Ford DESERVES to Go Bankrupt (Rant)
 

I know Ford is considered to be the "most healthy" of U.S. auto makers, but checking the air in the spare tire of my '99 Taurus reminded me again why the company deserves the bankruptcy which will probably be coming to it eventually.

The company is either run by idiots, or
"jokers" who think it's "funny" to add design details to their cars to annoy the heck out of their customers.

Ford designed the spare so that one needs to remove the jack and lift out the tire itself to get to the valve to check the air. The clamp-down could have been just as easily designed with the jack under the spare so the air valve would be facing up -- that way, one would just need to lift the carpet and panel covering the spare tire well to check the pressure in the spare.

I've thought about redesigning the clamp so I could store the spare "upright" to be able to check the air quicker, but have been living with the access annoyance for years.

Of course, since the car seems to be designed to collect water in the spare tire well, I guess removing the spare and drying everything out needs to be part of the routine when checking the air in the tire -- yesterday, the spare tire was sitting in couple of cups of water!

There are multiple penetrations for the tail lights, plastic "trim lip," and key/lock assembly through the back of the car and trunk lid. The only thing that stops water seepage past these penetrations are gaskets. I had seepage over a year ago, but disassembled the tail lights and resealed the gaskets -- which fixed the problem for a while. Water is seeping somewhere again and collects in the spare wheel well.

I think I may just see about putting a drain in the spare well to let the water that seeps in seep out! (That's how the Ford dealership solved a seepage problem in a light when my Ranger was under warranty!)

The other day too, the switch controlling the side mirrors went bad again -- I got less than two years service out of the last one I put in.

It doesn't surprise me that the "Big Three" have become the "Bankrupt Three."

I see your problem: you bought a 99 Tarus.

Wow, all these problems on a ten year old car.

i have a 98 tarus that is falling apart faster than my 66' 912 project!

I once worked on a friend's 2001 Taurus. Worst car ever. There's no drain plug for the oil, which means that an oil change involves pulling the whole oil pan off. That's 30-something 6mm bolts with a torque spec like 13in-lbs, a new gasket, and a mess of oil all over the driveway, because it's impossible to drop the oil pan cleanly. There's no fill hole on top of the valve cover, so you have to put the new oil in through the dipstick hole using a special funnel. Awful. Then we changed the spark plugs, or at least, tried to. It's a transverse mounted V-6, so the front 3 cylinders were easy. The back three plugs are hidden under the intake manifold, and you can't get to them without removing the intake manifold. Who thinks this stuff up? It's ridiculous!


When I heard the Big Three might be going bankrupt, I went out and stocked up on Champagne in anticipation of a big celebration. Just desserts, getting what they deserve, all that nonsense -- I totally agree.

Dan

Dan

I'm no Taurus expert, but possibly designed for one of those gadgets that suck all the old oil out through the dipstick hole...I've seen them advertised. Sure sounds easier than pulling the pan.

They may be crap, but Taurus was the top selling or top 5 selling american car for about 15 years in a row. Guess it just shows how bad the alternatives were.

I travel a fair bit so have the opportunity to drive different cars a lot. I always try to use National because I am an Emerald Isle member. My last car from them was a Pontiac (G6 maybe?) - it was a great car - well put together, decent response and even decent handling. On my last trip a few weeks ago, I went with a different rental company - and picked up a mid-high level Kia - what a complete piece of crap. Never again.

Also - I have a 1992 Ford Ranger 4x4 - the thing will not die. It is climbing the ranks of the most dependable vehicle I have ever owned.

Maybe it's all in the luck of the draw...

V6? here it is.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1231104812.jpg


Have your friend go here next time:

http://www.siteskins.net/vulcanoilchange/

This is a very common problem with BMW E46 3 series too. As well, sunroof drains plug & fill your rear seat wells with water. I know first hand btw . . .

Ian

So, I guess when you lose your job, we can pick up some French swill and throw a party?? :confused:

My favorite was my old GMC pickup truck that put the engine oil pan directly above the 4x4 transfer case and the transmission cross member such that it was IMPOSSIBLE to drop the oil pan in order to change the gasket. Absolute mathematical impossibility, without dropping either the transmission or transfer case - or both. I finally gave up and said "screw it" and used RTV and a really long nozzled squirter thing to apply it in order to seal up a leaky pan gasket. Simply ridiculous how stupid some people can be.

Somewhere along the line the saying goes that if you owe the bank money, make sure it is alot of money! Then along comes this fiasco, whereby I cannot see how the general public is going to be able to escape the impact of these giants falls?

It's time they learned to stand on their own or fall imo. I'd also say that in order to stay standing, then the unions must fall. We can't have our cake and eat it too.

My second car was a '93 Ford Probe. It was plenty fun, mainly because half of it was made by Mazda. However, the Ford parts, namely the interior, were cheaply made and a constant annoyance. My 30 year old Porsche is 34783203874208 times higher quality. Hell, a run down 924 would still be better quality. I don't want tons of people to lose their jobs, however I think the big 3 definitely deserve to go bankrupt.

A design "problem" such as the installation of the spare tire "up-side-down" -- so that it requires complete removal in order to check the air pressure -- is not any age-related problem.

I wonder how many dozen people reviewed the design of the spare tire storage during the planning of the car, yet it never dawned on any of them that a simple design change would save people a lot of hassle.

And on something like the mirror switch -- less than two years since I replaced it and the switch fails again? There is a design problem there too.

My rant is just a response to the frustration I was feeling today -- overall, I'd have to admit that the car is holding up OK, but it still doesn't change the fact that a lot of people spent a lot of time "not thinking very hard" about design and durability issues when developing the car, but that is often the case with a lot of things produced these days.

Changing the plugs on my '99 Taurus was easy, but having a number of flexible socket extensions and having learned how to change spark plugs "by feel" (due to previous ownership of Volkswagens and Porsches) is probably responsible for that!

My '99 has OHV V-6, which probably gives more working room for those back plugs than the DOHC motor -- if that is what was in your friend's 2001.

Waaaaa Waaaaaa

what would I do?

drill a hole in the rim on the side facing you in the trunk...... and install another valve!

How many years have you wrestled with an automakers miscue? 10 years?

Do you think our beloved Porsche is without design flaws?

That's not the oil pan, that the TRANSMISSION PAN. UH OH

Who think these thing up at FORD? engineers and designers.

LOL

Only if you own a 2.7L or a 964.

Glad I sold my 2.7 and brought a SC

Ferrari's have similar features, but I don't hear much complaining about them.

Most Ferrari's require that the engine be dropped to change the spark plugs. The F40 has the oil filter located between the intake manifold and the engine block.