Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR | |||||
| 04229 | 11/15/2004 | 10013404 | Access door wraped or breaking off from the underside of the steering wheel shrod. *eh | 04/18/2005 | |
| 02184 | 02/09/2004 | 0423 | 10007365 | Power sliding door operation and diagnostic service tips. *tt | 06/16/2004 |
| 15679 | 08/01/2004 | 17971 | 636308 | Sliding door(s) contacting the rear quarter glass. *tt this information updates previous information, dated 03/01/2002. *tt | 11/07/2002 |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | ||||||
| PE11039 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 12/21/2011 | 04/27/2012 | Corrosion of Third-Row Seat Attachment | ||
| Odi has received 18 complaints on the subject vehicles from the salt belt states that allege severe corrosion at the rear wheel wells.additionally, odi identified 4 similar reports from ford's response to the investigation.ford submitted a total of 10 reports to odi (6 of 10 ford reports are duplicates of odi reports).the complaints indicated difficulty or inability to latch the rear seat as some of the complaints reported the entire anchor plate completely detached from the vehicle (rear wheel well).the first report of this condition was received in march 2011 and subsequent reporting frequency indicates a potentially increasing trend over time.odi seeks to evaluate the potential occupant safety risks resulting from structurally degraded seat anchorages.in addition to the subject vehicles, odi also will collect and review information on my 2005-2007 freestar/monterey vehicles that appear to have a seat design identical to the subject vehicles.to date, odi is not aware of any similar complaints on the my 2005-2007 vehicles.odi also will collect and review information on freestar/monterey vehicles used outside of the salt belt states.this preliminary evaluation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea12-003) to further assess whether a safety defect exists in the subject vehicles.the odi reports cited above can be reviewed online at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/complaints under the following identification (odi) numbers: 10454977, 10453826, 10452933, 10450587, 10450559, 10450295, 10446564, 10442809, 10441641, 10441489, 10440616, 10438529, 10436592, 10433928, 10424850, 10420028, 10410491 and 10399896. | ||||||
| EA12003 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 04/23/2012 | Corrosion of Third-Row Seat Attachment | |||
| Odi has received 18 complaints on the subject vehicles from the salt belt states that allege severe corrosion at the rear wheel wells. additionally, odi identified 4 similar reports from ford's response to the investigation.ford submitted a total of 10 reports to odi (6 of 10 ford reports are duplicates of odi reports).the complaints indicated difficulty or inability to latch the rear seat as some of the complaints reported the entire anchor plate completely detached from the vehicle (rear wheel well). the first report of this condition was received in march 2011 and subsequent reporting frequency indicates a potentially increasing trend over timeodi seeks to evaluate the potential occupant safety risks resulting from structurally degraded seat anchorages.in addition to the subject vehicles, odi also will collect and review information on my 2005-2007 freestar/monterey vehicles that appear to have a seat design identical to the subject vehicles.to date, odi is not aware of any similar complaints on the my 2005-2007 vehicles.odi also will collect and review information on freestar/monterey vehicles used outside of the salt belt states.an engineering analysis has been opened to further assess whether a safety defect exists in the subject vehicles.the odi reports cited above can be reviewed online at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/complaints under the following identification (odi) numbers: 10454977, 10453826, 10452933, 10450587, 10450559, 10450295, 10446564, 10442809, 10441641, 10441489, 10440616, 10438529, 10436592, 10433928, 10424850, 10420028, 10410491 and 10399896. | ||||||
| PE11039 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 12/21/2011 | Corrosion of the Third-Row Seat Mounting | |||
| The stowable third-row seat is secured to the vehicle by two latches or anchors on each side of the seat cushion and also by two hinges/supports on the rear face of the seat cushion.the side anchors are mounted to the rear wheel wells.odi has received seven complaints on model year 2004 ford freestar and mercury monterey vehicles which were in use in salt-belt states.the complaints allege that the rear wheel wells were severely corroded with some complaints indicating that an anchor mount completely detached from the vehicle.an investigation has been opened to assess the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. | ||||||
| STRUCTURE - BODY | ||||||
| PE11039 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 12/21/2011 | 04/27/2012 | Corrosion of Third-Row Seat Attachment | ||
