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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY - REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES | ||||||||||||||||
| 97V083000 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | from 08/24/1992 to 11/18/1994 | V (Vehicle) | 610000 | 06/04/1997 | ODI | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 05/05/1997 | 05/23/1997 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | A short circuit condition can occur in the remote power mirror control switch circuit board as a result of a separated part of the contact assembly bridging the switch positive battery pad and adjacent chassis ground pad. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | The current can overheat the printed circuit board and other plastic and elastomeric components of the switch assembly resulting in smoke or fire. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will install an in-line 10 amp fuse in the positive battery feed to the remote power mirror control switch assembly. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Owner notification:owner notification is expected to begin may 19, 1997.notes:owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393. | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - HEATER CORE | |||||
| 01156 | 08/06/2001 | 623944 | Some vehicles may exhibit heater core leaks. *slc | 10/31/2001 | |
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD | |||||
| 96221 | 10/21/1996 | 50940 | Windshield and interior glass - fog/film. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM | ||||||
| PE98048 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 09/04/1998 | 01/15/1999 | BLOWER ASSEMBLY FIRES | ||
| DP98008 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 09/04/1998 | 09/11/1998 | HEATER BLOWER ASSEMBLY FIRE | ||
| Alleges that certain ford trucks and vans have a defective heater blower assembly allowing debris (leaves) to enter through the cowl grille and into the heatr system resulting in a fire saety hazard. | ||||||
| EA99004 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 01/15/1999 | 04/18/2000 | BLOWER ASSEMBLY FIRES | ||
| Alleged that leaves, pine straw, or other foreign material may enter the blower assembly through the fresh air cowl and accumulate in the vicinity of the blower resistor assembly.. heat from the blower resistors may ignite the foreign material, causing a fire in the blower housing. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM | |||
| 05/29/2002 | |||
| While driving 50 mph consumer noticed smoke coming from vents. engine was shut off, and vents closed. vehicle has not been inspected by dealer yet. *ak | |||
| 11/30/2000 | 2 | 07/01/1994 | |
| Defective design of heating system caught fire twice from pine needles collecting around the heating apparatus under the hood. *ak | |||
| 10/01/1995 | 3 | 10/01/1993 | |
| Problem 1: electrical burning smell occasionally when turn heater on and once when turned a/c on. has nothing to do with the first time using the system and smells like when another car of mine had the electrical wires in the steering wheel burn and smoke. problem 2: gas pedal occasionally floors itself and i cannot brake the car even with all my weight on the brake pedal. i handle it by popping the car in neutral and sitting there while the engine guns itself. i also pump the gas pedal during this time in the hopes that it helps. this is the scariest of all my problems and i have been fortunate enough not to be too close to people when this happens. this happens about 2x a year and i cannot tie any of the incidens together as it has occurred on rainy days, sunny days.... problem 3: i no longer drive my car above 65mph because in the past i have had problems where after more than 45 minutes of high speed driving the fuel system messes up. my mileage drops to about 8 miles to the gallon and the engine light comes on. i've had to get my purge tank emptied of fuel and other problems after an incident like this, but the problem is not noticable when the car is cool or in city driving. overall note: i have some of the dates of the problems written down but not all so the dates and mileages are fictional in my notes to you. *ak | |||
| 25 | 02/01/1999 | ||
| Smoke frequently enters the vehicle through the ventilation system. *ak | |||
| 03/03/1998 | 2 | 10/01/1993 | |
| This is the second instance of a fire in the heater/airconditioner ducts. *ak | |||
| 12/16/1996 | 4 | 03/28/1994 | |
| Leaves enter into the ventillation system near windshield, accumulation of debris in resistor/blower motor caused fire several times. | |||
| 12 | 07/01/1994 | ||
| Vehicle emits smell/smoke in ventilation system upon start up of vehicle. | |||
| 01/16/1999 | 2 | 10/01/1993 | |
