Ford…

With Chrysler and Toyota as the runners up.

Ford Motor Company (Recall 07V336, 07V553, and 07V156)

• Recall 07V336 (August 13, 2007) involved 3.6 million Ford vehicles, including the Bronco, Crown Victoria, E-150, E-250, E-350, E-450, Explorer (Sport and Sport Trac), F-150 Lightning, Ranger, and Taurus SHO.

• Problem- The speed control deactivation switch was found defective through 1,472 complaints and 65 full-on accidents and/or fires. Whether engine is running or turned off a short circuit develops that in turn causes a fire in the engine compartment.

• Recall 07V553 (January 2008) involved 1.2 million Ford vehicles, including the F-series Super Duty, E-series, and Excursion with 7.3-liter diesel engines.

• Problem- The camshaft position sensor was found defective through 1,595 complaints and 14 full-on accidents and/or fires. The most significant danger occurs if the switch malfunctions and stalls the vehicles engine, the driver will be left with the potential of an accident.

• Recall 07V156 (April 23, 2007) involved 446,460 Ford vehicles, including the Escape Sport Utility equipped with anti-lock brakes.

• Problem- The anti-lock braking module connector was found defective through 120 complaints that all resulted in either a accident and/or fire. The electrical short first causes the warning light to illuminate, and then as heat builds in the unit it can begin to smoke and then actually lead to an eventual fire.

Chrysler Corporation (Recall 07V555 and 07V092)

• Recall 07V555 (December 2007) involved 576,418 vehicles, including the Dakota, Durango, Ram Van, and Ram Pickup Truck with automatic transmission.

• Problem- The ignition/park shifter interlock system can malfunction, allowing the shifter to move out of the park position, which ultimately could lead to the vehicle taking its own trip down the road without owner consent. Chrysler has not allowed the data to be publicly released as to exactly how many cases have been documented.

• Recall 07V092 (April 2007) involved 328,424 vehicles, including the Durango.

• Problem- A circuit in the instrument cluster controlling the interior lights was found to overheat through 213 complaints and 78 occurrences of accident and/or fire. The overheating in some cases led to an instrument panel fire that was within range of the front passengers.

Toyota (Recall 07V013)

• Recall 07V013 (February 2, 2007) involved 533,124 vehicles, including the Tundra and Sequoia

• Problem- The front suspension ball joints were found to wear prematurely through the complaint of 120 consumers (14 confirmed failures and 6 injuries). As the ball joints wear overtime, they can eventually malfunction completely, leaving the driver with little control of the vehicles steering.

There were also a few cases of serious recalls by Volkswagen and Nissan, but none of them had any public confirmations to actual incidents. So, either they were caught in time, or the danger associated with the recall had a low possibility of actually occurring.

Nobody likes to hear or see the word “Recall”, but those manufacturers that admit to the problem quickly and take swift public action should be commended. There have been many injuries and deaths throughout the United States history that could have been avoided if only the maker would have taken care of the situation immediately, rather than covering it up until being forced by the government to make the changes.

(…Continued)

6. The 1999 Dodge Durango adds another strike to our list. Electrical, transmission, and suspension problems are the most common, with most of these starting soon after the 50,000 mileage mark. The most common problem you will hear from its owners is, “It’s falling apart.” If you smell anything coming from the engine with this model… sell it or drop it off at your nearest dump… whichever is more convenient at the time!

5. As much as we’d hate to burst the Honda Accord bubble, they weren’t all good. Take the year 2003 for example. This line of vehicles has problems with the transmission, brakes, and interior. The build-up of heat in the transmission can cause premature failure and a recall was put in place in 2004, for fluid that appeared discolored and foul smelling. Honda has done a fantastic job covering up the problems on this car and their loyal customers have already forgave them.

4. Having a 2003 Ford Explorer on this list is no surprise at at… and in fact I have a premonition this will not be the only time we will see this loser. The infamous transmission problem tops the list, as it has for just about every year the Explorer has been built. Beyond this, there are plenty of paint and body problems as always to fill in the time between getting other things fixed.

3. The 2002 Chevrolet Impala has its share of electrical Gremlins. It features a theft alarm that is so good, that sometimes not even the rightful owner of the vehicle can start it. The next most common problem in a traction control that has a mind of its own, turning off and on at its own whim, whether it’s needed or not. The battery drains easily on these cars, and similar to just about every other car on the list, the transmission is known to fail early. But don’t feel bad if you own one of these… even the police fell for the slick advertising!

2. You would think that after the 1999 Dodge Intrepid failure they would have made some improvements, but it only went further downhill. The same sludge problem in the engines of the 2000 Dodge Intrepid 2.7 liter V-6, sent many of these cars to an early grave with unhappy customers. Consider yourself lucky if a little engine knocking is the only thing disintegrating your engines integrity.

1. As promised, the 2002 Ford Explorer shows up here once again… and guess what? Yup, more transmission and body problems. Early transmission failure and a body that begins to fall apart the minute you drive off the lot, is the biggest complaint. The only way to protect yourself from these lemons is to just not buy one. Most any mechanic will tell you that you would be lucky to reach 100,000 miles on the odometer without a an engine and/or transmission re-build. I guess that is why is has been nicknamed the Ford “Exploder”.

It’s a new year. A year of hopefully bigger and better things to come. But as we all know, the bigger and better had to come from somewhere… and that is the worst and unworthy. CarComplaints.com has taken note of what customers have been saying over the years and have come up with the top 10 worst cars of the millennium. Without further adieu, here are the biggest losers according to a bucket full of complaining customers.

10. The winner of this loser list is the 1999 Dodge Intrepid. The number one issue with these seems to be the engine. The 2.7 liter V-6 to be exact was not a highlight in the Dodge history and there are a lot of unhappy Intrepid owners to prove it. This engine is very prone to a sludge build-up in the engine that eventually gums up the works and leaves the owner stranded with a giant bill… thanks Dodge!

9. The nest loser we are about to introduce, is actually a decent car today, but if you purchased one in 2000, you may want to be trading it in soon. The 2000 Ford Focus has had problems with noise, cheap interior parts, and a horrible climate control system. Eight faulty recalls round out this list for the 2000 Focus, with a throttle cable that could potentially become stuck open as the most unfortunate occurrence.

8. The Honda Civic is a very popular car today, but in 2001, transmission problems were a definite downfall. Loud noises and jerking motions are a dream come true for this years failures, while an all out breakdown is the more common problem that most people have had. They recommend to change your transmission regularly to help avoid these problems, but you are still living on a wing and a prayer with these.

7. The 2000 Chevrolet Malibu engine, electric, climate control, cooling, and brakes. Isn’t the most important function of any vehicle to both “go” and “start”. This leaves the Malibu with not even one out of the two necessities, which lands it straight to the middle of this list. Electrical problems in the theft and turn signals are quite popular, but the worst complaint is the car just shutting off in the middle of driving somewhere.

(to be Continued…)