| Odi has received 18 complaints on the subject vehicles from the salt belt states that allege severe corrosion at the rear wheel wells.additionally, odi identified 4 similar reports from ford's response to the investigation.ford submitted a total of 10 reports to odi (6 of 10 ford reports are duplicates of odi reports).the complaints indicated difficulty or inability to latch the rear seat as some of the complaints reported the entire anchor plate completely detached from the vehicle (rear wheel well).the first report of this condition was received in march 2011 and subsequent reporting frequency indicates a potentially increasing trend over time.odi seeks to evaluate the potential occupant safety risks resulting from structurally degraded seat anchorages.in addition to the subject vehicles, odi also will collect and review information on my 2005-2007 freestar/monterey vehicles that appear to have a seat design identical to the subject vehicles.to date, odi is not aware of any similar complaints on the my 2005-2007 vehicles.odi also will collect and review information on freestar/monterey vehicles used outside of the salt belt states.this preliminary evaluation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea12-003) to further assess whether a safety defect exists in the subject vehicles.the odi reports cited above can be reviewed online at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/complaints under the following identification (odi) numbers: 10454977, 10453826, 10452933, 10450587, 10450559, 10450295, 10446564, 10442809, 10441641, 10441489, 10440616, 10438529, 10436592, 10433928, 10424850, 10420028, 10410491 and 10399896. | ||||||
| EA12003 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 04/23/2012 | Corrosion of Third-Row Seat Attachment | |||
| Odi has received 18 complaints on the subject vehicles from the salt belt states that allege severe corrosion at the rear wheel wells. additionally, odi identified 4 similar reports from ford's response to the investigation.ford submitted a total of 10 reports to odi (6 of 10 ford reports are duplicates of odi reports).the complaints indicated difficulty or inability to latch the rear seat as some of the complaints reported the entire anchor plate completely detached from the vehicle (rear wheel well). the first report of this condition was received in march 2011 and subsequent reporting frequency indicates a potentially increasing trend over timeodi seeks to evaluate the potential occupant safety risks resulting from structurally degraded seat anchorages.in addition to the subject vehicles, odi also will collect and review information on my 2005-2007 freestar/monterey vehicles that appear to have a seat design identical to the subject vehicles.to date, odi is not aware of any similar complaints on the my 2005-2007 vehicles.odi also will collect and review information on freestar/monterey vehicles used outside of the salt belt states.an engineering analysis has been opened to further assess whether a safety defect exists in the subject vehicles.the odi reports cited above can be reviewed online at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/complaints under the following identification (odi) numbers: 10454977, 10453826, 10452933, 10450587, 10450559, 10450295, 10446564, 10442809, 10441641, 10441489, 10440616, 10438529, 10436592, 10433928, 10424850, 10420028, 10410491 and 10399896. | ||||||
| PE11039 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 12/21/2011 | Corrosion of the Third-Row Seat Mounting | |||
| The stowable third-row seat is secured to the vehicle by two latches or anchors on each side of the seat cushion and also by two hinges/supports on the rear face of the seat cushion.the side anchors are mounted to the rear wheel wells.odi has received seven complaints on model year 2004 ford freestar and mercury monterey vehicles which were in use in salt-belt states.the complaints allege that the rear wheel wells were severely corroded with some complaints indicating that an anchor mount completely detached from the vehicle.an investigation has been opened to assess the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. | ||||||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE - SUPPORT DEVICE | ||||||
| EQ12010 | Ford Motor Company | 09/28/2012 | 12/31/2012 | Stabilus Rear Liftgate Struts Failing | ||
| Please see the attached closing resume summary.it has been attached to this document as a pdf. | ||||||
| EQ12010 | Ford Motor Company | 09/28/2012 | Stabilus Rear Liftgate Struts Failing | |||