| I had the heater/defroster on when i smelled something burning. then smoke poured out of the ventilation system into the car. i pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the car and rolled down the windows. i saw a gas station so i started up the car and pulled into the gas station. i told them the problem and they said it sounded like the heating coil had burnt out but they did not have time to check it out. i tried the heater a few days later and a burning smell came out of the ventilation. i have not put on the heat since then. | |||
| 01/15/1999 | 1 | 02/01/1994 | |
| Debris has been sucked into the air chamber by the heater/ air conditioner. because the fan motor speed is changed by various sized resistors in this chamber, when the fan operated at low speed, it heated the resistors and caught the debris on fire, with smoke pouring out of the vents, nearly blinding me the driver and burning my lungs. the dealership indicated that i needed to clean off the car to prevent this, and i paid for repairs. certainly there are other means to vary a fan speed, like multiple winding motors. fortunately there were no injuries, but the potential was their to cause injury or burn up the explorer. | |||
| 06/01/1994 | |||
| Fan/heater when used on panel, smells like something is burning, if used as defrost or floor i don't notice the smell as much. once there was smoke coming out of the vents, we turned it off and it stopped. a mechanic checked it for us and couldn't find any smoke. it hasn't smoked since then, but it continues to smell lkie something is burning if we use the panel vents. | |||
| 02/24/1999 | 03/01/1994 | ||
| The dealership said it was leaves in the blower. they would have to take apart the dash and charge me. do i have any recourse against the dealer and manufacturer for this safety hazard. i fear the vehicle will ignite because the smoke is very heavy and billowing out from the interior vents and exterior in front of the windshield. | |||
| 11/02/1998 | |||
| Consumer drove approximately 20 minutes before turning the defroster on, within 15 seconds he began to smell burning odor, smell like leaves. consumer switched the engine off and sat and watched, never saw any smoke. when the smell got down approximately five minutes later he began to drive again, there is an open investigation at this time. *ak | |||
| 11/03/1996 | 1 | ||
| Leaves accumulated in heater blower assembly. april 1994 we paid $92 to have leaves removed from system after we smelled burning leaves and blower motor was noisy. in november 1996 we paid $52 to have blower motor resistor replaced after it burned up, filling car with smoke but no flames observed. we currently smell leaves burning every time we drive the car with heater on so expect more problems soon. | |||
| 05/13/1998 | 12/01/1994 | ||
| Customer states heat coming out of vents while car is turned off. | |||
| 02/14/1998 | 2 | 01/01/1993 | |
| Design of the heater fan/unit allows leaves to enter and catch fire. | |||
| 12/30/1997 | 1 | 02/22/1998 | |
| While driving with the heater on, black, acrid, choking smoke filled the passenger compartment so badly the driver could not see through the windshield. | |||
| Leaves were caught in the heater vent, and the leaves caught fire, causing smoke to come through the heater vents. dealer cleaned vents out. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Ventilation system does not work properly. the unit can not be turned off. when all switches are in the off position, you can hear a hissing noise and air blows out of the vents, even when the vehicle is not moving. | |||
| 07/14/1996 | 1 | 12/01/1995 | |
| Vent slats fell off. | |||
| 03/27/1996 | |||
| Leaves are getting into the heater unit, causing the vehicle to smoke. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - BLOWER | |||
| 02/12/2004 | 1 | ||
| Consumer stated that during christmas she and her children were traveling when rear defroster overheated. consumer tried to cut it off, but the switch did not work. while she was trying to shut it off rear window exploded and blew out. *ak *nm | |||
| 12/28/2001 | 1 | ||
| Heater blower resistor blewout, causing vehicle to catch on fire, ford examined vehicle, and found leaves and heater plug resistor to be the cause. *jg | |||
| 02/02/1997 | 1 | ||
| The air conditioner/heating blower motor assembly failed, causing a fire that destroyed the vehicle. | |||
| 02/01/1996 | 3 | 05/01/1996 | |
| Leaves are being sucked into the outside air vent, then into a open register in the condenser where the leaves burn. | |||
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - CONTROLS/WIRING | |||
| 03/02/2000 | 08/01/1994 | ||
| Related to ea99-004. earlier incidents (beginning 1998) were just a hint of burning grass, usually occuring when starting car with fan switch on one of the 'on' positions.latest incident had billowing clouds of white smoke pouring from vents, filling cabin, at least 5 minutes. extinguished by pouring water into outside air vents. blower moter now only works on high setting. this is dangerous! | |||
| 03/16/1999 | 1 | 08/31/1994 | |
| Replaced heater control valve. mjs | |||
| 02/10/1997 | 12/06/1994 | ||
