Recall 97v144000 was related to a fuel tank crack. The consumer noticed a crack in the fuel tank which was causing fluid to leak. The consumer's vehicle was not included in the recall due to VIN.*ak the consumer believes this failure should be repaired under hte recall.
1995 Ford Escort fuel system complaints
Page 3 of 6: complaints 41 to 70 of 140, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Fuel started leaking. Car taken to garage. Garage deterimined the plastic fuel tank cracked near a retainer fitting at the front of the tank directly under the center of the rear passenger seat. Contacted dealership to determine safety recall status. This problem is noted by ford as a sfety recall but does not include my vehicle by virtue of its VIN. I live in south texas with all of the associated high temperatures identified in ford's research and safety investigations into these tank failures. Dealer refuses to replace tank as a safety recall. Plase advise what I do next. Car is unsafe to operate.
Gas tank leaks. I notified ford. They said sorry, but they were not going to fix it. In fact I notified them twice. I put an incident date in below because it was required but I really don't remember when this leak started.
Smell of gasoline initially noted. Appearance of gasoline under vehicle following filling of tank prompted investigation of source of gasoline smell and leak. *nm no consequences resulted from leakage of gasoline. Source of gasoline smell/leak was traced to deteriorated hose between filler pipe and gasoline tank. Hose had become brittle and cracked near connection to gasoline tank. Hose was replaced with standard fuel hose purchased from retail parts store. Hose that was removed is available.
Had to replace gas tank due to leak on 8-02, now it is leaking again on 5-04 with same problem. Ford motor co. Will do nothing about it except install another at my expense. Appears to be a problem that should be taken care of by the company. A dangerous situation because of the exhaust so close to the tank. I have had no fires, because the minute I smelled gas I parked the care until it could be fixed.
While driving 55 MPH, the driver smelled gas coming from the rear. The driver was able to maintain control of the vehicle and pulled over. The driver noticed the fuel tank was leaking gas. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed the driver that the fuel tank needed to be replaced. *jb there was a crack in the plastic tank at the support for the heat shield. The gas leaked down the tank and was very close to the exhaust pipe. Recall#97v144000. *sc
Consumer smelled fuel odor while driving. She examined fuel tank and noticed that wall was cracked and leaked gas. Dealer indicated there was a recall in this issue. But this vehicle was not included in the recall due to VIN.
We are retired and have a 95 ford escort station wagon, garage kept. In august of 2003 we noticed a very strong odor of gasoline in our garage, which is part of the basement. It was so strong at times I did not use the electric door opener. I checked many times and could not find the cause. About this time I also noticed I was not getting as good as gas mileage as I used to. On thankgiving day, I went to my local gas station, and filled the tank as I always do. I then went inside to get a news paper. When I came out I noticed a large wet spot under the middle of the car, maybe about 3 ft in dia. I thought someone spilled something there. I went home and I started to think about it. I went back down to the garage, started to check the tank, and found the fuel filler pipe rusted out near the top. 1.5 inch by about 8 inch. So when I filled the tank, the fuel nozzle was also putting fuel out the rotted out area, which then ran down a plastic shield and ran on the ground, where you would not see it if you just fueled the car. I took it to a ford dealer and told him I would like to have a ford district rep. Look at it. The service rep hardly looked up and said the car is out of warranty. I told him there is something wrong when the car has the orginal exhaust system, but the filler pipe rusted out. I had them replace it. They charged me for two hours of labor, when they only had the car for one hour, and only spent 45 minutes working on the job. When I got home I checked the job and found they only put two of the three fastners to hold the shield on. We transport twin grandchildren to school and other places in this car, and one of them is handycapped. The car could have caught on fire, or our home blow up. I have the removed pipe, and I told them it was defective in the welding prosses. No one cared. I checked the new pipe on 3-6-04, three months after it was installed, and the new pipe is starting to rust on each side of the weld seam.
Consumer received recall regarding fuel tank. Consumer noticed a strong smell of fuel while driving or when vehicle was parked. Inspection was made, and noticed fuel leakages coming from the crack on the tab off the heat shield, which was molded into the plastic fuel tank. Dealer was notified, and informed consumer that this vehicle was not included in the recall due to VIN.
The fuel tank began leaking gas due to faulty design of the plastic tank. There is a recall issued for this problem but from some unknown reason this car's VIN number is not included even though it was built in hermosillo, mexico and is currently registered in california which are both criteria of the recall. I contacted fords customer relations dept. And they refuse to repair the vehicle or explain why it is not included with the recall.