| On february 16, 2012, american honda motor company (honda) notified the nhtsa that it had decided a defect exists in certain model year 2008 through 2009 odyssey vehicles.gas-filled struts that help to raise and support the liftgate of vehicles equipped with a power liftgate system may be prone to early life failures due to a manufacturing flaw.the flaw can result in a leak of the pressurized gas, leading to reduced strut performance.struts with diminished performance can lead to unexpected closure, increasing the risk of personal injury.stabilus was identified as the manufacturer of these gas-filled strutsthis matter was assigned recall number 12v-062.in reviewing past records, rmd discovered similar recalls conducted by toyota, ford, and honda between 2006 and 2010.on february 18, 2010, honda notified the nhtsa of the same rear liftgate gas strut issue in its 2005 odyssey vehicles.this issue was given recall number 10v-055.on may 30, 2008, toyota motor corporation (toyota) notified the nhtsa of the same issue found in its 2004 through 2006 sienna vehicles.this issue was given recall number 08v-244.on march 6, 2006, ford motor company (ford) notified the nhtsa of the same issue found in its 2005 through 2006 freestar and mercury monterey vehicles.this issue was given recall number 06v-069.these three recalls did not originally identify the supplier of the gas struts, however, all three manufacturers have since confirmed that stabilus supplied the equipment at issue in each recall.the purpose of the eq is to write to stabilus and to contact any other company that might have purchased this equipment, notify them of this defect in any vehicles they manufactured, and to ensure thorough safety recalls are conducted where appropriate. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | |||
| 10/10/2012 | 178000 | 1 | |
| While driving i noticed my third row seat was bouncing some, when i stopped i found that the latch holding the seat down was unattached. when i took it into the dealer he said that it is rusted through. i had my special needs son in that seat, hit his head but nothing major. unfortunately i now am unable to transport my special needs son because he has to be in the third row seat. my drivers side wheel well is also totally rusted through and water is getting into the car. i am not sure if it is related but my traction control light is always off and on along with the tire pressure indicator. i already replaced the pcm last year when my car became un-drivable due to major electrical issues. *tr | |||
| 07/04/2011 | 120000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 mercury monterey. the contact stated while driving 60 mph the rear wheel well that secures the rear seat rusted off and broke away. the vehicle will be taken to the dealer for repairs. the manufacturer was contacted and a claim was file. they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 123,000...mw | |||
| 08/15/2008 | 52000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 mercury monterey. while driving between 3-5 mph out of the driveway, the vehicle just stopped moving. the vehicle would drive in reverse, but would not go forward. the vehicle was towed to a mechanic and the contact was informed that a new transmission was needed. in addition, both sliding doors on the vehicle failed to close properly. the doors would pin an adult or bounce back open instead of closing as they should. the doors were repaired. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 52,000. | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||
| 01/21/2013 | 127000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury monterey. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, she heard a loud bang. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated that the safety anchor plate that held the third row seat securely in place had rusted and detached from the frame. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage 127,000. | |||
| 01/21/2013 | 127000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 mercury monterey. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, she heard a loud bang. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated that the safety anchor plate that held the third row seat securely in place had rusted and detached from the frame. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage 127,000. mah | |||
| 02/13/2013 | 38000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns 2004 mercury monterey. the contact stated that the frame of the third row seat was corroded and fractured into several pieces. in addition, the under carriage frame was also corroded. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 38,000. kmj | |||
| 02/13/2013 | 38000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns 2004 mercury monterey. the contact stated while unloading items from the third row seat there was a noise the contact inspected the vehicle and found the third row seat closes to the driver area floor board and frame corroded, and broken into pieces. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage were 38,000. li | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 125000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 mercury monterey. the contact stated that while driving 55 mph, he smelled a burning odor. the vehicle was stopped and upon further inspection, the contact discovered that the rear floorboard was rusted and causing the rear seat to become dislodged. the dealer was contacted and the vehicle was scheduled for diagnosis. the manufacturer was not notified. the vin was unavailable. the failure and current mileage was 125,000. kmj | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 125000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 mercury monterey. the contact stated while driving 55 mph that he smelled something burner. the vehicle was brought to a stop and upon inspection the rear floorboard rusted causing the rear seat to become dislodged. a dealer had been contacted and the vehicle was scheduled to be diagnosed. the manufacturer had not been notified. the vin was unavailable. the failure and current mileage was 125,000. dt | |||