| Vehicle caught on fire due to a faulty blower motor and thermal switch, vehicle was a total loss. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - HEATER CORE | |||
| 1 | 10/01/1997 | ||
| Leaves and stems entered the engine through windshield air vents into vehicle heater blower and caused a burning smell. yh | |||
| 05/25/1998 | |||
| Vehicle experiencing problem with pine needles collected into outside heater duct and catching on fire. also, rear hydraulic cylinder deatched from vehicle body. dealer notified of both incidents, and consumer was informed that the vehicle was under no recalls. seeking help from nhtsa inthis matter. *ak | |||
| 06/01/1994 | |||
| Smoke and odor from the heater system. smells like burning leaves. *ak | |||
| 02/28/1999 | 04/01/1995 | ||
| Burning leaf smell and smoke came out of all of the dash vents | |||
| 01/01/1999 | |||
| When ventilation blower/fan is turned on, it starts smoking and fan cannot be operated while driving. dealer and manufacturer contacted and cannot remedy the problem. are not aware of an investigation that was broadcasted. problem still exists. provide further information. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - GLASS, SIDE/REAR | |||
| 4 | 05/01/1994 | ||
| Rear lift gate on explorer has broken off on three previous ocassions. on the third occurance the entire lift gate was replaced under a factory 'recall' program. the bolts or screws holding the lift gate to the hinges have now pulled out of the lift gate brackets. dealer claims no responsibility for metal fatigue failure because it occurred more than 12 months since replacement . contacted the manufacturer and they rejected claim also. this vehicle has 46010 miles and the lift gate has now failed four separate times. this is not a mechanical failure but structural design failure. | |||
| 08/02/1999 | |||
| Welded back door support popped off. door slammed dangerously. *ak | |||
| 03/15/1994 | |||
| Rear window glass crystallized. *ak | |||
| 06/27/1997 | 01/15/1994 | ||
| While driving rea rwindow shattered for no apparent reason, pieces of glass fell into rear of vehicle. no one was injured. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | |||
| 05/11/2004 | 101000 | 1 | 02/01/1999 |
| Windshield wipers failed intermittently. dealer could not duplicate the problem. *ak the power windows worked intermittently. *jb | |||
| 08/04/2003 | 75000 | 30 | 11/08/1993 |
| Gasoline guage works intermittently or not at all, 4 wheel drive does not work, passenger window in front side does not work. *ak | |||
| 12/10/2002 | 60000 | 2 | 11/05/1998 |
| While returning from christmas shopping i disarmed my car alarm. when the driver side door was opened, smoke began emitting from the power mirror switch. using a screwdriver, i removed the electrical console and swung the screwdriver at the flaming switch assembly until it released. falling to the ground i quickly smothered the fire and disconnected the battery until all smoke cleared. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Power window failed. *mjs | |||
| Vehicle caught on fire due to a short circuit in power mirror switch. recall 97v083000 was issued for this problem. but dealer did not register this vehicle in consumer's name with manufacturer. therefore, consumer never received recall notice. *ak | |||
| 07/08/1999 | 1 | 10/01/1998 | |
| Recall notice not recieved for the poorly design remote power mirror control switch which shorted and caused a vehicle fire. (recall 97970) nlm | |||
| 08/01/1997 | 1 | ||
| Recall repair work denied on vehicle due to dealership policy. | |||
| 09/09/1997 | |||
| Defect in power mirrors, dealer will not repair vehicle under recall, because work is not under warranty. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Power mirror on the driver's side door began to malfunction and sometimes must be adjusted by hand. | |||
| 12/06/1996 | 1 | 03/01/1994 | |
| Driver's power window inoperative. | |||
| 09/08/1995 | 1 | 10/01/1994 | |
| Consumer rear window opened exploded in his face. he called ford and they said this was a fluke . tt one of the two rear window cylinders froze, causing torsional strain on window which shattered window. *yh | |||
| VISIBILITY - REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES | |||
| Vehicle was filled with smoke and smelled like insulation burning. consumer indicated remote power mirror switch had burned. power switch buttons for mirror will not move. dealer contacted. *ak | |||
| 09/23/1997 | 1 | ||
| Consumer took car in for recal 97 v 083 000 repairs. 3 years later, consumer's car caught on fire the same way as mentioned in recall. dealer told consumer that a fuse was put in to stop whole car from catching fire. consumer stated door caught fire while parked.*ak the dealer declined to take responsibility for the failed fuse. the consumer also had electrical problem with the mirror wires and the mirror switch failed. *yh | |||
| 11/21/2000 | |||
