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 - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER - MOTOR | ||||||||||||||||
| 01V258000 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | V (Vehicle) | 1083000 | 08/20/2001 | MFR | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 08/08/2001 | 08/23/2001 | ||||||||
| Defect Summary | Vehicle description: passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and light and medium duty pickup trucks. a switch located in the plastic cover of the wiper motor gear case could malfunction and overheat, potentially resulting in loss of intermittent wiper function, loss of wiper park function, complete loss of wiper function, or ignition of the plastic cover material. switch malfunction is most likely to occur when the intermittent setting of the wipers is being used, or when snow or ice obstructs the blades from returning to the parked position at the bottom of the windshield. these vehicles were built at the following assembly plants: atlanta plant from 2/11/00 through 7/31/00; chicago plant from 2/14/00 through 8/4/00; kansas city plant from 2/26/00 to 9/4/00; kentucky truck plant from 2/18/00 to 8/31/00; michigan truck plant from 2/23/00 through 8/3/00; norfolk plant from 2/21/00 through 7/27/00; wayne stamping and assembly plant from 2/25/00 through 8/15/00; and wixom plant from 2/15/00 through 8/8/00. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Loss of visibility while driving increases the risk of a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will inspect the date code on the wiper motor. motors built with the suspect time frame will have the wiper motor gear case cover replaced. owner notification began august 20, 2001. 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 1-866-436-7332. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | 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 | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - REAR WINDOW | |||||
| 04189 | 12/13/2004 | 04245 | 10014062 | Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt | 04/27/2005 |
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - BLOWER | |||||
| 031506 | 08/09/2004 | 04153 | 10011149 | Water in the blower case or on the passenger side floor, an inoperative climate control blower motor, a motor that operates on high speed only, and/or a blower motor resistor failure. vehicles built 5/1/2001 to 12/15/2003. *tt | 01/04/2005 |
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - CONTROLS/WIRING | |||||
| 041514 | 08/09/2004 | 04189 | 10011159 | Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt | 01/04/2005 |
| 031501 | 07/12/2004 | 04137 | 10009321 | Inoperative electric rear window defroster (heated backlite) grid lines, integral antenna concerns. *tt | 09/23/2004 |
| 02236 | 11/25/2002 | 10008314 | Erratic operation of the cool/warm function of the temperature control system - repair procedure for stratification (secondary) temperature blend door. *tt | 07/27/2004 | |
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - HEATER CORE | |||||
| 01156 | 08/06/2001 | 623944 | Some vehicles may exhibit heater core leaks. *slc | 10/31/2001 | |
| VISIBILITY - POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | |||||
| 05227 | 11/14/2005 | 10018742 | Power window concerns - service tip. *tt | 01/12/2006 | |
| 04223 | 11/15/2004 | 10013395 | Grunting noise from front power window glass is powered to the full up position. *eh | 04/18/2005 | |
| 0325 | 02/03/2003 | 10002475 | Grunting noise from front power window after glass is powered to the full-up position. *tt | 09/03/2003 | |
| 00263 | 12/22/2000 | 616828 | Some vehicles may exhibit a power window that will not operate downward because it's stuck / bound to the weathership header. *tt | 03/13/2001 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY | |||
| 07/01/2005 | 150000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2001 ford taurus. the contact stated that there was a water leak in the passenger side floorboard. the vehicle was inspected by a mechanic who diagnosed that the leak was caused by a defective blower motor and the blower motor resistor which needed to be replaced. the contact mentioned that she had replaced the blower motor resistor a total of six times but it failed to remedy the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 150,000. pm | |||
| 12/01/2006 | 74000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford taurus. while driving approximately 35 mph the heating unit failed to operate. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on two separate occasions, and the thermostat was replaced. the failure mileage was 74,000. the current mileage was 94,600. | |||
| 07/10/2009 | 91400 | 1 | |
