Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHEELS | ||||||||||||||||
| 03V279000 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | from 10/10/2001 to 09/30/2002 | V (Vehicle) | 29946 | 08/08/2003 | ODI | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 08/05/2003 | 08/07/2003 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On certain police and taxi vehicles equipped with steel wheels, some of the wheels may develop cracks in the rim near the weld line that connects the rim to the disk. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | The cracks can ultimately result in rapid air loss from the tire and could affect vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will inspect and replace the four road wheels and spare wheel with the manufacturing date codes of august 18, 2001 through september 22, 2002. in addition, ford is providing extended warranty coverage for wheels on 2003 crown victoria police interceptor and taxis built from october 1, 2002 through april 29, 2003. these wheels are exhibiting cracks at a substantially lower rate than those wheels included in the recall. owner notification began on august 8, 2003. owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Ford recall no. 03s05.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHEELS | |||||
| 04M05 | 12/01/2004 | 10014680 | Customer satisfaction program 04m05. steel wheel additional coverage. *tt | 05/05/2005 | |
| 03M03 | 11/01/2004 | 04M05 | 10003069 | Customer satisfaction program 03m03 - steel wheel additional coverage. *tt advance notice. *tt | 10/07/2003 |
| 03125 | 06/23/2003 | 10002686 | The goodyear p225/60r16 eagle rs-a plus is a new and improved tire available for police applications. *tt | 09/10/2003 | |
| 15857 | 05/01/2002 | 637706 | Some vehicles may exhibit a click or rattle noise coming from the front wheel area. *tt | 12/04/2002 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHEELS | ||||||
| RQ04007 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 08/02/2004 | 12/20/2004 | FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIM | ||
| During a september 23, 2004 meeting and in subsequent discussions in november, ford advised the office of defects investigation (odi) of their plans to introduce an improved steel wheel for manufacturing and service component use on the subject vehicles, indicating this would occur in december 2004.the new wheel design incorporates an additional manufacturing process (shot peening) which lowers tensile stress in the surface layer of the rim material adjacent to the circumferential weld. theoretically this should improve rim durability by reducing fatigue crack initiation sites.indications from ford | ||||||
| PE03009 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 02/25/2003 | 08/08/2003 | FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIM | 03V279000 | |
| The subject wheel (new for my 2003) is used on crown victoria (cv) and grand marquis.complaint data indicates that wheel failure affects primarily the commercial specification cv model (police and taxi) which has unique design characteristics and is generally subjected to higher usage demands.during ford's analysis, it was determined that cyclic bending moment fatigue could cause rim cracks to occur in the heat affected zone adjacent to the circumferential weld.ford implemented changes in wheel manufacture in september 2002 and introduced a new wheel design with a thicker rim in april 2003.odi found evidence that indicated rapid crack propogation might have occurred in seven wheel failure incidents, two of which lead to tire debeading.ford has announced that 29,946 commercial spec cv vehicles, manufactured prior to the september change, will be recalled to have the april 2003 design wheel installed.odi will continue to monitor for wheel failures in the subject vehicles not covered by the recall. | ||||||
| WHEELS - CAP/COVER/HUB | ||||||
| RQ04007 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 08/02/2004 | 12/20/2004 | FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIM | ||
| During a september 23, 2004 meeting and in subsequent discussions in november, ford advised the office of defects investigation (odi) of their plans to introduce an improved steel wheel for manufacturing and service component use on the subject vehicles, indicating this would occur in december 2004.the new wheel design incorporates an additional manufacturing process (shot peening) which lowers tensile stress in the surface layer of the rim material adjacent to the circumferential weld. theoretically this should improve rim durability by reducing fatigue crack initiation sites.indications from ford | ||||||
| WHEELS - CENTER SECTION | ||||||
| RQ04007 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 08/02/2004 | 12/20/2004 | FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIM | ||
| During a september 23, 2004 meeting and in subsequent discussions in november, ford advised the office of defects investigation (odi) of their plans to introduce an improved steel wheel for manufacturing and service component use on the subject vehicles, indicating this would occur in december 2004.the new wheel design incorporates an additional manufacturing process (shot peening) which lowers tensile stress in the surface layer of the rim material adjacent to the circumferential weld. theoretically this should improve rim durability by reducing fatigue crack initiation sites.indications from ford | ||||||
| WHEELS - RIM | ||||||
| RQ04007 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 08/02/2004 | 12/20/2004 | FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIM | ||
