Of course you know what happens when you claim your car is problem free, right? After blogging on Monday about how dependable the Ford GT has been for its first 8,700 miles I confirmed a definite problem during today's lunch run up PCH. Over the approximately 20-mile drive the GT stalled twice while stopping, leaving me staring at the "Check Gauges" and "Check Engine" lights. I just read through the TSB list and there's nothing regarding an engine stall at low speeds, but going through the Ford GT forum boards I found several mentions of the problem.
Apparently the fuel-filler tube can develop a crack or other sealing issue. This disrupts the vacuum reading in the fuel system, which confuses the ECU, which causes the idle to drop and the engine to stall. The forum members mentioned that having A/C on makes it worse, and guess what I was using during this sunny and hot drive at lunch time? Of course the fix is all covered under warranty, but apparently half the front clip must be pulled in the process. Hmmm...maybe now is the time to replace the rock-chipped windshield, too (front clip has to come off for that as well).
On the plus side, I've updated the GT's fuel log and the lifetime mileage has jumped from 16.09 mpg to 16.22 mpg. One tank even saw as much as 20.02 mpg. Maybe the car has heard all this CO2 and global warming talk and is just trying to do its part.
Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief, Edmunds.com @ 8,780 miles
trjnflip says:
05:15 PM, 05/23/07
FORD...Found On Road Dead...even the pricey ones!
chavis10 says:
04:10 AM, 05/24/07
FORD= Fix Or Repair Daily
tirthankar_b says:
02:16 PM, 05/24/07
Please do not defame the Ford GT just because its a Ford. I am sentimental about this car.
desmolicious says:
03:00 PM, 05/24/07
FIAT = fix it again Tony!
Man, this game is fun!
bimmerjay says:
04:54 PM, 05/24/07
There's one for Pontiac, but it's, uh, not very nice.
greenpony says:
10:26 AM, 05/25/07
Wasn't Ford supposed to roll out that unique capless fuel-filler to other vehicles? At least they picked a low-volume car to test it on, not something like the Focus or Mustang.