| The wiper switch/motor on my 2001 ford taurus has failed. i found out online that it has been under recall for 2001 tauruses, however when i contacted the dealer they refused repair. i contacted ford company, they say although the problem is the same it's not been recalled. the main argument: it has 90k miles, so it's a coincident. it's incredible how they deceive! *tr | |||
| 05/15/2008 | 1 | ||
| Approx. mid-may 2008 noticed coolant smell in car and water on the passenger side floor inside 2001 ford taurus wagon. within a couple of weeks, ac blower motor only worked on high. took to sherwood ford in salisbury, md end of may 2008 for repair. they replaced resistors to blower motor and stated problem was due to corrosion from water damage from leak in windshield/cowl. blower worked fine until august 18, 2008 started working only on high again. took back to sherwood ford 8-25-08, they are currently replacing resistors again and state that blower motor should be replaced too because it is not working up to par due to water damage. internet search of ford taurus cowl leak reveals many other people owning ford taurus/mercury sable have the same problem and ford will not issue recall. i cannot afford to replace the blower, if it goes out altogether then a dangerous situation could develop due to inability to clear the windshield of fog, etc. referencing complaint numbers 10184014, 10189897, 10195320, 10205290. called ford motor company customer relationship center on 8-25-08 and was told there is nothing they can do to help with repairs for this known defect. *tr | |||
| 09/30/2002 | 35000 | 1 | 09/01/2002 |
| As with my 1992 taurus my 2001 taurus has the same problem with the windshield wiper switch or motor.presently not fixed because i do not want to pay for it. also my trans. slips and up and down shifts hard in and out of second gear. once again i don't want to pay for it .*ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM | |||
| 04/13/2002 | 19000 | 5 | 12/09/2001 |
| 1.normal driving , window starting to fog up. turn on defroster. 2. instantly total loss of visability because of windshield being covered with heavey fog 3.nothing done, i thought i must have had something set wrong in the heater/ defroster buttons. i pulled over tried several different settings and window eventually cleared. (this fog was to the degree that i would not have started on my trip until i cleared the windshield if it had been like that when i got into the vehicle) i have nevr been able to determine when this is going to happen or any way to prevent it. it is however very dangerous . even after the fog has occured, it is difficult to get it to clear quickly. it can happen when the car is cold or very warmed up.i had to put in a speed but this is truly irrelevant. | |||
| 01/01/2003 | 1 | ||
| The defroster/air on my 2001 ford taurus lx does not defog my windshield making it hard to see when the windshield gets fogged up.*ak | |||
| 06/15/2001 | 1 | 05/01/2001 | |
| Heater block incorrectly threaded to engine... now need new engine... have only had car for one month!! accidently reported this complaint yesterday as a 2000 taurus... so you can delete that one!*ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - BLOWER | |||
| 11/15/2007 | 147579 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford taurus. the contact had to have the blower resistor replaced in her vehicle because the air would only be distributed in high amounts. several weeks later, the knob failed again and a representative from the dealer stated that water was leaking in the vehicle through the engine, which led to the blower resistor failure. the failure occurred three additional times. the contact stated that she can hear water entering her vehicle in rainy weather conditions. the dealer stated that her vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 03v087000 (visibility: windshield). she is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 147,579. | |||
| 02/05/2008 | 1 | ||
| For the past 4 years i have had continuous leaking in my vehicle on the passenger side of the car. i purchased this vehicle brand new and have been the only driver. everytime it rains my floor has a puddle of water on it and it takes days for it to dry. i have had to replace my fan motor blower 4 times and i use a towel to wipe the humidity of the window since the heater doesn't work well due to all the moisture. i recently discovered that i wasn't the only one with this problem and decided to report it here. *tr | |||
| 01/19/2008 | 1 | ||