On april 11, 1995 I purchased a new 1995 ford lx, 1.9l sefi , VIN# [xxx]. After driving the car for a few days and settling into it, I began to notice a clicking sound coming from what to me sounded like the engine area on the driver's side and the steering column. I took the car back to the dealership immediately. The vehicle was not test driven and I was simply told that it was probably just new engine noise and it would stop. As time went on the clicking continued. I called back to the dealership several times then I just gave up because the vehicle was running okay and had caused no concern. On september 8, 1997 (clicking noise still there) I took the vehicle in for other problems. As invoice states, noise may be coming from engine area. On may 22, 2002 while driving the vehicle it just stopped!!!!! Referencing north central ford invoice no. [xxx] (which is attached) you can see the work that was performed. In reference the above-mentioned invoice, you will notice that the timing belt was replaced, one of the phone calls I received was to explain that the timing belt had snapped. Please notice that you will find nowhere mentioned that valves or anything else was checked. By the time all of this took place, the clicking noise had become more apparent and they were made aware that it was still there. Now for the grand finale, on april 29, 2003 I drove the car to a nearby store and when I came back out the clicking noise turned into a noise as if the engine were going to explode. I immediately stopped the vehicle and called a tow truck and it was taken to north central ford. I was informed that the mechanic thought push rod had gone. I have spoken to more than one mechanic (ase certified) who clearly believes that the valves should have been at least checked when that belt broke. This [xxx] vehicle was my pride and joy it was pampered. The mileage on it was a mere 74,639. [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
The consumer smelled a strong fuel odor when in the garage. The consumer then noticed the fuel mileage dropped off. When the consumer went to get gas and returned, he noticed a wet spot under the vehicle. When the consumer arrived home he examined the fuel tank and noticed that the fuel filler pipe cap was corroded and rusted.*ak
Consumer started the vehicle and smelled gas fumes coming from the rear of the vehicle. Consumer got out of the vehicle, and noticed gas leaking from the gas tank. The consumer shut the engine off, and had the vehicle towed to the dealership.
The consumer's vehicle experienced the symptoms of recalls #97v144000 and recall#97v145000 related to a crack in the plastic fuel tank. The dealer would not repair the vehicle under recall because it was a recall that did not include new mexico. *ak
My family purchased two brand new 95 and 96 ford escorts in 96. Starting a few weeks ago, the 95 ford escort started smelling of gas. It was noted that on the gas filler assembly, between the metal filler tube and the metal gas tank, the rubber tubing was cracked and gas was spread on the tank and also when the car was moved, there was gas on the driveway. We contacted ford and they said it wasn't under warranty because it was more than 3 years and 36,000 miles and said there were no recalls for this. We also looked under our 96 ford escort and though there was no leak, it has cracking as well. If you could look into this, we'd appreciate it.
Consumer smelled gas and noticed a leakage from under the vehicle. Dealer diagnosed the fuel tank had split. Related recall 97v144000, consumer's vehicle was not included due to the VIN. *ak the service dealer found a split/crack in the gas tank and the VIN number was not included in recall#97v144000. *scc **consumer request call back from odi investigator**
The vehicle experienced the same defect with the fuel tank as stated in recall # 97 v 144 000, but the vehicle was not included in the recall. *ak *jb
There was a gas leak where the gas tank was mounted to the vehicle on the front. The driver was unable to fill the gas tank. The cause of the leak was unknown. *ak the gas tank leaked through a crack in the hard plastic which was used to secure the mount of the heat shield and cover to the plastic tank which was hot welded to the softer plastic tank and over time the stress on the mount caused the crack. The consumer smelled gas for three years. Ford stated the vehicle identification number # wasn't included in the recall (#97v144000). *scc
I have smelled gas for about 1.5 to 2 years after filling up, thought it was due to overflow. Filled up and noticed large pool of gas under car. Towed vehicle to house because of large leak coming from front mount of plastic gas tank.
Problem with fuel tank leakage. *mr the consumer observed a fuel leak on the ground. The fuel tank was on back order. The fuel tank was defective and replaced with a new design. *scc
Fuel tank leaked fuel onto hot exhaust pipe. Manufacturer refused to cover vehicle in safety defect recall.
