter when you are selling MILLIONS of cars and trucks every year. So what do I want from Ford?

I am open to negotiation, however I want Ford to tell me that if the truck is faulty then they will tow the truck into the dealership, they will do the diagnostics tests for free and they will place a brand new engine into my truck for $1000 or less. Also, I would be willing to sell the truck back to the dealership and start fresh.