| My 2001 ford taurus has been leaking water into the passenger side floor board. it only happens when it rains and it actually leaves a puddle of water on the floor making the carpet smell and collect mold. this is turn, the water is also collecting in the blower motor casing and filling up causing the blower motor to stop working. i used to be able to bang on the blower motor casing to help the water leak out of it and once the water did leak out the blower motor would work, however it is now winter time and getting below zero at night, i went to take my son to school in the morning and the blower motor would not come on at all, leaving us with no heat in the vehicle and actually causing a driving hazard as the windows fog up and freeze instantly, i almost got into an accident with my son in the car...this was very scary and i want some answers as to why this has not been recalled on these cars. i have read up on this and this is happening for years with several makes and models but mostly on the ford taurus'. i now have to replace the blower motor and find the leak...before it happens again. *tr | |||
| 08/07/2007 | 147000 | 1 | 03/08/2005 |
| Blower or resistor failure due to leaks. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2007 | 100000 | 1 | 06/01/2003 |
| Air conditioning / heater blower stopped working. front passenger side floor wet when it rains. will need to be repaired soon with cold weather approaching. expecting $500+ repair bill. nhtsa has many complaints for this issue. it is a common problem on a 2001 ford taurus. *tr | |||
| 03/10/2006 | 23000 | 1 | 10/28/2000 |
| Premature failure of heater blower motor. *nm | |||
| 03/04/2002 | 21000 | 3 | 08/03/2001 |
| Windows would fog up for no apparent reason! i bought the car new & it was never in a flood. defroster blower motor stopped at 21,000 mi had to replace resistors stopped at 54,000 replaced resistors again.stopped at 77,000 replaced resistors ! did not fix problem ! took car to ford dealer they charged $ 99.58 to check out non working blower motor.told me it would cost $453.00 to replace blower motor and seal cowling to prevent water from collecting in the blower motor!! i did not have them do the repair. the water collecting in the blower motor is what would cause the windows to fog up !!! a bad safty hazard.the new blower motor had a water drain hole in it ,that the old motor did not have--this shows ford was aware of this very hazardous window fogging problem !! and covered it up. i have the old motor with rusty water stains on it. it was full of water when i removed it from the car. | |||
| 01/30/2005 | 51000 | 2 | 12/11/2004 |
| We purchased our 2001 taurus, the dealership said they would fix several wrongs, one included the heater. after several attempts to do what they promised we have our 2 month old $9000.00 purchase sitting in the driveway unable to drive because of cold weather. we were first told the switch was bad, we were then told the blower was the culprit,. the car was dropped off in our drive way because, as we were told, the car could not sit in the dealership longer than seventy two hours. the heater was still not fixed. i called our original contact person, he picked up the car and took it back to the dealership. they told us the car was done. i called to confirm and was told the dealership was not doing any thing else to the car as they had put too much money into the car already,my wife was then told, if we wanted to have the heater fixed we could have it done under the warranty that we had purchased for $1750.00 and pay the $100.00 deductible, because of the time constraints on our we owe contract(this is like a promise to fix) contract which expired on the last date we picked up our new to us ford, i called the dealership service department and talked to the manager, the manager informed me that the relay was replaced, but that might not have been the problem........ what a bad experience on a 51,000 mile vehicle. i've contacted general motors hoping for a fair deal,no help..i was reminded that my vehicle is a ford and only purchased at a g.m. dealer. i've contacted ford and was told the vehicle is out of warranty. ford has no extended available. i've contacted the extended warranty company we purchased warranty from at the dealership, no help, what now *jb | |||
| 08/10/2004 | 1 | 07/11/2002 | |
| Air condition/heater fan stopped working. the car was taken to an authorized ford dealer who informed me that there had been water leakage causing motor blower failure along with resisitor failure. they sited tsb 04-15-3 identifying tauruses built between 5-1-01 to 12-15-03 of having this problem and how to correct it. it cost me over $500 to correct the problem. i don't feel i should be responsible for the cost of this repair when it was a manufactured defect. ford constomer service simply stated it wasn't a life threatening problem so there was no need to recall it or cover the cost of repair. it seems to me that any time you have water mixing with electrical there is the potential for fire. given the degree of corrosion the leak had been going on for some time.*ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - HEATER CORE | |||
