Ford Explorer 1997 - Fuel system - car safety information, failing parts, recalls, bulletins, complaints

Ford Explorer 1997

Recalls
Technical Service Bulletins
Defect investigations
Consumer Complaints

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
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
98V060000	FORD MOTOR COMPANY	from 08/01/1996 to 02/01/1998	V (Vehicle)	320000	04/20/1998	MFR	FORD MOTOR COMPANY	03/19/1998	03/27/1998
Defect Summary	Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicles equipped with 4.0l single overhead cam engines. the engine fuel lines can be damaged if the vehicle is jump started and the ground cable is attached to the fuel line bracket that is located near the battery. since the bracket is not grounded, the stainless steel fuel line braid could act as a ground potentially overheating the ptfe inner liner of the fuel line resulting in damage to the fuel line.
Consequence Summary	The fuel lines can leak, and in the presence of an ignition source, a fire could potentially result.
Corrective Summary	Dealers will install a warning label on the fuel line bracket advising owners not to use it for a jump start ground. also a revised bolt will be installed in the alternator bracket to provide a convenient jump start ground location.
Notes	Owner notification is expected to begin april 20, 1998.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 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).

Bulletins

Bulletin	Bulletin date	Item no.	Summary	Added
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
6203	05/01/1999	607024	Some vehicles may exhibit a no start condition when parked on an incline with the vehicle in a nose down position and less than 1/4 tank of fuel. *tt	11/03/2000
976011	11/01/1997	605804	Experiencing difficulty diagnosing vehicles with evaporative fuel system diagnostic trouble codes. *tt	07/26/1999
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - CARBURETOR SYSTEM
96225	10/21/1996	50944	Mass air flow sensor - replacement as an assembly - service tip. *tw	06/17/1997
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - FUEL PUMP
00201	10/02/2000	618539	Some vehicles may exhibit hesitation on acceleration or while turning. *jb	04/16/2001
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
15532	01/01/2002	630018	Information on vehicles exhibitng fuel line damage due to pinching/squeezing of the fuel return line. *tt	04/11/2002
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY
12710	05/01/1999	6091686	Some vehicles may exhibit a no start condition when parked on an incline with the vehicle in a noise down position and less than 1/4 tank of fuel. *tt	11/09/2000
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
0398	05/12/2003	10002780	Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illumination with diagnostic trouble codes p0442, p0455, p0456, p0457, p1442 or check fuel cap lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble code p0457. *tt	09/17/2003

Investigations

NHTSA ID	Manufacturer	Date open	Date close	Subject	Recall campaign
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
RQ98020	FORD MOTOR COMPANY	11/03/1998	11/15/2000	FUEL LINE DAMAGE FROM JUMP STARTING	98V060000
	Fuel leak and possible fire from engine compartment fuel lines damaged by electrical sparking and discharge.

