24th May 2005, 14:58

I've got a 97 N.C. supervisors CVPI, and it also had the plastic intake manifold (what was Ford thinking?). I caught mine when it started dribbling and avoided the stranding, but it was still 1400.00 to fix. My car also smokes on warm days when I am stuck in DC traffic, and I am hearing that this is normal for a 4.6 with over 100,000. I've got a lifelong friend who is a Ford mechanic and he is telling me that it is like 2500.00 in labor to get it replaced by Ford, and 2400.00 for the Ford rebuilt motor. More than the car is worth so unfortunately this car will remain like Cheech and Chong... still smoking.

Other than that it is a great car to drive. When this one finally gives up the ghost I plan on getting another. Can't beat them for the price.

27th May 2005, 21:54

Ah, Too many stinkin people have one or 2 problems with their car and then they make a huge stink over it. Ford didn't make this one of there little hidden recalls. It's obvious that they didn't do enough to fix it, but honestly if you know that there is a recall on the intakes aren't you going to get it fixed before something goes terribly wrong?? And don't even start on the fires in them. Not that many people even got killed in them, and ford proved that they are safe cars in rear end collisions. They even did a test and the Chevy Caprice Classic crumpled more in it's rear end than the Ford did. Guys you know dang well that Ford has been getting the short end of the stick for all these years. Chevy could have a car where 9 out of 10 of them blew up the instant you started them and the media wouldn't even say a word about it. Give Ford a break, any car that isn't properly maintained will break down. Period.

1st Jun 2005, 20:40

Most definitly not. You buy a car because you want to drive from point a to point b. Not with expensive problems in the way. If Ford knew about this problem then they should have recalled it. Cars are for driving.. not fixing.

11th Sep 2005, 10:46

I have had the same problem. I just paid a $1,260 repair bill to have Fords little mistake fixed. I plan on complaining to my state attorney generals office.

26th Sep 2005, 22:16

Lets keep in mind that GM's 3800 series V6 has the same intake problem. Nearly every 3.8L GM will eventually go sour due to the defective intake. Again with the Ford bashing, lets keep in mind that the CVPI meets all requirements for safety, and the extra precautions were taken for police vehicles only because of the higher risk of rear impact.

2nd Nov 2005, 12:44

The intake manifold on our 1996 Crown Victoria also suddenly failed leaving us with a whopping bill. Ford apparently saw the need to reimburse fleet owners for the defect and then “select” individual owners through the recent class action settlement. If the part is defective (and there seems to be no question about that fact) all owners of the class vehicles should be reimbursed regardless of when their manifolds failed. The seven year extended warranty period settled on in the recent class action suit unfairly excludes many car owners. This situation is not a matter of owners not properly maintaining their vehicles. The plastic intake manifolds are defective. It is unfair that certain owners should have to replace the part at their own expense while other customers are being reimbursed for replacing the same part.

1st Dec 2005, 21:33

I just traded a 95 VW passat to a friend in a pinch in exchange for his 96 Crown Vic (old police car) and some boot. I knew that it needed either an intake, or just an intake gasket. I'm doing the repairs myself, and have only experienced one problem that may prevent any shade tree mechanic from fixing it, and that is on the drivers side of the intake, against the firewall, there's one intake bolt hidden, beneath two wire looms, and almost underneath the firewall. F.Y.I., if you decide to fix it yourself, use a 10mm combination wrench to prevent stripping the head of the bolt as I did.

4th Jan 2006, 12:48

For the people who have experienced a failure of the plastic intake manifold on your Ford or Mercury 4.8L there is now recourse. Ford agreed to a settlement that became final on December 16, 2005. You have 90 days (until March 16, 2006) to file a claim with your local Ford dealer. Do an Internet search for details and don't miss the deadline. Ford is hoping this time will run out without many people filing a claim. File your claim.

9th Feb 2006, 17:33

Even though it is likely that most cars that experienced this failure had to be towed to a repair shop, Ford will not cover the towing portion of the repair bill.

If you purchased your car new and it is over seven years old (warranty start date or 1998 and older) then Ford will not cover the repair unless you have a receipt. This comes straight from my local Ford dealer to me.

20th Feb 2006, 12:47

AS soon as the settlement passed, I ran down to the dealer and gave them my receipt for the manifold repair. That was in late December. I have called the dealer every week since. He stated that Ford was swamped with claims and my claim would be processed "soon". The 90 day window is getting ready to close. How can I tell if the dealer actually entered my claim, or just threw it into the wastebasket?

13th Mar 2006, 13:52

After receiving notice of the manifold class action suit (unclear if court or Ford sent out notices), I monitored case closely as related to my 1997 Lincoln Town Car, purchased in July, 1997 and with failed manifold in March, 2004. It was replaced by a Lincoln dealer at a cost of about $1100. Thus, it was covered under the extended warranty court order. Collecting has been another matter!

I provided a Miami Lincoln dealer with original bill of sale, dealer repair order and executed release on 24 December 2005. I was told that Ford would send me a check in 30 to 60 days and that the dealer did nothing more than forward paperwork. (Incorrect). Then, Miami dealer advised me in February - after I called for status - that they had no record of paperwork even though I provided them with their Work Order number and copy of Work Order. I faxed duplicates. Weeks later, they claim to have not received the repair work order. Weeks after this, they advised, after another status inquiry, that they submitted the claim incorrectly because my claim fell outside the "automatic payment amount - in other words, I had documentation on the repair and was entitled to warranty reimbursement of more than $700+. Last week, the same dealer advises that they now have approval from Ford and will send me check. A process that started in December is now within 3 days of the court ordered cutoff date. (No check, as yet) Fortunately, I keep good records! Have you?