| During a september 23, 2004 meeting and in subsequent discussions in november, ford advised the office of defects investigation (odi) of their plans to introduce an improved steel wheel for manufacturing and service component use on the subject vehicles, indicating this would occur in december 2004.the new wheel design incorporates an additional manufacturing process (shot peening) which lowers tensile stress in the surface layer of the rim material adjacent to the circumferential weld. theoretically this should improve rim durability by reducing fatigue crack initiation sites.indications from ford | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHEELS | |||
| 08/23/2012 | 180000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact stated that the front driver side wheel split where the rim connected to the center of the wheel. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 03v279000 (wheels), but the manufacturer informed him that the recall only applied to the models that were being used as police vehicles. the contact stated that the information was not indicated in the recall notice. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer did not offer any assistance. the failure mileage was 180,000. | |||
| 08/23/2012 | 180000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact stated that the front driver side wheel split where the rim connected to the center of the wheel. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 03v279000 (wheels), but the manufacturer informed him that the recall only applied to the models that were being used as police vehicles. the contact stated that the information was not indicated in the recall notice. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer did not offer any assistance. the failure mileage was 180,000. kmj | |||
| 08/23/2012 | 180000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact stated the left front wheel split where the rim connects to the center of the wheel. there was a recall nhtsa campaign id number: 03v279000: wheels, but the manufacturer informed him this recall was only for police vehicles but the recall notification did not imply that information. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer did not offer any assistance. the failure mileage was 180,000. mw | |||
| 08/20/2012 | 180823 | 1 | |
| Have been driving the car back and forth to work under normal conditions. then realized the car had a flat, then took to the local tire shop. where they informed me the tire was fine, but the wheel had split at the connection weld(making it no good). found out ford had a recall, i went to my local ford dealer where they explained it was a defect and would be replaced if it was a current police vehicle. where it is not cause i own it, they said they can not perform the recall. now tell me how am i not anymore important than our police officials? my family is at safety risk, along with myself, and others on the road, because the wheel could split and cause and accident! so tell me why wont ford stand behind there recalled product? *tr | |||
| 08/20/2012 | 180823 | ||
| Have been driving the car back and forth to work under normal conditions. then realized the car had a flat, then took to the local tire shop. where they informed me the tire was fine, but the wheel had split at the connection weld(making it no good). found out ford had a recall, i went to my local ford dealer where they explained it was a defect and would be replaced if it was a current police vehicle. where it is not cause i own it, they said they can not preform the recall. now tell me how am i not anymore important than our police officials? my family is at safety risk, along with myself, and others on the road, because the wheel could split and cause and accident! so tell me why wont ford stand behind there recalled product? | |||
| 02/01/2011 | 1 | ||
| 2003 crown victoria. consumer writes in regards to his vehicle not being able to be repaired under recall due to his vin number not being included. *tgw there was a recall on the wheels. *jb | |||
| 08/24/2009 | 109000 | 1 | |
| Have 2003 ford crown victoria got recall notice in march 2009. i called napa ford and was told car had to be a police car registered to a police station really felt like a brush off now 5 months later i have cracks in my rim and a flat tire i called back and was brushed off again there is a proven defect and there not fixing it. *tr | |||
| 10/04/2008 | 129580 | 1 | 10/01/2008 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact discovered a cracked rim in the back of his trunk. the dealer initially stated that his vin was included in nhtsa campaign id number 07v079000 (wheels). four rims were ordered and, when they arrived, the dealer stated that the vehicle was not included because it was not an active police vehicle. the current mileage was 129,600 and failure mileage was 129,580. updated 11-25-08 *bf updated 11/25/08. *jb | |||
| 08/20/2008 | 105000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the steel wheel weld is coming apart and the tires are leaking. the contact is concerned that the weld could split. when he notified the dealer that there was a safety recall, he was informed that because the vehicle was no longer an operating police vehicle, the recall did not apply. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number 03v279000 (wheels). the current and failure mileages were 105,000. | |||
