Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 041601 | 11/14/2005 | 05228 | 10018745 | Wds cop kit diagnostic tip - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - engine misfire or rough running. *tt | 01/12/2006 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 031411 | 07/21/2003 | 10003751 | Radiator alignment pin ground clearance. *tt | 10/29/2003 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 07212 | 10/01/2007 | 10023943 | Some 1997-2008 vehicles equipped with a 4.6l 2v, 5.4l 2v, or 6.8l 2v engine--spark plug thread repair procedure--not covered under new vehicle limited warranty. *nj this includes f-53 motorhome chassis. updated 2/23/10. *pe | 02/20/2008 | |
| 0531 | 02/21/2005 | 10012947 | Maf diagnostic service tip - vehicles equipped with egr system module (esm). *tt | 04/05/2005 | |
| 031404 | 08/23/2004 | 04161 | 10011162 | Engine misfire or running - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - wds cop kit diagnostic tips. to include various 2005 models. * ar this article 04161 supersedes tsb 03-14-04. | 01/06/2005 |
| 02177 | 09/02/2002 | 10008581 | Cooling system-motorcraft premium gold engine coolant-serivce tips. *mj | 08/05/2004 | |
| 16380 | 11/01/2002 | 10008319 | Service cylinder head gasket for 4.6l applications. *tt | 07/27/2004 | |
| 03256 | 12/22/2003 | 10008278 | Engine-romeo built 4.6l 2v-tick noise from engine-engines built before 9/17/2003. *mj | 07/26/2004 | |
| 0421 | 02/09/2004 | 10007363 | Engine knock during initial cold start, the knock will cease after the engine is fully warmed up. *tt | 06/16/2004 | |
| 17031 | 08/01/2003 | 10003157 | Malfunction indicator lamp on with diagnostic trouble code p0316 (only) stored in memory. *tt | 10/09/2003 | |
| 03164 | 08/18/2003 | 10003118 | Some vehicles, equipped with the 4.6l 2v engine, with an engine build date prior to 8/29/03 may exhibit an engine tick noise that is present at all temperatures during idle. 2004 models included. *tt | 10/08/2003 | |
| 03124 | 06/23/2003 | 10002685 | Engine vibration at idle and/or low engine speeds. *tt | 09/10/2003 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||||
| 04E12 | 09/01/2004 | 10010000 | Emission related service action 04e12. vehicles serviced with an incorrect right hand catalytic converter. inspect and replace right hand catalytic converter. attachments i-iii and customer notification letter. *tt | 11/03/2004 | |
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 AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 05/03/2011 | 104400 | ||
| I was driving from florida to south dakota and started up the first foothill of the ozark mountains about 35 miles west of jonesboro, arkansas on us 63. the cruise control had just started to increase the engine rpms when i heard a bang followed by what i thought was a belt or something thumping on the inside of the hood. fortunately there was the 2nd entrance to a rest stop on us 63 immediately to my left and i pulled into the parking lot. us 63 is a 2 lane highway with an occasional passing lane on some hills. it was also fortunate it happened at that point or i would have been in a difficult and dangerous position with little room to get safely off the highway with the narrow shoulders and rock cuts right up to the road. i opened the hood and restarted the engine in the parking lot. it was then i found something exploding on the passenger side of the engine. i could smell a lot of gas and shut the engine off immediately. i called aaa and was carried back to jonesboro on a flatbed about 3 hours later. i went to cavenaugh ford the next morning and the problem was diagnosed as a spark plug blown out of the #3 cylinder. the repair with a full set of new plugs installed in addition to the bad cylinder cost $629 plus an additional $190 for towing. one additional plug on the driver side of the engine was also loose and a potential blowout. these plugs were factory original and have not been changed since the car was new. the mechanic told me the plugs were not properly torqued in at the factory which results in loosening of the threads in the head over time from the percussion in each cylinder. this appears to happen quite often on the 4.6 and 5.4 liter engines. i was lucky since many fires have also occurred because of these plugs blowing out of the engine. | |||
| 03/16/2008 | 365 | ||