| 12/08/2012 | 124900 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2004 mercury monterey. the contact stated that the rear seat lock mechanism was corroded. the contact mentioned that the part where the seat latched into the body of the vehicle was completely corroded and a piece had detached from it. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 124,900 and the current mileage was 125,000. kmj | |||
| 12/08/2012 | 124900 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2004 mercury monterey. the contact stated that the rear seat lock mechanism corroded. the contact mentioned that the part where the seat latch in into the body of the vehicle corroded through and a piece detached from it. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 124,900 and the current mileage was 125,000. pm | |||
| 08/10/2012 | 115170 | 1 | |
| When my 10 year old son was getting in the car today he noticed that the 3rd row seat was wobbly and moving around. we saw that the latch that holds the seat in place was no longer there! in its place was a hole to the outside of the car. i looked in the drivers-side rear wheel well and saw that the entire latch anchor plate had rusted completely off! thankfully i noticed this before we got on the road because the anchor plate was laying lodged between the wheel and the body of the car - who knows what type of accident or further damage could have occurred to our own vehicle or to others who could have been in the path of the falling, detached plate. i have 3 children and can no longer drive my van since the rear seat is not fully attached to the vehicle and my children are too young to ride in the front seat - not to mention the large, gaping hole in my car. it appears that the passenger-side plate is rusting through as well. this is a 2004 and should not be having such severe rust issues that entire pieces of the body are falling off. *tr | |||
| 08/10/2012 | 115170 | ||
| When my 10 year old son was getting in the car today he noticed that the 3rd row seat was wobbly and moving around. we saw that the latch that holds the seat in place was no longer there! in its place was a hole to the outside of the car. i looked in the drivers-side rear wheel well and saw that the entire latch anchor plate had rusted completely off! thankfully i noticed this before we got on the road because the anchor plate was laying lodged between the wheel and the body of the car - who knows what type of accident or further damage could have occurred to our own vehicle or to others who could have been in the path of the falling, detached plate. i have 3 children and can no longer drive my van since the rear seat is not fully attached to the vehicle and my children are too young to ride in the front seat - not to mention the large, gaping hole in my car. it appears that the passenger-side plate is rusting through as well. this is a 2004 and should not be having such severe rust issues that entire pieces of the body are falling off. | |||
| 11/06/2010 | 138306 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury monterey. the contact stated that while driving 25 mph the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was towed to the contact's personal mechanic and the transmission was replaced. several months later while driving 25 mph, a child passenger noticed that they could see the roadway from the third row seat. upon investigation, the contact noticed that the vehicle had rust along the driver and passenger sides of the frame where the third row seat was connected. two months later the vehicle would not start and was towed to the contact's personal mechanic but the failure had not been diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 138,306 and the current mileage was 173,476. kmj | |||
| 11/06/2010 | 138306 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 mercury monterey. the contact stated that while driving 25 mph the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was towed to the contact's personal mechanic and the transmission was replaced. several months later while driving 25 mph, a child passenger noticed that they could see the roadway from the third row seat. upon investigation, the contact noticed that the vehicle had rust along the driver side firewall where the third row seat connected and had begun to rust on the passenger side as well. two months later the vehicle would not start and was towed to the contact's personal mechanic but the failure had not been diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 138,306 and the current mileage was 173,476. kmj | |||