| 03/04/2002 | 21000 | 3 | 08/03/2001 |
| Windows would fog up for no apparent reason! i bought the car new & it was never in a flood. defroster blower motor stopped at 21,000 mi had to replace resistors stopped at 54,000 replaced resistors again.stopped at 77,000 replaced resistors ! did not fix problem ! took car to ford dealer they charged $ 99.58 to check out non working blower motor.told me it would cost $453.00 to replace blower motor and seal cowling to prevent water from collecting in the blower motor!! i did not have them do the repair. the water collecting in the blower motor is what would cause the windows to fog up !!! a bad safty hazard.the new blower motor had a water drain hole in it ,that the old motor did not have--this shows ford was aware of this very hazardous window fogging problem !! and covered it up. i have the old motor with rusty water stains on it. it was full of water when i removed it from the car. | |||
| 01/25/2005 | 81000 | 1 | 12/11/2002 |
| We've had many problem in the past year. first in the peak of winter the heater core had to be replace. following a month later with the engine making a horrible rattling, when the car in in idle it would stop all together, the car has been brought to a ford dealer...which estimates the cost to be $4700.00 to fix the problem. the car is at 81000 miles and though we purchased the esp...it is 1800 miles overdue...so the cost will be ours to fix it. i've never had an engine die in a car that is 4 years old. the car has been sitting for the past week while we figure out what to do with it.*ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - GLASS, SIDE/REAR | |||
| 11/20/2003 | 1 | ||
| Windshield popped out while the vehicle was parked. the driver had the vehicle towed to glass repair shop for replacement. *ph | |||
| 1 | |||
| 2001 ford taurus 4 door sedan.*mr there was a clunking noise when the consumer moved the gear shift selector from park to another gear position. the lock cylinder in the ignition was frozen, the radio was inoperative, and the door panels were removed to clean the window runs..*ts. the rear drum assembly was cracked and pitted. *jb | |||
| 03/15/2002 | |||
| While vehicle was standing and for no reason rear window had busted. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | |||
| 08/10/2004 | 2 | ||
| Consumer complained about transmission problems. while driving transmission shook since february, 2004. took vehicle to dealer, and was told that it had a problem, and kept vehicle for 4 days. when consumer received vehicle back she was told that they replaced the computer piston because it was stuck. also, had problems wit the windows. they made a weird noise. she took the vehicle to the dealer and they just realigned the windows. *ak | |||
| 15500 | 5 | 05/05/2001 | |
| Problems with 2001 ford taurus brake rotors.*mr the front end vibrated and the brake rotors were replaced numerous times, however the problem still existed. ford was ordered to repair all repairs but they only turned the rotors. *ph also the passenger window dragged, the lights dimmed when the radio or heater was on, and also the transmission jerked at times and there was a vibration in the front of the vehicle, the mechanic stated it was due to tire wear. *jb | |||
| 07/01/2002 | 1 | ||
| When key is turned to start engine ignition switch will not return to the number 4 position. vehicle checked by dealer, who advised consumer that it is suppose to work that way.*ak consumer stated the starter blew up, the brakes were inoperative, the transmission does not shift properly, the windows were inoperative.*jb | |||
| VISIBILITY - REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES - EXTERIOR | |||
| 05/01/2001 | |||
| Rear miror too low on windshield, blocks view to right asked dealer to raise miror states they can't. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD | |||
| 02/10/2008 | 135000 | 1 | |
| Water leaks into the passenger floor board on my 2001 ford taurus. in researching it on the web i found a link to this site. it just started a few months ago. i found another complaint 10184014. this site said to mention recall number 03v087000. as widespread as this appears to be i feel that ford should cover the design mistake. *tr | |||
| 09/12/2003 | 3500 | 4 | 09/12/2002 |