Consumer Complaints

Fail date	miles	occurences	Purchase date
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
12/29/2010	118304
	Tl- the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. the contact stated they started smelling gas coming into the vehicle. the contact looked under the hood and found that the fuel line was leaking from a bracket behind the motor. the contact spoke to the manufacturer about recall campaign 98v060000 for the fuel system line, piping and fitting, but the manufacturer stated the recall had closed. the current mileage and failure mileages was 118034.rl
02/15/2010	58000	1
	Stuck accelerator on 1997 ford explorer with 58,000 miles. while driving on interstate 287/78 in nj i tried to turn off the cruise control but instead the car accelerated uncontrollably to over 85 mph. i gained control by turning the engine on and off until reaching a safe place to stop. an njdot truck helped me and later that day i emailed what happened to ford's customer assistance. i wanted them to have a dealer examine my explorer to see if this was caused by a material defect of normal wear and tear, in which case i would repair it. they refused to help so i wrote a letter to dearborn and received a response saying the matter was closed (case # 1510510480). my wife said (and i believe her) that if she were driving it would have resulted in a crash. i noted that there was a recall on the 2002 escape that sounds like the same problem. i just want to prevent potential loss of life due to this, in my opinion, faulty design or manufacturer glitch. njdot documented the case since i sent them a thank you and they responded. the vehicle put me and others on the highway in a life-threatening situation (viz a viz toyota) but ford is unwilling to consider the case. they want to treat this as an out of warranty condition but i believe it is potentially a product liability that if not corrected will cost lives and damage. *tr
10/03/2008	102266	1
	I bought a 1997 ford explorer on february 23, 2008. on october 3, 2008 i used my explorer to jump another vehicle. i had the negative cable grounded to a bracket right next to the battery (the most obvious place to ground to). while trying to jump the other vehicle fuel started leaking from the fuel lines that are attached to that bracket. the fuel lines were melted because of jumping on that bracket and there was fuel running over the jumper cables and down the side of the engine. i could have been seriously injured but most likely killed if the jumper cables sparked. i was looking on the internet to see how much it would cost to have the fuel lines replaced and i stumbled across a recall stating that on my specific explorer the engine fuel lines can be damaged if the vehicle is jump started and the ground cable is attached to the fuel line bracket that is located near the battery. since the bracket is not grounded, the stainless steel fuel line braid could act as a ground potentially overheating the ptfe inner liner of the fuel line resulting in damage to the fuel line. consequence: the fuel lines can leak, and in the presence of an ignition source, a fire could potentially result. remedy: dealers will install a warning label on the fuel line bracket advising owners not to use it for a jump start ground. i went and checked to see if there was any kind of warning and there was, but it was not on the fuel line bracket like the recall said the dealership should do, it was on the fuel lines and tucked up behind that bracket where it was in no way visible unless you knew it was there. so now im going to have to pay $608.05 for fuel lines because faulkner-ciacco ford dealership did not service my explorer correctly. i called ford motor company asking if they would pay for it and they said that they cant do anything about it. i believe ford, or the dealer should have to pay since the warning label was not correctly placed on my vehicle. the ford recall # is 98s09. *tr
01/01/2008	102266
	Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was a recall on his vehicle (number 98s09) regarding the warning label that was to be installed on the fuel bracket; however, his was installed on the fuel line itself. the failure and current mileages were less than 102,266.
04/15/1997	130000	1
	The front suspension bar links are broken, the fog lights of the exterior does not work. *tr
02/26/2004	97500	1	06/02/1999
	Ford did not apply nhtsa recall 98v060 properly to my 1997 ford explorer vin 1fmdu34e2vza69400. the do not ground warning was applied to the incorrect bracket. when i attemped to jump start the vehicle, i used the fuel line bracket since there was no warning label. the braided fuel line covers overheated and melted the fuel line resulting in a significant leakage of fuel when the engine was running. the vehicle had to be towed. ford claims the recall was done properly. i have photographs which show it was not done properly. i believe that this poses a serious risk to the 300, 000+ vehicles that had this recall done. summary 1.the warning label was not attached to the correct bracket when the vehicle was serviced per the recall 2.there is no label in the engine compartment indicating that the revised alternator bolt is a jump start ground location 3.fords position is that the repairs were done properly. my contention is that they were not done properly. 4.this situation poses an imminent danger to drivers, passengers and bystanders. 5.there are still significant numbers of these vehicles on the road. 6.ford should provide a label indicating that the alternator bolt is a ground location and they should check vehicles that were subject to this recall to ensure that the labels were properly applied. *ak
05/15/1997
	Ongoning problem with fuel system vapor leakage. vehicle been in/out dealer shop on four occasions. vehicle have been inspected / repaired, but vapor leakeges still exist. needs help in this matter. *ak
01/12/1997			01/10/1997
	While parked the vehicle caught on fire under the hood, cause unknown. fire report indicates fuel related. *ak
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - CARBURETOR SYSTEM
06/11/2001		1
	Consumer was starting vehicle in the morning and there was a loud boom with a toxic smell. there were no flames. started it again, and it didn't do anything. there was a small mini explosion underneath hood. dealer stated that uper intake had blown to pieces. undetermined of the cause, but assuming a missed fire. ak right rear gasket intake manifold failed and was replaced. spark plugs were replaced. the fan belt were replaced. yh
02/01/2000
	Consumer had to replace o ring in intake manifold, and transfer box of 4- wheel drive.
		1
	The upper and lower intake manifolds failed due to a vacuum leak at the intake manifold gasket. nlm
12/27/1999
	Started vehicle in mornings, and it ran rough. also, motor stalled. contacted dealer. dealer indicated that intake manifold gasket needed to be replaced. was told by dealer that they were on national backorder. *ak

