2000 Ford Excursion Visibility & Wipers Problems

MY 2000 EXCURSION WAS PARKED IN THE YARD AND WE HAD JUST UNLOADED GROCERIES. THE 2 BOTTOM DOORS WERE CLOSED ON THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE AND THEN THE TOP DOOR/WINDOW WAS CLOSED NORMALLY AS WE ALWAYS DO AND THE WHOLE WINDOW JUST SHATTERED INTO 1000'S OF PIECES. MY HUSBAND JUMPED BACK WHEN THE GLASS STARTED FLYING AND FALLING SO NO ONE WAS INJURED. THIS HAPPENED ONCE....WINDOW IS STILL NOT REPLACED. I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO DO IT. THAT HAPPENED AT THE END OF MARCH. TWO DAYS AGO, WHILE THE CAR WAS SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY IN FRONT OF THE GARAGE, OVERNIGHT SOMETIME, THE RIGHT REAR WINDOW DID THE SAME THING AND SHATTERED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. NOW I HAVE TWO WINDOWS GONE AND AM UNABLE TO USE MY CAR. THIS HAPPENED ON THE NIGHT OF THE 22ND INTO THE 23RD OF MAY 2009 THE WINDOWS WERE OPEN ENOUGH FOR VENTILATION. TEMP AGAIN WAS MODERATE, ABOUT 65-68. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS. NOW I WONDER WHEN THE NEXT ONE WILL DISINTERGRATE AND THIS VEHICLE IS NOT EVEN 10 YEARS OLD. I FEEL THE FORD COMPANY SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. THIS CAR IS NOT ABUSED IN ANY WAY AND THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. *TR

TL* - THE CONTACT CALLED REGARDING THE 2000 FORD EXCURSION. THE CONTACT TURNED THE THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON DURINGN SNOWY CONDITIONS. THE CONTACT WAS NOT SURE IF HE TURNED OF THE WIPERS WHEN HE EXITED THE VEHICLE. APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR 40 MINUTES LATER HE RETURNED TO THE VEHICLE AND STARTED TO SMELL SOMETHING BURNING. BLACK SMOKE CAME THROUGH THE DEFROSTER. THERE WERE NO FLAMES. THE CONTACT CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THEY COULD NOT FIND THE SOURCE OF THE SMOKE. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE SMOKE CEASED, THE CONTACT TOOK THE WINDSHIELD WASHER MOTOR OUT AND NOTICED THE WIRING HARNESS MELTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000. A POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS WERE FILED. *AK

WIFE DRIVING CHILDREN TO SCHOOL, WIPERS UNKNOWINGLY FROZEN TO WINDOW AND WIPERS UNKNOWINGLY ON INTERMITTENT CYCLE, WIPERS FINALLY UNFROZEN AND MOVED, MEANWHILE SMOKE FILLED THE CABIN, SMELLING LIKE SOLDERING FUMES. TURNED OFF WIPERS AND SMOKE STOPPED. LATER, TESTED WIPERS, AND THEY WOULD NOT STOP. TOOK VEHICLE INTO DEALER, AND HAD A PENDING RECALL REPAIRED, AT THE SAME TIME WE HAD TO HAVE THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH REPLACED, AND WIPER MOTOR REPLACED. DEALER SERVICE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT GEM MODULE WAS FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY, BUT SMELLED LIKE IT WAS BURNT, AND MIGHT NEED TO BE REPLACED IN THE FUTURE. 7 DAYS LATER THE WIPERS DID NOT WORK AGAIN. THIS TIME THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF PROBLEM, MOTHER AND CHILDREN DROVE INTO A BLIZZARD, AND FOUND THAT WIPERS WOULD NOT FUNCTION. LUCKILY IT OCCURRED IN A PLACE THAT WAS NOT BUSY, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO SAFELY GET OFF THE ROADWAY INTO A RELATIVES DRIVEWAY. IT COULD HAVE BEEN VERY BAD HAD IT BEEN ON THE FREEWAY, IN DRIVING RAIN/SNOW/SLUSH. NOW I'M SURE THE DEALERSHIP WILL BE TELLING US THE GEM MODULE WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED, COMPLETING THE ENTIRE WIPER SYSTEM BEING FAULTY WITHIN 1 WEEK'S TIME FOR THE SECOND FAILURE ( ON 1/15/2008). QUESTION: HOW WOULD THE TECHNICIAN KNOW THAT IT SMELLED LIKE THE GEM MODULE WAS BURNT, UNLESS IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM? HOW DOES THE ENTIRE WIPER SYSTEM, FROM CONTROL SWITCH, TO CONTROL MODULE, TO WIPER MOTOR GO BAD ALL AT ONCE? *TR