| 01/20/2008 | 118000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. while driving between 65-70 mph, the contact felt a vibration in the steering wheel of his vehicle. he received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 03v279000 (wheels), which was similar to the failure he was experiencing. the dealer stated that because his vehicle was no longer a fleet vehicle, but a police interceptor, the repair could not be performed. the manufacturer was consulted and they agreed with the dealer. the current mileage was approximately 127,000 and failure mileage was approximately 118,000. | |||
| 09/25/2007 | 0 | 08/14/2007 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. on september 25, 2007, the contact took the vehicle to the dealer to have the recall repair for nhtsa campaign id number 07v079000 (wheels) performed. he was informed that the repair could not be made because the vehicle was no longer an active police vehicle. the contact stated that this information was not mentioned in the safety recall. his vin was not included in the recall, however, the contact wants the recall repair performed. there had been no failure to date. the current mileage was 80,300. | |||
| 02/24/2005 | 51472 | 1 | 01/08/2003 |
| I am representing the city of troy, ny police department. we have previously sent you information regarding three cracked wheels from three separate crown vic interceptor wheels. we now have a fourth one and we are having a problem with replacement from ford, via the local dealer. the wheel is from a 2003 year model, vin #2fafp71w33x140511, dot k4 01 070302. this is the second wheel to crack from this vehicle. the crack is 5 by 1 3/4. for further info please contact automotive supervisor chris wood at 518 270-5653. thanks. *ak | |||
| 06/11/2004 | 20600 | 1 | |
| Steel wheel cracked on vehicle.*mr there was a separation of the weld between the disk and hub. a gap of 1/16th of an inch extended approximately 18 around the hub weld. the wheel was previously inspected at the dealer for possible involvement in safety campaign 03s05 and per the dealer the wheel was not covered in the recall. the wheel failed in the same manner as described in safety recall 03s05. *nm see also 10083876, same incident. *dsy | |||
| 06/11/2004 | 20600 | 1 | |
| Complaint regarding defect of some steel road wheels.*mr the officers dept was notified of the safety recall 03s05 concerning the defect of some steel wheels. the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for inspection. the consumer was advised by the dealer that recall 03s05 had been performed. about 10 months later the vehicle's front tire began loosing air pressure often. the vehicle was taken to another dealer. the inspection revealed a severe crack in the area of the weld joining the disk of the wheel hub. there was a separation of 1/16 of an inch between the wheel hub and outside wheel disk and the crack extended 18 inches around the hub weld. *nm see odi 10093959, same incident. *dsy | |||
| 08/20/2003 | 9 | ||
| Dealership hasn't been able to perform the steel wheel recall 03v279000 repairs for almost 10 months because the parts were on back order.*ak | |||
| 08/20/2003 | 9 | ||
| Dealership was unable to perform the steel wheel recall 03v279000 repairs for almost 10 months because the parts were on back order.*ak | |||
| 08/20/2003 | 9 | ||
| Dealership hasn't been able to perform the steel wheel recall 03v279000 repairs for almost 10 months because the parts were on back order. *ak | |||
| 04/11/2003 | 48000 | 20 | |
| 2003 ford crown victoria wheels fail at the weld, we have at least 20 failures where the weld cracks and the tire deflates. this is a very serious safety issue that should be addressed. we are afraid that we will have a grave accident if this is not corrected.*jb | |||
| 02/24/2003 | 30943 | 1 | |
| Steel wheel cracked around the circumference of the wheel. *jb | |||
| 01/31/2003 | 28368 | 1 | |
| The wheels cracked, which caused a loud noise.(police vehicle)*jb | |||
| 4 | |||
| Found four cracked wheels and three wheels with suspected cracks on 2003 crown victoria police cruisers. the drivers have complained of front end vibration and shimmy which led to the discovery of cracked wheels. | |||
| WHEELS - RIM | |||
| 12/01/2009 | 1000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria pi. the contact stated that about 2 months ago he noticed a slow leak in the tire. while he was adding air in the tire he discovered that the rim was cracked. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated that the vehicle was no longer in recall status since the vehicle was no longer owned by a police officer. the contact is concerned about the safety risk and doesn't think it should matter if a police was driving the vehicle or not. the rims have continued to crack. the failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was approximately 105,000. | |||
| 01/02/2008 | 75400 | 2 | 05/25/2004 |
| Failure of weld point on wheel rims causing rapid air loss in tires, a very dangerous situation. problem begin when i found tire gone flat after driving from milford oh, to middletown oh. tire was fine before i left milford. tire held air for only a few hours and my spare had a cut in the side wall from a tool in the trunk, so i put air in and took it back home. took it to the milford walmart tire and lube center, they discovered the air leak at the weld point. told them to put the rim from the spare on... same problem at the same weld point. looked up online an found there is a recall. went to ford dealership garage and they told me there is a recall but only if it is still a police or fleet vehicle. called corporate customer line and was told same thing and it was only a danger for extreme driving and they could not replace for a civilian. both rims have spent time on the car and i drive it normally and yet two failures have occurred. i find it shocking that a known defect is only to be replaced for govt and fleet but not civilians who could be in the same danger of a tire failure on the highway. dealer and ford motor company refused to replace the defective parts. i was told by another customer at the ford garage he had the same problem on his used crown vic (and was also refused service) and he suggested i make a complaint here.*cn | |||
