Sometimes you really have to act like a complete jerk to get someone's attention in matters of this kind.
I took my 99 V6 to the dealer last year with this exact complaint, and was totally blown off by the srevice manager. His response "Cannot duplicte the problem" and sent me on my way. I knew darn good and well something major was wrong, but did not have time to deal with them over it due to pressing family matters at the time. Earlier this year, I pulled the starter myself, and when I rolled the flywheel over, it had the tell tale gnarled teeth on the flywheel ring gear. After much complaining and some outright hostility, I finally got the dealer to agree to open it up and really look at it. As well as a take no prisoners attitude, I was also armed with the TSB information provided by others in this forum. Final resolution was a cost split of 80% Ford, 10% dealer and 10% mine, resulting in a total cost to me of $89.00. Cost to me was more than if it had been done under the extended warranty last year when I first brought it to their attention, but still an acceptable outcome.
Moral here is you have to really press someone on the issue of else they will not do what is right. You may even have to get downright ugly but if that is what it takes, so be it. I do not like to have to take that route, but I for one, was getting tired of being dumped on by Ford with these recurring design flaws and substandard parts.
Dialtone
