Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||||
| CSP-08B01 | 05/16/2008 | 10026389 | Ford: certain 1999-2001 model year vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in new york and certain 2001 vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in the state of maine, certified for sale in california-federal emission warranty refund. *pe | 10/23/2008 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||
| DP05005 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 09/22/2005 | 01/04/2006 | SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD | ||
| On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi | ||||||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | ||||||
| DP05005 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 09/22/2005 | 01/04/2006 | SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD | ||
| On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi | ||||||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | ||||||
| DP05005 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 09/22/2005 | 01/04/2006 | SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD | ||
| On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 08/07/2000 | 1000 | 1 | |
| The iac on my new mustang went bad. at first ford wouldn't cover it but the car was less than 90 days old. the one they installed went bad after 10 days also and so did the following one after 90 days. the last one went bad just before the warranty went up and now i keep a spare and change it about one every couple of years. *tr | |||
| 08/07/2000 | 1000 | ||
| The iac on my new mustang went bad. at first ford wouldn't cover it but the car was less than 90 days old. the one they installed went bad after 10 days also and so did the following one after 90 days. the last one went bad just before the warranty went up and now i keep a spare and change it about one every couple of years. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 08/08/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford mustang gt. while driving approximately 35 mph, the contact noticed that the vehicle began to overheat and steam was escaping from under the hood. the contact stopped the vehicle and noticed that the plastic riser on the back side of the manifold and the heater hose were fractured and water was leaking from the heater hose. the vehicle was towed to the contact's home and was inspected by an independent mechanic. the mechanic was able to attach the hose back onto the vehicle. in addition, the intake gasket was leaking anti freeze and water where the manifold was attached to the cylinder heads. the mechanic advised that the intake manifold was fractured and would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000. | |||
| 08/08/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2000 ford mustang gt. while driving approximately 35 mph, the contact noticed that the vehicle began to overheat and steam was escaping from under the hood. the contact stopped the vehicle and noticed that the plastic riser on the back side of the manifold and the heater hose were fractured and water was leaking from the heater hose. the vehicle was towed to the contact's home and was inspected by an independent mechanic. the mechanic was able to attach the hose back onto the vehicle. in addition, the intake gasket was leaking anti freeze and water where the manifold was attached to the cylinder heads. the mechanic advised that the intake manifold was fractured and would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000. kmj | |||
| 08/08/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2000 ford mustang gt. while driving at approximately 35 mph the contact noticed the vehicle began to over heat and steam was escaping from under the hood. the contact stopped the vehicle and noticed the plastic riser on the back side of the manifold and the heater hose had fractured and water was leaking from the heater hose. the vehicle was towed to the contacts home and was inspected by an independent mechanic. the mechanic was able to attach the hose back onto the vehicle. the intake gasket was leaking anti freeze and water where the manifold attaches to the cylinder heads. the mechanic stated the intake manifold was fractured and would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000. ds | |||
| 09/13/2011 | |||
| The spark plug is popping out of the socket , this was a problem that i have replace once already with in the year. also the paint is peeling off the roof on the car. i have seen that there has been other ford cars with the same problem , why is it that no one can see that this is a on going problem. someone has to know about this problem with ford. | |||
| 09/10/2010 | 87000 | ||
| Son drove his 2000 ford mustang in morning (no problems) went out that night to go out and the car sounded like a lawn mower. he shut it off emediately. had veh towed to dealership. was told that it has a blown spark plug and that the fuel pressure regulator had a manufacture defect and fill 6 of the 8 cylinders with fuel. engine with 87000 miles on it is completely shot. needs a new motor. veh still at dealership torn down. | |||
| 11/20/2009 | 96600 | 1 | |
| I had a spark plug blow out on my way to work on my 2000 gt mustang 4.6l engine. ford charged about $350 for parts/repair and said it was rare but i have been reading where others have had the same problem. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2008 | 125000 | 1 | |
| Spark plug blow out on my 2000 ford mustang gt. *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 08/25/2010 | 127000 | ||
| Driving down interstate when started smelling antifreeze. thought it was coming from a car in front of me. all gauges were fine with no indication of an engine problem. i drove for several miles before i began to notice engine trouble. by this point all the water had been pumped out of the motor. all engine gauges continued to read fine. after pulling off side of the road and diagnosing the problem i discovered that the heater hose outlet on top of fords plastic intake had broke off. in order to fix this issue you have to replace the entire intake. this could have been much worse as when i stopped i could hav ebeen burned, also when i finally noticed it was my car smoke was filling the interior through the heater vents. i still dont know if the motor is alright as it severely overheated. bare minimum is over 800 to fix if there is no motor damage. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 07/13/2009 | 40000 | 1 | |