	Defective intake manifold is causing vehicle to stall after starting vehicle when it is cold. parts are on national back order. consumer has been waiting at least 31/2 months, and cannot get vehicle fixed. *ak
02/02/2000		0
	Engine check light came on. consumer took vehicle to a mechanic who told her that a hole was produced in the intake manifold.*ak
01/18/2000
	Intake manifold and the exhaust gas sensors had to be replaced prematuraly.*ak
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY

	While having vehicle jumped started fuel line began to leak. dealer was notified; however, was unable to fix problem.*ak
05/20/1999		1	05/01/1997
	No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
06/01/2000		1
	No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
06/29/1998		1
	Consumer was driving on highway at 55 mph under normal road conditions, consumer heard something popping. then noticed a gas smell. within a few seconds later other motorist was signaling for consumer to pull over. pulled over and found engine on fire. dealer notified and informed consumer that they do not do fire repairs and the vehicle was not under warranty. akthe vehicle was under warranty but the warranty did not cover fire related failure. nlm
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - FUEL PUMP
03/06/1999
	Upon starting the explorer fuel gauge drops down from half tank to empty. after about 10 minutes the fuel gauge shows the correct amount of fuel. the fuel gauge was replaced in march of 99, and the fuel pump was replaced on 4/1//99. conusmer is still experiencing a problem with the explorer. please provide any further details. *ak
02/01/1998
	When putting gas into the gas tank, the pump will shut off and the gas will spill out. it take's five times as long to get gas into tank. *ak
11/18/1998		2	11/01/1997
	Experiencing continued engine overheating and stalling, unable to rectify after replacement of faulty fuel pump and thermostat.
08/28/1997
	Vehicle was involved in a collision, and the next day the vehicle caught on fire on the right hand side by the head lights of the passenger side. dealer looked under the hood, and said that the fuel pump caused the fire. consumer states that this reason does not make any sense. *ak
04/18/1997		1
	While driving at highway speed, suddenly vehicle lost power. vehicle towed, dealer replaced fuel pump. *ak
03/23/1997		1	02/01/1997
	When vehicle is parked at a slight incline it will not start with less than 2 gallons of fuel remaining due to fuel pump.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
03/12/2006		1	01/01/1997
	1997 ford explorer caught fire under the hood. fire chief stated that the vehicle was on recall and the fire was due to a fuel leak. *kb
08/05/2006	0	1	05/19/1999
	I see all of the recalls on the ford explorer date 1997 but i own a ford explorer 1997 and the only recall notice that i received is the one for the tires back in 2000. i never received the others and i know the ford company is aware of me owning this vehicle for i get notices in the mail constantly about selling it back to ford. why are not my suspension lines or gas lines being repaired like the other fords with the 4.0 liter engine? *jb
06/08/2006	103000	1	04/24/1997
	I jumped a car and grounded the cables on the bracket at the top of the engine. immediately after jumping the car, a strong fuel odor was noted. the lake bluff police witnessed the entire event. later that night after driving the car, i noted a fuel leak from the lines adjacent to the bracket. i brought the car into my local shop for repairs. the coincidence of the car jump and fuel leak made me suspicious and i found that my car should have been recalled under id no. 98v060000 for a warning label and new grounding bolt. i called ed mateo at highland park ford in il and gave him my vin, 1fmdu34e4vuc54562. he agreed that the car was subject to the recall and they would replace the fuel line(s) and install the warning and new grounding bolt. i picked up me car from my local repairman this morning and dropped it off with ed at highland park ford. he said that they would take care of everything under the ford recall no. 98s09. he called me a half hour later and said that his manager would not let him repair the car under the recall since it didn't come up in their system under my vin - even though we had already cleared this earlier. i called jessie ford customer service, 800-392-ford, and they told me that the reason it didn't come up under my vin was because the recall work (warning and new bolt) was already performed on my car, but she couldn't tell me who did it. this work was never performed on my car and now ford is refusing to honor the recall. *nm
