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Ford 3.8l V-6 Unanswered Questions •Ford Extends Warranty •Ford Extends II •1995 Windstar •1996 Windstar •1997 Windstar •1998 Windstar •Taurus/Sable •Mustang •Transmission Problems •Lightning Strikes Twice •Refund Problems

Mechanics who've taken it apart and peered inside say the 3.8L V6 engine in Ford Mustangs and Thunderbirds is the same one that's in the Windstar and Taurus/Sable models. For awhile Ford dug in its heels and said the engines were different and thus not covered by its partial recall. But on May 1, the automaker recanted and announced a similar program for 1994 and 1995 Mustangs, Sables and Lincolns. Other models are still unaccounted for.

Dennis of Cincinnati, OH:
I own a 1995 Mustang with a 3.8L-V6 engine. A head gasket blew and I took it into the dealer for repair and the day after, I learned of the extended waaranty that covered this problem for Tauruses, Sables and Windstars. I spoke with several people at Ford who said that the engines in these vehicles are the same as the Mustang, but only front wheel drive cars are covered; the reason, which has never been explained fully, is the difference in the coolant flow in the front and rear wheel drive vehicles. The consequence is that I will be forced to pay for the repair since I can't afford to buy a car that is same condition as my low mileage car. Also, it has been extremely frustrating knowing that depsite having the same engine as the covered cars, I will have to pay a defect that Ford knew about. Each rep at Ford's customer service has said that there have been complaints about the rear wheel drive, but fewer than for the front wheel drive; I would venture a guess that the conditions for settling the class action suit were determined more by demographics than drivetrain (Mustangs/T-Bird ownwers vs. Taurus/Sable/Windstar owners.

Tim of Evansville, IN:
I own a 1995 Mustang that is 6000 miles out of warrenty (5 year - 60,000 extended). I'm now having to replace head gaskets on a car that has been garage kept and treated like a baby since I've owned it. All service work that has been performed over the years has been done at the dealer the car was purchased, including oil changes. All scheduled maintenance work that Ford recommends in its owners manual was also performed at the dealership. This head gasket replacement is going to cost me about $2,000. Needless to say I'll never buy another Ford product if Ford doesn't come through for the Ford owners with rear wheel drive 3.8L engines. I've discussed the problem with Ford Customer "NO SERVICE" and they can only tell me Ford is still looking into the rear wheel drive model complaints. Hopefully this will get resolved soon.

Chris of Hampton, NH:
I would like to point out that the Windstar is not the only vehicle having these problems. I own a 1995 Ford Mustang with the 3.8L V6 engine. Most of the miles have been long-distance travelling or commuting to work down I95 (a 45 minute to 1 hour drive each way). In March 1999 the heater stopped working, and white smoke appeared from the tailpipe while I was on my way to work on I95. I had the vehicle towed and repaired at my own expense - the head gasket was blown and the repair bill was over $1500. Because the milage was at 75,000 miles, I was not covered by the (previous) warranty extension. Worse, days after I had my car "repaired", the engine self-destructed apparently because coolant had mixed with the oil. I had to replace the short block at a cost of nearly $3000. I couldn't afford a new car, and was forced to spend the extra money to fix the damaged engine. I won't buy another Ford - how can I trust that they will not sell me another problem vehicle and leave me stranded when it breaks because of some design flaw? I suspect they knew the failures were most likely to occur after 60,000 miles, and figured most people would not question the validity of the warranty extension. Total cost (so far): More than $4000.

Laurie of Glasgow, MT:
I have a 3.8L 1995 Ford Mustang. These rear wheel drive cars are neglected in the extended warranty for the faulty head gaskets. I have blown two head gaskets two different times. My engine was ruined and replaced by Ford warranty. 16,000 miles later the gasket blew again costing me $934.27 out of pocket in repairs. If there isn't a problem with their gaskets in the 3.8L Ford rear wheel drive. PROVE IT TO ME!! My car has less than 50,000 miles on it. I am tired of being treated like a fool by Ford. I am tired of Ford "Customer Service" not giving me to a person who knows something. I am tired of giving Ford my money for a problem that is theirs to begin with. I want them to pay up!

Traci of Arlington, TX:
I have seen info on Ford extending its warranty on the 3.8L V6 engines in the 95 Taurus, Le Sable and Windstar vehicles, but nothing on the 95 Mustang 3.8L V6 which has the same exact engine in it. The headgasket is failing on this engine and when I attempted to get information from Ford Customer Service I got the run around. First talked to the Customer Service center which said my engine was not covered under the new extended warranty deal. When I asked why since it was the same engine they told me to call the local dealer. I did and they said to call the customer service center. I called them back asked to speak to a supervisor and was given Lucy P who could not answer my question. She again said to call the local dealer when told this had been done she said there was no one that could tell me the differance in the engines.

Barbara of Bloomington, IL:
Own a 1995 Mustang Coupe with a 3.8 L V6 engine. About 3 months ago the car started to overheat. We had to have the head gaskets replaced. The car only had 72,000 miles on it. We spoke with Ford and they stated that they hadn't had any problems with the 3.8 V6 engine. However, after some investigation it appears they have had many problems with this engine and the head gaskets. We are out $500 already and today the car started overheating again.

Tami of Clendenin, WV:
Recently I have been reading about the lawsuit and extended warranty Ford is offering on the Windstars, Taurus, Continentals and Sables. When I ordered my 94 Mustang I was told there was a delay in receiving it because Mustangs used the same motors that the Windstars did and both vehicles were in demand that year. My Mustang engine is a 3.8 V6 also and I just had to have the head gaskets replaced. Should 94 Mustangs be included in the extended warranty? I have invested approximately $1400 in my Mustang due to the head gaskets and at this time I am still unable to drive it due to a leak somewhere.

Andrea of Kalamazoo, MI:
My '94 Ford Mustang blew a head gasket, a common problem from what I've heard. I'm upset over the very expensive repair because I feel Ford had the responsibility to warn me of this problem with their 3.8L engines. Consequently, I lost time at work because I was stranded out of town and my parents lost work letting me use their car so I could return home for school. Not to mention the expensive cost of the repair.

Leigh of Lake Stevens, WA:
A head gasket blew on my 1995 Ford Mustang in November of '99. At first I didn't think anything about it but when I mentioned it to a co-worker who had the exact same car as I did, I found out that her head gasket had blown six months earlier. That got me wondering, so I got on the Internet to see what I could find out. I found the "Class Action Lawsuit Against Ford 3.8 liter 95 Windstar". Again, I think it is very odd because I have the same engine with the exact same problem. The mechanic I went to told me he had replaced six of these in a three-month period for my exact car. Something is fishy here. I have spent over $1200 getting it fixed.

Carey of Crowley, TX:
We have a 1995 Ford Mustang with a 3.8L engine with 76,393 miles. It has a blown headgasket. The current estimated costs are between $1200 and $1500 but they have not determined if the engine block is OK. If not, then the damages will be substantially more.

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