| My 2000 mustang gt blew out a sparkplug while on the highway going about 45 miles per hour. this engine has about 40,000 miles on it. it was bought directly from ford to replace more first engine after 160,000 miles. this is the 2nd engine ford sent to replace my old engine. the 1st replacement engine blew out a sparkplug on initial startup in the repair shop. *tr | |||
| 07/07/2008 | 80000 | 1 | |
| My 2000 mustang gt, with the 4.6 engine and with 80,000 miles, experienced a blown out a spark plug while on the highway at 55mph. just the sound of this (a big bang! when the plug hits the inside of the hood and the engine now misfiring, running on 7 cylinders) is enough to distract the best driver and along with the lost of power is an accident just waiting to happen. after being almost rear ended, fortunately there was a parking lot nearby that my car barely coasted to. the plug came completely out of the cylinder head and was laying on the side of the engine with the coil still attached. i understand from ford, there is only 3 to 4 threads, in the cylinder head, that hold the spark plug in. as anyone with any engineering or engine knowledge would know, 3 - 4 threads are not nearly enough to secure a spark plug in a cylinder head with the compression pressure of the piston. this is clearly a engineering defect that could have disastrous effects if my car was unable to move off the highway. this time luck played into it (with a parking lot nearby), but what about the next time? am i suppose to stop on the highway and take my chances? a plug blows out and there isn't anywhere to park and/or the plug also takes out the fuel rail resulting in a possible fire. as i stated above: an accident just waiting to happen. after further research i've found that this is a common problem on ford v8 engines made from 1997-98 to 2003. i'm really confused as to why there hasn't already been a recall involving these engines. if i make a mistake, i'm held responsible for that mistake. why shouldn't ford be held responsible for their failures that could result in serious injury or even death? the nhtsa should immediately issue a recall involving these ford engines. any nhtsa action short of a recall is just plain irresponsible. the nhtsa is a government agency charged with protecting the public. please investigate this ford engine defect. the american public deserves nothing less. *tr | |||
| 05/13/2007 | 91000 | 1 | 11/13/1999 |
| Spark plug blew out on the 2000 ford mustang gt 4.6l modular engine while driving. car started to lose power, back fire, and had a strong odor of fuel / oil. had to tow vehicle to repair shop. 91000 miles on engine when this happened. this was a known problem on ford modular engines 1999-2003. *aki | |||
| 06/17/2006 | 96000 | 1 | 07/18/2000 |
| My family and i were driving on i-95 south of lumberton north carolina. when the spark plug blew out of the cylinder head causing such a loud noise we swerved into another lane of traffic .i believe that this is a extreme safety problem. this problem is on a 2000 ford mustang gt 4.6l engine. *nm | |||
| 12/16/2004 | 49000 | 1 | 06/06/2003 |
| If the vehicle shuts off while moving it will lose power steering and braking causing the vehicle to swerve. *jb | |||
| 06/22/2003 | 1 | ||
| Plastic timing belt guide broke, causing timing belt to rub against engine, putting metal through the engine. *jb | |||
| 05/28/2003 | 03/29/2001 | ||
| Vehicle stalling when slowing down or turning. clutch is not engaged. this is not the first time this has happened. it occurred in oct. of 2002 and in april 2003. | |||
| 05/31/2001 | 4000 | 25 | 06/03/2000 |
| Rough or rolling idle. vehicle stalls at stops or when clutch is depressed for gear-down in curves or turns. loss of steering/braking control has resulted in repeated occurrences of travel left of center. manufacturer has no diagnosis for concern. pcm re-program attempts are short-term fix. problem recurs.*jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 11/04/2005 | 57054 | 1 | 06/28/2005 |
| (1)normal driving no racing just normal driving (2)my spark plug stripped out the threads in my head of my 2000 mustang gt now i need to replace cylinder head or have it helicoiled. the design of the head is at fault in my opinion, there isn't enough threads on the cylinder head to properly hold the spark plug in place. (3) have not been able to repair due to cost. *nm | |||
| 02/09/2004 | 43000 | 2 | 12/31/1999 |
| E failed to start on several occasions; vehicle could only be operated with foot on the gas pedal at all times to allow fuel to vehicle air flow; vehicle almost uncontrollable coming to a stop at red light when engine stalled; vehicle would not continue idling on a cold start. per dealer, the iac valve needs replacing...expected on ford automobiles(mustangs and explorers, specifically). 2000 mustang gt owners need a recall on this situation before someone is killed with a vehicle that can not be controlled when the hydraulics fail because of a stalled engine. i live in a large metro area with a high percentage of fast drivers. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 08/03/2007 | 146440 | 1 | 11/18/1999 |
| Plastic intake manifold on my 2000 ford mustang gt cracked and was leaking coolant. part was replaced by sanderson ford in glendale az on august 3, 2007 at a cost of $1406.01. there was a class action lawsuit against ford in regards to these defective manifolds but i am outside of the period of which it was in force, but i feel that period was too short as my vehicle was purchased on november 18, 1999 and i am the original owner. *jb | |||
| 04/23/2007 | 105000 | 1 | 05/27/2003 |
| Faulty parts that was part of a class action law suit that ford never notified all involved...therefore, they hid from telling so that they wouldn't have to pay for all the cars with this faulty part...per fords customer service, the notices only went to the original owners...not true my other ford had a recall and i rec'd that info and i wasn't the first owner...they are hiding from their responsibilities...*jb | |||