I just got an email from someone claiming to be a lawyer researching a class action suit on this issue in Ontario Canada. I have responded. If anything proceeds on this, I will post more info.
Just a reminder of my original post...especially as at least one member has indicated poor maintenance and driving through the desert a likely factors (Note: ours was a well maintained vehicle and the failure happened in a Canadian winter...and it was on a day that was below 0 weather!
We purchased this vehicle 'gently used' from the same well respected Ford Dealership where the original owner had purchased it and just recently traded it in. Maintenance records indicated a vehicle that was meticulously maintained by previous owner and I have done the same..
We experienced catastrophic failure just months later at 88000 miles due to water pump leaked and contaminated the engine oil with coolant....
$2300 quoted to replace water pump only, but told really need to replace engine too as bearings may be damaged ...
total $7000.
After only 10 months on a relatively new car, I am facing a $7000 repair bill, and it happened with no warning. Three days ago, a few miles from home, the check engine light came on. I immediately paid attention. Car sounded fine, no sign of trouble, figured I would take it in to dealer after work.... and at about that point, the temperature gauge started to climb. As soon as I saw it heading for the red zone, I pulled over, turned if off and called the tow truck to take it to the dealership where I bought it. I understood the danger to the engine if I drove it overheated. Even though it is winter here and outside temperature was below zero, this gauge was climbing pretty fast.
The rest of the story can be found by searching the internet. The internal water pump (what were they thinking?) leaked coolant into the engine oil. Almost simultaneously, the sensor recognized a problem in the engine due to contaminated oil/bearings coming apart/oil pressure dropping just as coolant had dropped to a level that caused temperature to rise.
I think Ford is praying that these incidents remain isolated and unpublished. You won't see a recall. I wonder how many of these have happened under warranty, so we don't hear about them?
But we ALL know that water pumps do not have the same life span as the engine. Now we also know that these vehicles have a design that has the potential to take out the motor with it when it fails... so what does it matter if it fails within warranty OR at anytime after 60,000 miles? Since when is this acceptable?