| 11/15/2006 | 0 | ||
| The suffolk county police department encountered a problem concerning wheel rims on the 2003 ford crown victoria which were outside ford safety recall #03s05. while inspecting rims detailed in this recall, this department found cracks in rims which had not been listed in the recall campaign as being potentially defective. it is suggested that agencies utilizing crown victorias equipped with wheel rims having 7 vent holes consider expanding the inspection of said rims. rims that have repetitive slow leaks cound be indicative of a rim or weld crack and should be removed from the vehicle for a proper inspection of the welds. | |||
| 05/18/2004 | 69460 | 1 | 09/17/2002 |
| Left front wheel has slow leak. the tire was dismounted and had no punctures evident. the whell was inspected and a small crack was detected. the wheel was replaced. the cracked wheel was returned to ford motor co., attn: deb usrum.*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer received recall notice pertaining to his rims, but had difficulty getting the recall work performed. *ph one of the vehicle's rims were leaking. the consumer contacted the dealer about the recall but was told that the parts were not available. several months later the consumer called about the rims and was given an appointment. when the consumer arrived at the dealer they claimed that there was no recall on the vehicle. the dealer also stated that if the consumer wanted the rims replaced her would have to pay for it. (recall number 03v279000). *nm | |||
| 03/15/2004 | 68000 | 1 | |
| 2003 crown vic police interc. police car had its tire rim replaced by ford 9/2003, new rim dated 8/1/2003 was found to have a 12 inch crack on the circumference of the rim which caused the tire to deflate. numbers on the rim were 16x7 j t dot k4 34 080103.*ak | |||
| 03/01/2004 | 1 | 05/12/2003 | |
| My concern is for the 2003 ford police crown victoria (police interceptor) program 03m03 which is concurrent with safety recall 03s05. they both involve inspection and replacement of cracked rims. however, the 03m03 does not address the problem. it only extends the warranty. both concurrent campaigns describe the same symptoms (repeated slow air leak, nibble in steering, difficulty in balancing tires and rapid air lost). however, after contacting my local ford dealer and ford motor company, i was told the rims would not be inspected at my request. i would have to pay for this with city of richmond funds. ford states that only a small percentage of steel wheels manufactured from september 23, 2002 through april 22, 2003 will be affected by this condition . i feel a failure that could occur during a high speed pursuit is not acceptable. ford also says in the 03s05 safety recall that rapid air loss may affect vehicle control , possibly resulting in an accident.....personal injury or possible death. please advise me concerning the action to take with these rims. we (city of richmond), are not an isolated case. mark schultz fleet maintenance training & quality assurance city of richmond, virginia . *jb | |||
| 11/24/2003 | 1 | 09/17/2002 | |
| My 2003 ford crown victoria police interceptor has five wheels that have the affected date code stamped on them that indicate they are defective. the local dealer service writer tells me that they do not need replacing if they are not leaking air. am i supposed to wait until i am stranded or invloved in an accident before ford will replace the rims? *ak | |||
| 10/05/2003 | |||
| Vehicle's rims are cracked, a recall was issued; however vehicle is outside the remedy scope. please provide additional information. | |||
| 21348 | 1 | ||
| Dealership didn't have the replacement wheels for the steel wheels recall 03 v 279 000. recall defects had already occurred on one of the wheels.*ak | |||
| 07/01/2003 | 1 | ||
| Police officer noticed one of the front tires was flat due to a faulty/cracked rim. *ak | |||
| 07/01/2003 | 16000 | 1 | 07/01/2002 |
| The rims split in half. ford acknowledged there was a problem. *ak *jb | |||
| 3 | 09/10/2002 | ||
| Rims cracked on three of the six crown victorias owned by the city council of bluffs. *mr ph | |||
| 35780 | 1 | ||
| Consumer noticed a slow leak in the right rear tire. took vehicle to dealer, and dealer stated that the rim was cracked. consumer felt the rims were defective. *ak | |||
| 06/09/2003 | 34714 | 1 | 06/01/2002 |
| A police officer stated while driving at lower speeds the vehicle would vibrate heavily due to a cracked rim. the officers vehicle was repaired under warranty. *ak *cb *nlm | |||
| 04/27/2003 | 1 | ||
| The rims cracked without warning. *nlm | |||
| 04/23/2003 | 16000 | 1 | 06/01/2002 |
| The consumer noticed a hard vibration coming from the front end of the vehicle. the vehicle was serviced by a technician, who stated the rim well was cracked. *jb ph *jb | |||
| 04/16/2003 | 31459 | 4 | 06/19/2002 |
| Tire rims are separating on the weld-we have four rims that this has occurred to, on two different vehicles. the tires will hold about twenty pounds of air even with the weld break. front end shimmies at 30 mph or more which indicates the problem. *nlm | |||