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I have a 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis with 44,000 miles.  Just recently I developed a severe coolant leak.  I was told by my mechanic that the intake manifold cracked.  I did not know that Ford had a class action lawsuit filed against them regarding this problem.  I had no previous knowledge or had not received anything in the mail regarding this problem.  New repair cost me $1,100.00.  From what I understand of the lawsuit, 1996, 1997, and 1998 models are now expired from the lawsuit due to the 7 year time frame.  Correct me if I'm wrong.  Any information anyone may have as to how I can recoup some if not all of this repair cost would be greatly appreciated.  Seems to me that having only 44,000 miles which is equivalent to 3 years of average driving should account.  I also talked to the attorney's office that handled the lawsuit and she suggested possibly small claims court.  

I have a 1996 Grand Marquis also and last Saturday, December 9, 2006, I had a catastrophic breakdown of the intake manifold and lost all coolant within about 30 seconds.  I have had the manifold replaced and with the towing bill and new aluminum manifold the total cost to me was $1,243.03.  I was told this included $88.00 in tow charges.  I never got a recall and never knew there was a lawsuit until this happened.  I am looking for a way to recoup some of this loss.  I would appreciate sharing any info with you regarding pursuing some monetary relief.  I may go the small claims route but as much as I hear about this just since it has happened to me, perhaps there should be another class action filed.

Any advice or help would be appreciated and I will share what I learned.
My e mail address is jabado@msn.com  Please put manifold problem in any e-mail header so I will no not to reject the email.
Thanks,
Joe  

I HAVE A 1983 MERCEDES BENZ 240D. IT HAS ABOUT 230,000 MILES ON IT. MY FATHER OWNED IT FOR FIVE YEARS, HIS BEST FRIEND GOT IT BRAND NEW IN '83, AND I HAE OWNED THE CAR FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS NOW. WAS LOOKING FOR THE ORGINIAL RADIO IF ANYONE KNOWS WHERE I CAN FIND ONE PLEASE LET ME KNOW.  CLOVINGSJR@YAHOO.COM