Photo: Shelly Shields on Facebook
The exhaust tips of diesel vehicles aren't exactly the most kindly looked at car parts, but while they are famous for churning out low levels of CO2 and high quantities of dangerous nitrous oxides and particulate matter, you wouldn't really expect them to try and kill on the spot.
Tell that to a particular Ford F-450 Heavy Duty owner (or should we say ex-owner?) whose diesel pickup truck started shooting flames out of its tailpipe shortly after taking delivery. Since it was a new vehicle, the truck used Ford's own 6.7-liter V8 unit, so any resemblances with the Navistar-built 6.4-liter Power Stroke issues are purely coincidental.
That didn't stop Shelly Shields' pickup from spitting fire out of its rear like it was preparing to take off to the Moon or something every time the exhaust got overheated. And since she had bought the car thinking she could actually drive it without turning every journey into a mobile barbecue, that tended to happen a lot.
Understandably irritated by the situation, the Alberta, Canada resident took the matter to Ford Canada, but the company replied with a letter that suggested she should contact the dealer that sold her the car. She turned out to be one of the fortunate people as Carstairs Ford gave her a full refund, but failed to provide an explanation.
However, the incident did spurn an official statement, even though it came from Ford North American Trucks and Commercial Vehicles Communications Manager Jiyan Cadiz, as reported by Truck Trend: “We have completed our initial investigation into the Super Duty in Canada and have determined it was caused by an incorrect repair after the truck was produced. We are not aware of any other incidents, and we are taking action to prevent this from happening in the future. In this unique case, the customer returned the affected truck and received a refund.”
That didn't stop Shelly Shields' pickup from spitting fire out of its rear like it was preparing to take off to the Moon or something every time the exhaust got overheated. And since she had bought the car thinking she could actually drive it without turning every journey into a mobile barbecue, that tended to happen a lot.
Understandably irritated by the situation, the Alberta, Canada resident took the matter to Ford Canada, but the company replied with a letter that suggested she should contact the dealer that sold her the car. She turned out to be one of the fortunate people as Carstairs Ford gave her a full refund, but failed to provide an explanation.
However, the incident did spurn an official statement, even though it came from Ford North American Trucks and Commercial Vehicles Communications Manager Jiyan Cadiz, as reported by Truck Trend: “We have completed our initial investigation into the Super Duty in Canada and have determined it was caused by an incorrect repair after the truck was produced. We are not aware of any other incidents, and we are taking action to prevent this from happening in the future. In this unique case, the customer returned the affected truck and received a refund.”
Google News