| 11/06/2010 | 138306 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 mercury monterey. the contact stated that while driving 25 mph the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was towed to the contacts personal mechanic and the transmission was replaced. several months later while driving 25 mph the contacts child noticed they could see the road from the third row seat. upon investigation the contact noticed the vehicle had rusted along the left firewall where the third row seat connects and had began to rust on the right side as well. two months later the vehicle would not start and was towed to the contacts personal mechanic but the failure had not been identified. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was 138,306 and the current mileage was 173,476. | |||
| 01/03/2006 | 8000 | ||
| Powertrain: front wheel bearings went out (squeeling sound) in 2006 with 8k miles on vehicle. a tsb was out for that issue and the wheel bearings(2) were replaced. the front bearings went out again in 2009 at about 27k miles. the vehicle was covered by a ford esp. the dealer said that they couldn't hear the noise - the noise would come and go - so no repair was done at that time. i have the repair order stating no problem found. now at 35k miles the bearing noise has become much worse and much more frequent but now the warranty is over and it will cost about $700 to repair. what kind of poorly made bearings are these? body: in 2009 i noticed rust at the left rear wheel well area and it is now coming through the left quarter panel. there is also rust at the right rear wheel well area although it has not gone through the right quarter panel. left and right front doors also rusting at the bottom facing the passenger compartment. | |||
| 04/19/2012 | 126500 | ||
| Large section of driver side rear wheel well/underbody, broke off from vehicle including an anchor for the third row seat. this left the third row seat unsafe to use and the interior of the vehicle exposed to the elements. piece was clearly rotted through. we are told it will cost $1200 to repair, parts are scarce and difficult to obtain. unable to safely utilize third row seat until repaired. water is trapped in the underbody and could be damaging to the electrical system. pictures available upon request. | |||
| 01/03/2006 | 8000 | ||
| Powertrain: front wheel bearings went out (squeeling sound) in 2006 with 8k miles on vehicle. a tsb was out for that issue and the wheel bearings(2) were replaced. the front bearings went out again in 2009 at about 27k miles. the vehicle was covered by a ford esp. the dealer said that they couldn't hear the noise - the noise would come and go - so no repair was done at that time. i have the repair order stating no problem found. now at 35k miles the bearing noise has become much worse and much more frequent but now the warranty is over and it will cost about $700 to repair. what kind of poorly made bearings are these? body: in 2009 i noticed rust at the left rear wheel well area and it is now coming through the left quarter panel. there is also rust at the right rear wheel well area although it has not gone through the right quarter panel. left and right front doors also rusting at the bottom facing the passenger compartment. | |||
| 04/19/2012 | 126500 | ||
| Large section of driver side rear wheel well/underbody, broke off from vehicle including an anchor for the third row seat. this left the third row seat unsafe to use and the interior of the vehicle exposed to the elements. piece was clearly rotted through. we are told it will cost $1200 to repair, parts are scarce and difficult to obtain. unable to safely utilize third row seat until repaired. water is trapped in the underbody and could be damaging to the electrical system. pictures available upon request. | |||
| 10/14/2009 | 23000 | ||
| After a rainstorm i opened the tailgate of my vehicle and was suprised to find that the rear wheel well was wet.i vacuumed the water out and brought it to the dealeralmost 2 months later after finding moisture several other times. the dealer had a service tech try to recreate how the water got in and determined that i had cracked a panel. the only crack visible to me was in a trim piece arround the license plate. they told me it would cost over $600 to repair. i told them nevermind. that much water could not come from that crack. fast forward to a time near the present. most recently, the pull, a plastic and nylon piece on the back of the seat failed. soon there after, one of the nylon straps used to retract the seat failed. i cannot get my seat back in to the stowed position. after removing the trim from the back of the seat i found all sorts of rust and corrosion to the seat base. i wouldn't feel comfortable driving with a passenger in my 3rd row seating anymore. i understand there may also be a recall on this car for some sort of leak in the wheel wells. i've been driving around with dampness in the back of my van for two plus years now and i feel like ford motor co. is passing the buck on to the consumer to save some money. i have no faith in american made vehicles between this and a seperate transmission incident. i don't even want to get on the stereo. | |||