Not agreed. It is not MEANT to be a wear item. It was poorly constructed and as a result it falls apart as it gets old and brittle. I'm not saying Ford should do a recall, but maybe they could have some sort of bulletin on the problem so people can address it before it leaves them stranded.
Then again, they only made them for 2 years, so there's not really that many to worry about, to them anyway. As for the comment on the service you get from the parts counter, it all depends on who is on the other side. Most of the time the person behind the counter doesn't know or doesn't care about Fords period! They should do a "Make loyalty test" before hiring these asshats in the first place! Rarely, you'll find a fellow enthusiast working in the parts dept., then you're golden!