01/24/2005	104735	2	05/06/2004
	Dt: the contact state vehicle had been repair under nhtsa recall 98v060000/ manufacturer's recall 98s09 before by the previous owner. when she contacted the dealership they said the recall repairs were done on january 9, 2001. she was having the same problem as stated in the recall. the contact's husband had to jump start the vehicle on january 24, 2005. immediately after he had done so he smelled fuel inside the vehicle. when he took vehicle to a dealership they found two holes in the fuel line. they had the fuel line replaced at their expense. the problem happened again on october 15, 2005. the contact's husband had to jump start the vehicle again. after examining the fuel line he found there were two holes in the exact same spots. she took it to a ford dealer, and they told her that there had been a recall on the vehicle. *ak
07/05/2005		1
	While driving on the i15 interstate freeway and making a merge onto california state hiighway 78 in heavy traffic the accelerator peddle bracket broke away from the engine firewall where it had been spot welded. after several near collisions, i managed to pull off of the freeway. upon close inspection i saw that the spot welds holding the bracket to the engine firewall had failed, allowing the bracket to pull away from support rendering the accelerator peddle useless. as of today, 7/25/2005, i have not yet reported the incident to ford motor company as i wanted to find out if similar incidents on the 1997 ford explorer have been reported.
12/02/2003	77000	1
	Consumer received recall 98060000 concerning fuel line rupture; however, this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. while attempting to charge the battery, the consumer connected the cable to the fuel line bracket. this caused the fuel braid to overheat, causing the fuel line to rupture. *ak
03/31/2003		1
	The vehicle experienced the same problem as stated in recall#98v06000- fuel system, however the vehicle identification number was not included in the recall. *jb
03/25/2001
	Fuel line was leaking fuel. dealership has replaced fuel line, and charged consumer approximately $300. please provide any additional information/attachments. *ak
01/25/2001
	Same problem as in recall 98v060000, jump starting. consumer jumped started vehicle, and fuel lines blewout. *ak
		1
	Vehicle can not be repaired due to lack of parts, o-rings, (99v-060). *mjs
		1
	Recall repair denied due to mileage of the vehicle. (98s09) *mjs
05/12/1998
	While driving at 25 to 30 mph stopped at a stop sign and noticed smoke coming from under the hood due to a leak from the fuel line. a spark touched some of the wires, causing a fire. fire department came out to put out the fire, and they disconnected the wires. *ak
06/03/1998
	Consumer is concerned that the dealer will not repair vehicle under manufacturer's recall 98-s-09 and nhtsa recall 98v-60, fuel line, within a reasonable time frame . *ak
03/31/1997			01/20/1997
	After vehicle was in frontal crash, fuel cut-off system did not shut off. vehicle/engine continued to run for 10-15 minutes after frontal crash. engine had to be manually turned off. *ak
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
04/01/2002			09/01/2001
	A/c was blowing warm air. ford dealership said accumulator was rusted and needed to be replaced (quoted $895). this part rusts because it is wrapped in foam. it appears to be a common problem with 1996-1998 explorers. the 1999 and later models do not have the wrapping on the accumulator.*ak
06/16/2001		1	03/01/2000
	I have spent more than 1200.00 repairing this vehicle lately. no safety defect mentioned. *ak
05/22/2001
	Fuel injection module has worn out. dealer has advised consumer that part was defective and needed to be replaced at consumer's expense.*ak
11/27/2000			06/01/2000
	No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
07/07/1999		3	02/01/1999