THE CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE IN 2001. NHTAS'S RECALL # 01V258000. RECENTLY THE WIPER COVER STARTED TO BURN, WHICH CAUSED THE MOTOR AND SWITCH NOT TO WORK. *JB

I HAVE A 2000 FORD EXCURSION. REFERENCE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 01V258000:MOTOR. I HAVE CALLED MY FORD DEALER ABOUT THIS PROBLEM/RECALL AND WAS TOLD THAT THE WIPER MOTOR WAS REPLACED IN MY TRUCK, BUT I TOLD THEM THAT THIS IS THE PROBLEM I AM HAVING. THE WIPER JUST STOPS ON INTERMITTENT MODE AND DOES NOT GO BACK TO PARK MODE. I WAS TOLD THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THE MOTOR REPLACED. WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY TO GET IT REPLACED IT IS THERE RECALL PROBLEM I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS FOR MORE THEN 2 1/2 YEARS NOW. CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME AN ANSWER. THANK YOU FOR YOU TIME, JIM FENNELLI *JB

I OWN A 2000 FORD EXCURSION THAT RECENTLY EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SYMPTOMS DESCRIBED IN A RECALL ISSUED BY FORD ON 8/3/2001 (REF: NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID 01V258000). NAMELY, THE INTERMITTENT WINDSHIELD WIPER FUNTION STOPPED WORKING, FOLLOWED LATER BY COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE WIPERS FOLLOWING SNOW AND ICE OBSTRUCTION. THE WIPERS ARE CURRENTLY COMPLETELY INOPERABLE AND POSE A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RISK. I BROUGHT THE VEHICAL TO THE FORD DEALER THAT IT WAS PURCHASED FROM (CAPISTRANO FORD IN SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CALIFORNIA) AND WAS TOLD THAT OUR PARTICULAR VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL AND THAT IT WOULD COST NEARLY $500 TO FIX AND $88 TO DIAGNOSE. I FIND IT VERY DISTURBING THAT I OWN A VEHICLE WITH THE SAME YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL ADDRESSED IN THE RECALL WITH A KNOW SAFETY RISK, AND YET SOMEHOW IT IS NOT COVERED. OBVIOULSY THE PROBLEM I EXPERIENCED IS THE EXACT PROBLEM THAT THE RECALL WAS MEANT TO ADDRESS. THE ONLY TWO CONCLUSIONS THAT I CAN DRAW FROM THIS ARE: (1) FORD'S COMPUTER SYSTEM IS SOMEHOW NOT PULLING UP OUR VIN NUMBER UNDER THIS RECALL, OR (2) THE RECALL WAS NOT BROAD ENOUGH AND NEEDS TO BE EXPANDED.

CONSUMER STATED THE REAR WINDOW SHATTERED.*JB

VEHICLE HAS THREE BACK DOORS. TOP ONE MADE OF GLASS, AND TWO BOTTOM ONES. BOTTOM ONE HAS TO BE CLOSED FIRST, THEN TOPPED WITH THE GLASS. BUT, SITUATION WAS DIFFERENT BECAUSE GLASS ONE WAS CLOSED FIRST, THEN BOTTOM SHATTERED GLASS INTO PIECES, INJURING CONSUMER AT THE TIME OF PICKING IT UP. *AK CONSUMER HAS SINCE FOUND THAT IF THE TOP DOOR IS DOWN, THE BOTTOM DOOR STRIKES THE EDGE OF HE GLASS SO QUICKLY AND SO FAR OVER, IT IS NOT SOMETHING ONE CAN PREVENT ONCE THE DOOR STARTS TO CLOSE, CONSUMER FEELS THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW. *JB

WINDSHIELD CRACKED WHEN SPRAYED WITH COLD WATER WHILE WASHING VEHICLE, WHEN NEW WINDSHIELD WAS INSTALLED INSTALLER SAID HE HAD SEEN OTHER S.D. FORD TRUCKS WITH SAME PROBLEM SEEMS LACK OF SILICONE ADHESIVE ALLOWS GLASS TO COME IN CONTACT WITH FRAME AND CAN ALLOW GLASS TO BE "ETCHED" BY FRAME AND WEAKENS AREA.ALL TRUCKS ARE MANUFACTURED AT SAME PLANT. *AK

I CONTACTED THE FORD HOT LINE, THEY SAID THIS IS A NORMAL CONDITION. THE BLURRED VISION IN THIER SIDE VIEW MIRRORS DOES NOT PRESENT A SAFETY ISUE AT "THIS TIME". I FEEL NOT BEING ABLE TO ADEQUATELY JUDGE THE DISTANCE OF OTHER VEHICLES ON THE SIDES OF SUCH A LARGE VEHICLE, AT NIGHT, DOES PRESENT A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. THIS COULD RESULT IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT GIVEN THE SIZE OF THIS VEHICLE.