| Mold or musty smell coming from all vents when a/c, heat or fan is used. dealer states that it is a common problem with all 2003 cars and up and can be eliminated by spraying lysol directly into vents. i tried it and it doesn't work. close friend just got rid of his lincoln at a substantial loss because problem was never resolved by lincoln. lincoln should be encouraged to remedy this problem since it is most certainly a health issue that should be corrected. the problem is common and documented all over the internet by troubled consumers. *tt | |||
| 10/31/2007 | 45350 | 2 | 09/30/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 lincoln town car. the contact had to replace the spark plugs in the front coil springs on two different occasions. the first repair was performed under warranty in 2004 at 26,000 miles. a different front coil spring had to be replaced on october 31, 2007. the dealer stated that the vehicle was no longer under warranty and could not be repaired under nhtsa campaign id number 98v322000 (suspension:front: control arm:lower ball joint). the current mileage was 45,350 and failure mileage was 29,750. updated 01/14/08 *bf the consumer stated owns a 2003 lincoln towncar on which two spark plug coil failures have been incurred to date. the first one was on 6/9/04 while under warranty(20 months, 26610 miles) and the second was on 10/31/07 at the cost of $320.18 and was still under partial warranty(61 months, 45350). the consumer stated feels as if this is engineering defect and hopes that the additional spark plug coils will not have to be repaired. updated 01/14/08 *tr | |||
| 10/02/2005 | 95490 | 4 | 01/15/2003 |
| Dt: 2003 lincoln town car. the consumer stated the vehicle was leaking gear oil on the rear axle. the consumer noticed it when the oil formed on the ground of his garage. the dealership did a diagnostic, and found a recall. however, this vehicle was not part of the recall due to vin. the dealership replaced part 3w1z-aa10a-aa, the complete kit, two rear axles, two bearings, two seals, and the oil. this was the kit the recall called for. the problem did not cause any accidents of injuries. the consumer did call lincoln, but they also said there was nothing they could do. this happened on the driver's side, but both sides were replaced. the consumer kept the parts.*ak | |||
| 08/14/2004 | 10684 | 3 | 06/16/2003 |
| Whilr sitting behind anoyjer vehicle in a parking lot with foot on brake engine began to accelerate and car to move forward. as engine increased in acceleration i put transmission in neutral, engine then went to redleine rpm. i turned off the engine and waited a moment and restarted car which then performend normally. i have had vehicle in dealership for action on problem, but because they were unable to duplicate problem they were unable to resolve same.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 07/12/2008 | 29000 | 1 | 12/12/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 lincoln town car. the contact has had two alternators installed in her vehicle within the last six months. this does not include the one that came with the vehicle at the time of purchase. while driving 30 and 60 mph, the vehicle will lose power and the engine shuts off. in addition, the power steering and brakes fail. all of the instrument panel indicators flash on and off at the time of the failure. occasionally, the vehicle will take a minute before restarting. the vehicle is currently at the dealer, but they could find no failures. the contact would have to pay $90 per hour for a diagnostic. the failure mileage was 29,000. updated 03/09/09. *lj the alternator was replaced due to it overcharging. the battery was replaced as well. the trunk would not close properly. updated 03/10/09. *jb | |||
| 06/07/2004 | 4000 | 6 | 03/06/2003 |
| While driving 30-60 mph the vehicle would surge continuously when the engine was under load. as a result the vehicle did not ride smoothly. dealership was notified but did not resolve the problem. *ak the dealer changer the erg valve, fuel pump, fuel sensors, spark plugs and coil but the problem still occurred. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 12/30/2002 | 0 | 0 | 12/13/2002 |
| Intermittent vibration/noise/rumble, mostly at low speeds - 0 to 40 mph from either engine compartment or underneath. | |||