	Engine- vehicle began making knocking/ticking noise from engine at 30000 miles, took into dealer to report it, and they said no problems. noise was at start ups and after vehicle had set for brief time. noise became louder and longer in duration, took back into dealer at 35000 miles, again, they said no problems-normal noise. at 41900 miles, vehicle became undriveable, noise was extremely loud and metallic in nature. took to different dealer who stated that they had numerous problems with 1997/98 explorers with 4.0sohc engine timing chain tensioner failures. most were under warranty and they sent entire engine back to manufacturer to repair. now my vehicle was out of warranty and the reapai cost me $700.00. the vehicle went back 3 days later with same problem, another $300.00. i feel that i reported my problem while the vehicle was still in warranty and that ford should cover the repairs. i also think thatford is fully aware of a widespread problem with these 4.0 sohc engines and the timing chain/tensioner defects. i have talked with many dealers and individual owners who have stated the defect is not isolated. had my family and i been traveling at high speed when this thing went bad and the engine quit,there could have been an accident. there needs to be a formal investigation into this issue, it is too widespread and ford certainly is aware of the problem, but unwilling to address it and compensate consumers who are suffering with this. fuel system- there is also a hesitation/stalling that occurs on same vehicle that has been into teh dealer on several occasions to fix, but can not be diagnosed or repaired. this is very dangerous especially when pulling into intersections or turning at traffice lights. my wife has had several near misses due to this. again, this appears to be widespread with this 4.0 sohc engine. please let's have something done about this before someone is hurt. ford's army of engineers surely are aware this exists. mark ditto
03/01/1998		2	08/01/1997
	When vehicle is cold and first started, gas pedal will stick and has to be pressed extremely hard to get vehicle to move. throttle body replaced once and seemed to correct problem for a year. problem now back, it appears to be a problem with injection system which may cause vehicle to jump forward as gas pedal has to be pushed extremely hard to move vehicle after first started. *ak
			12/01/1996
	Vehicle will not accelerate when gas pedal is pressed. also, the rear seat bottoms do not lock in position, causing passengers fall when entering or exiting vehicle. seat bottom flips forward when weight is positioned on the front edge.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY
08/19/2000		2	04/01/1997
	Rubber seal on fuel tank cap failed causing check engine light to illuminate. diagnosis and replacement of fuel tank cap $110. seal on cap was torn. this was the second failure. first failure occurred while vechile was under warranty.
01/28/2000
	Coming out of garage smelled fuel. popped the hood, and could see gas squirting out of carburetor. contacted dealer, and had a local mechanic replace the fuel tank assembly.*ak
03/06/1999
	Upon starting the explorer fuel gauge drops down from half tank to empty. after about 10 minutes the fuel gauge shows the correct amount of fuel. the fuel gauge was replaced in march of 99, and the fuel pump was replaced on 4/1//99. conusmer is still experiencing a problem with the explorer. please provide any further details. *ak
11/23/1998		8	10/01/1997
	When filling tank with gasoline, it does not take the last 4 gallons. the dealer said that this is due to pressure from the gas vapors. if filling vehicle very slowly, gasoline would take. 98 model has this problem corrected, owner believes ford to correct the 97 model. *ak.et.
		7	01/08/1997
	Vehicle experienced misalignment. in addition, replaced fuel gauge sendin gunit/air bypass valve/ water pump/seat release/passenger's door and computer. *ak
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY - FILLER PIPE AND CAP
03/11/2003	50000	1
	Consumer indicated the gas tank cap was not tightened securely, which caused the engine light to illuminate. *jb
04/05/1999			02/01/1997
	Fuel filler does not have a ground strap which caused a build up of static electricity and resulted in a fire.
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
12/01/1996		3
	Gas gauge malfunctioned, does not give accurate information or warning. on several occasions while going up a hill or at a right side tilt, vehicle ran out of gas without warning and stalled. *ak
02/12/1997
	After fuel goes below a quarter tank of gas, the fuel gauge indicator does not give correct readings of fuel amount lefet in tank. vehicle has been repaired twice by dealer. vehicle needs reparing again for same problem. *ak
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
06/08/1998		1
	Recall work not completed due to lack of parts. (fuel lines/fittings).