| Recall 97v083000. power mirror shorted, causing smoke to enter vehicle. vehicle's make and model has been recalled. however, this vehicle was not included due to vin. manufacturer has been notified. *ak | |||
| 09/23/1999 | |||
| While driving mirror starts to smoke, causing other functions in the vehicle to blow out, such as the radi/and mirror switch. *ak | |||
| 07/08/1999 | 1 | 10/01/1998 | |
| Consumer not notified of recall (97v083000) design flaw in power mirror which may have caused short circuit condition in the remote power mirror control switch to overheat and result in vehicle fire. nlm | |||
| 05/26/1998 | |||
| 97v083000. while wife wasa driving car, smoke was coming from the mirror. the inside of the door burst into flames. a state trooper came to help the driver. apparently he had the same vehicle, and was aware of a recall. ford was contacted. since the insurance company had looked at the car after the incident, the manufacturer would not touch the car. stated that they would not be responsible after someone else had looked at the car. *ak | |||
| 08/12/1997 | 1 | 12/01/1993 | |
| Short circuit in powr mirror caused fire prior to recall. | |||
| 08/29/1997 | 08/01/1994 | ||
| Received recall notice (#97v083000). called dealer & made appointment. took vehicle on day of appointment. mechanic kept vehicle for 2 1/2 hrs before informing the owner that they did not have the parts to repair the vehicle's mirror switch. *ak *slc | |||
| 07/18/1997 | 1 | ||
| Recall #97v083000, before performing recall work mirrors were working. afterwards mirrors did not work. dealer refuses to fix because of broken housing motor box. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES - EXTERIOR | |||
| 02/23/2004 | 78000 | 1 | |
| Recall 97v083000 concerning remote power mirror switch was issued. however, this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. while pulling into a driveway mirror controls began to smoke. moments later, fire was streaming from the mirror itself, consuming the entire vehicle. *ak | |||
| 03/25/2003 | |||
| The power mirror caught on fire. *nlm | |||
| 08/25/1997 | |||
| Consumer states that he received a recall notice about the power mirror switch on vehicle. he took the vehicle to the dealer for repair of recall and vehicle was vandalized. *ak | |||
| 07/23/1996 | 2 | ||
| Rearview mirror failed to stay attached to the window. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES - INTERIOR | |||
| 05/14/2007 | 61000 | 0 | 09/15/2005 |
| The power control for side view mirror shorted out and caused electrical smoke and orange glow/fire from side console. checking your site, you already list this but dealership and ford do not have a record of this recall (97v083000). | |||
| 3 | 12/01/1993 | ||
| While driving rearview mirror will fall off, causing loss of visibility. dealer has reapplied glue twice, defect is still occurring. consumer reported all three incidences to dealer. *ak *tt | |||
| The rearview mirror fell off two times . tt | |||
| 1 | |||
| Interior rear view mirror obscures vision of tall people. *aw | |||
| VISIBILITY - REAR WINDOW WIPER/WASHER - MOTOR | |||
| 09/18/1997 | 2 | ||
| While having the rear wiper motor replaced the liftgage bracket broke, other bracket broke later, both were prior to recall notification (99v-310) *mjs | |||
| VISIBILITY - SUN ROOF ASSEMBLY | |||
| 12/26/1999 | 1 | 07/01/1997 | |
| Was driving down on highway at approximately 55mph when the sun roof exploded. there was no prior warning that this would happen. the temperature inside & outside vehicle did not change. nothing hit the sunroof. wasn't closing or opening the sun roof when it shattered. *ak | |||
| 11/04/1997 | 0 | ||
| Driving vehicle with windows & sun roof closed. heard a loud boom glass shattered from above & into vehicle & towards the rear. nothing hit sun roof to break it. have not taken to dealer yet. *ak | |||
| 09/09/1997 | 1 | 10/01/1994 | |
| Consumer states the while driving 50 mph the glass in the sun roof separated from the vehicle and blew off the vehicle onto the highway.*ak *jb | |||
| 01/01/1997 | 1 | ||
| Sun roof shattered for no apparent reason. | |||
| 02/08/1996 | 8 | ||
| Sunroof leaks. *sd | |||
| 04/16/1996 | |||
| While driving sun roof sheared off, blowing small pieces of glass in the empty chile safety seats. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD | |||
| The windshield leaks, the brake makes noise replaced pads and the sensor when out car ran but didn't run right the abs light came on truck burns to much oil . | |||
| 08/01/1995 | 1 | ||
| Rear door on passenger side glass shattered w/sharp edges while driving on freeway. tt | |||
| 06/10/1994 | 1 | ||
| Windshield problem. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | |||
| 05/11/2004 | 101000 | 1 | 02/01/1999 |
| Windshield wipers failed intermittently. dealer could not duplicate the problem. *ak the power windows worked intermittently. *jb | |||
| 07/03/1997 | |||
| The windshield wipers stopped operating in the middle of the windshield, and then started working again eight hours later. *ak | |||