| Have complained to dealer/ford motor company re: foul odor when heat is running. was told that i probably had a high sensitivity to allergies. complained about having to replace breaks at 15,000 miles. had to replace oil gasket pan twice within the same year. dealership did not find this unusual. car accelerates without warning sometimes. the motor is making a rushing noise. was told that this was the normal sound of the motor although it did not start until six months down the road. had to take car back to replace back/warped windshield after having it one day. dealership will not even allow me to trade vehicle and does not acknowledge fact that too many things have gone wrong in too short a period of time. purchased vehicle in 2002. *la | |||
| 8 | |||
| The consumer states that the engine had a lack of breaking, a malfunction in the transmission shifting, the left front window had locked, the switch caused the starter to become inop/remain in power, and the ignition switch locked in the start position. the dealer refused to remedy the problem. *scc | |||
| 04/01/2001 | 1 | 03/01/2001 | |
| Visibility out of front windshield is affected due to design of front windshield. there is a reflection of dashboard that shows on center of windshield, and adds additional visual information to process during operation of vehicle. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | |||
| Consumer notice when weather temperature drops windshield washer freeze cause consumer unable to clean windshield. please provide further information. ts | |||
| 04/09/2002 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states while driving 55 mph in rain windshield wiper assembly flew up causing almost zero visabilty.*jb the wiper blade assembly was replaced by the dealer, but the consumer was concerned that it could fail again and be life threatening. *yh | |||
| 3 | 05/01/2001 | ||
| Ignition system did not return to run position/ windshield wipers / other sustems wouldn't work. *ak | |||
| 04/12/2001 | 2 | 04/06/2001 | |
| When using turn signal to go left or right signal will go out before turn is made. took to dealer and had it repaired, but problem still exists. *ak the turn signal was repaired twice, but the problem still exists. the exhaust makes humming sound when at idle. wiper blade failed and was replaced. the vehicle gets low mileage when a/c on, the engine was leaking oil. *yh | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER - MOTOR | |||
| 01/14/2008 | 80560 | 1 | 06/17/2002 |
| The motor that runs the windshield wiper fluid stopped working. *tr | |||
| 12/14/2007 | 124004 | 1 | 10/05/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford taurus. the contact had just refilled the washer window fluid and pressed the button for the fluid a second time when he began to smell smoke. by the time he and his daughter exited the vehicle, flames were rising from under the hood. the vehicle was destroyed. the fire department extinguished the fire and a report was filed. nhtsa campaign id number 01v258000 (visibility:windshield wiper/washer: motor) was referenced. the current and failure mileages were 124,004. | |||
| 03/07/2005 | 1 | ||
| The windshield wipers come on and go off on their own. the consumer noticed at this time the windshield wipers would not come on at all. the consumer drove to the dealer. the mechanic informed the consumer that the windshield wiper motor needed replacement. please fill in additional information. *jb | |||
| 12/05/2002 | 1 | 01/01/2000 | |
| During a snow storm, the windshield wipers had gone out. the consumer had gotten the vehicle to the nearest garage and was told that they couldn't be of assistance. the consumer then had taken the vehicle to the ford dealer where they remedied the problem. mr scc *nlm | |||
| 12/10/2002 | |||
| I reciently had the recall for the wiper motor cover repaired. since the repair my wipers will not work when the weather is below freezing. once the car warms up they will work fine (provided the temp is above 30 degrees). i have had the car back to the dealer 3 times to find out what is wrong, each time the wipers will work once there, and no action is taken. (my car is currently just over the free warranty mileage). i had no problems with the wipers before they were fixed and would like to have somthing done. the wipers act like there may be moisture in a connection that freezes and pushes the connection apart, or interferes with electrical conduction, until the car warms sufficently to get conduction to continue. please contact me with some answers. thank you. | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER - SWITCH/WIRING | |||
| 09/30/2002 | 35000 | 1 | 09/01/2002 |
| As with my 1992 taurus my 2001 taurus has the same problem with the windshield wiper switch or motor.presently not fixed because i do not want to pay for it. also my trans. slips and up and down shifts hard in and out of second gear. once again i don't want to pay for it .*ak | |||