Consumer vehicle is having same defect with it's fuel tank leaking as stated in recall number 97 v 145 000, but VIN is not included. Ph
Plastic fuel tank started leaking causing a fire hazard. I contacted two local ford dealers and both told me that the plastic fuel tanks in ford escorts had numerous problems and were subject to emergency major recalls. After research on recalls 97v144 and 97v145, both dealerships tell me that for some reason my VIN number is excluded but both dealerships feel it is a manufacturer's design defect and poses a "severe" safety hazard to life. I contacted ford consumer service nd they basically shined me on. I feel ford should replace the fuel tank as it is obviously a design flaw and a serious safety issue. Why if they recalled 64,600 other 1995 ford escorts with leaking plastic fuel tanks would they exclude my vehicle. This demonstrates gross negligence on the part of ford motor company. And , for a consumer that has bought 6 "new" ford cars since january 2001, it tells me that I don't want to buy anymore new fords. I would appreciate your assistance in this matter to convince ford to stand behind the obvious design flaw. Thanks, jason holland, esq. **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut over to artemis**770830
Consumer states he noticed a crack in the fuel tank which caused a leak . Nlm consumer noticed gas leaking under vehicle. Took to repair shop and they found a crack in the gas tank next to the heat shield attachment. Repair shop stated that other 1995 escorts were experiencing the same exact problem as shown in the safety recall.
Vehicle manufactured at the hermosillo assembly plant in sept 1995. Developed crack in fuel tank near heat shield, causing fuel leak. Applied patch to repair leak but it cracked again. Refer to recalls from the federal safety agency 97v144000 and 97v145000 regarding same problem. Ford has been contacted about this problem.
Plastic molded fuel tank is leaking fuel around mounting bracket. Owner noticed a puddle underneath vehicle and saw that gas gauge showed a 1/4 less than what it was before. *ak consumer noticed recalls 97v145 and 97v144, however his VIN was not included.
Our family car's fuel tank leaks gasoline and ford motor company refuses to repair it just because the state where we purchased it(we are the original owner) and registered it in doesn't happen to be included in ford's selective geographic recall, despite the fact that the manufacturing location(hermosillo, mexico) and date of assembly is the same as the 64,600 1995 ford escorts under their geographic recall. Gasoline leaking from the tank onto a hot exhaust pipe is a huge safety disaster just waiting to happen, but apparently a life in iowa is not worth as much as a life in arkansas, a state covered by the geographic recall. One alleged justification for geographic recalls is it is supposed to address regions where problems are most likely to occur and in the case of the leaking fuel tanks, it's supposed to be the hottest areas. Problem is, this kind of thinking ignores the reality of today's mobile society. Our vehicle was purchased from willey ford in ames, ia, but we have driven it to florida, alabama, mississippi, arkansas, louisiana, oklahoma and michigan, which are all covered by ford's selective geographic recall. Yet consistency is lacking because one of the hottest parts of the country apparently are not covered by the geographic recall, death valley, ca, while much more temperate regions, such as michigan, are. And meteorologists may confirm that the iowa summer heat indices can often surpass many southern states. It is without question totally unfair that two geographic recalls exist (the federal safety agency campaign id numbers 97v14400 & 97v145000) that clearly place iowans' lives at risk just to save a huge automaker some money. Further, the national traffic & motor vehicle safety act requires recalls for safety defects and treats all vehicles equally regardless of where they are sold or registered. Thank you very much for your attention to this very important safety alert.
Consumer states that fuel is leaking from tank. Vehicle was checked by dealer who determined that the straps from fuel tank near heat shield mounting have caused stress allowing the gas tank to leak gas.
Consumer had seen dripping gas from the fuel tank. Vehicle checked by local mechanic, who advised consumer there were cracks in fuel tank. Current recall 97v144 did not include consumer's vehicle due to VIN. *ak consumer had vehicle checked and was told by mechanic that the connection between the fuel tank and the supporting tabs for a heat shield was cracked, consumer is requesting that ford replace the gas tank.
There was a gas smell, the next day went in for a routine check. Dealer stated there was a gas leak. Dealer removed heat shield and held down the end tabs, and replaced the gas tank. *ak the consumer stated that the gas tank was cracked from the tabs. The vehicle was returned to the dealer because there was still a strong gas smell. They said that they could not smell it. (dealer checked completely and cleaned pads under tank and said that should take care of the smell) as of 7-31-02, the smell still exists. The service representative said that the pads should continue to dry and the smell should go away, they found no leaks.
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