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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY | ||||||||||||||||
| 97V144000 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | from 04/29/1995 to 10/31/1995 | V (Vehicle) | 64000 | 09/30/1997 | MFR | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 09/03/1997 | 09/16/1997 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with 1.9l engines, built at the hermosillo or wayne assembly plants and originally sold or currently registered in nevada, florida, hawaii, texas, california, louisiana, georgia, south carolina, mississippi, oklahoma, alabama and arkansas. cracks can develop in the fuel tank near the heat shield attachment resulting in fuel leakage if the cracks go through the fuel tank wall. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in a vehicle fire. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will remove the heat shield attachments. this will not affect heat shield location or function, as the attachments are intended to keep the shield in place until the fuel tank is installed in the vehicle. after installation, the fuel tank straps retain the heat shield. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Owner notification will begin september 30, 1997.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 1-800-424-9393. | |||||||||||||||
| 97V145000 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | from 04/29/1995 to 10/31/1995 | V (Vehicle) | 600 | 09/30/1997 | MFR | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 09/03/1997 | 09/16/1997 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with 1.9l engines, built at the hermosillo assembly plant and originally sold or currently registered in arizona. cracks can develop in the fuel tank near the heat shield attachment resulting in fuel leakage if the cracks go through the fuel tank wall. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in a vehicle fire. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will remove the heat shield attachments. this will not affect heat shield location or function, as the attachments are intended to keep the shield in place until the fuel tank is installed in the vehicle. after installation, the fuel tank straps retain the heat shield. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Owner notification will begin september 30, 1997.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 1-800-424-9393. | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - CARBURETOR SYSTEM | |||||
| 96225 | 10/21/1996 | 50944 | Mass air flow sensor - replacement as an assembly - service tip. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY | ||||||
| RQ97010 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 09/11/1997 | 05/22/2000 | FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY | 97V144000 | |
| To determine whether the cars that are outside of the safety recall's thirteen states should be recalled due tot he similar warm weather exposure and to determine if the remedy is adequate. recall 97v-144 and recall 97v-145 | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY | |||
| 07/07/2003 | 107000 | 1 | |
| Fuel tank is leaking, consumer is concerned that the vehicle could catch on fire. dealer notified. *ak | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | |||
| 03/18/2011 | |||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1995 mercury tracer. the contact stated that when the vehicle was in operation or stationary, a strong odor of gasoline fuel emitted inside and outside of the vehicle. the vehicle was diagnosed by a certified mechanic who advised that the fuel tank was fractured as a result to a faulty heat shield bracket. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 97v144000 (fuel system, gasoline, storage; tank assembly) but the vehicle was ineligible for repairs due to the vehicle not being originally sold or currently registered in the states mentioned in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage and vin were unavailable. | |||
| 03/18/2011 | |||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1995 mercury tracer. the contact stated when the vehicle was in operation or stationary, a strong odor of fuel emitted inside and outside of the vehicle. the vehicle was diagnosed by a certified technician who stated that the fuel tank cracked as a result to a faulty heat shield bracket. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number 97v144000 (fuel system, gasoline, storage; tank assembly). the vehicle was ineligible for the remedy due to the vehicle not being originally sold or currently registered in the states mentioned in the recall. the failure mileage and vin were unavailable. js | |||
| 09/15/2009 | 1 | ||
| 95 tracer wagon 9/3/97 there was a recall with the same issue i am now having. we never rec'd any notification there was any recall. the fuel tank is leaking near the heat shield. a call was made to stivers last night and we were told nothing could be done due to the length of years that had passed.but was told to call ford motor. a call was made this morning. was told by ford motor at 800-392-3673 that my car was made 1/95 and the 64000 that was recalled were between 4/29/95 and 10/95. the car had been in for previous servicing and even then nothing was said to us about a recall. our problem is exactly the same as what the recall was for. at the time of the recall my car was only 2 years old. we feel that hey should take care of a replacement. *tr | |||
| 04/15/2009 | 83000 | 1 | |
| Fuel tank leak (strong odor - no visible leakage) odor detectable in garage and outside ford says there is no recall required and will not correct the leak. *tr | |||
| 10/13/2008 | 142000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1995 mercury tracer. the contact stated that his gas tank was leaking fuel. he parked his vehicle and a puddle of gas leaked out. cracks can develop in the fuel tank near the heat shield attachment, resulting in fuel leakage if the cracks go through the fuel tank wall. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 97v144000 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly). the failure mileage was 142,000. | |||
| 05/28/2008 | 135000 | 1 | |
| The plastic fuel tank has cracked as described in the campaign id 97v144000. putting in anymore than 3 gallons of gas in the tank causes it to leak and has progressively gotten worse. unfortunately, the ford dealership states that they are unable to repair this under the recall. the vehicle is currently not usable due to the leaking fuel and at an estimated $800 to repair this manufacturers defect, i am out a vehicle for an undetermined amount of time. i feel that it was unfair for this recall not to include all vehicles of the same gas tank design, which has caused this failure, to be included in the recall. *tr | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - FUEL PUMP | |||
| 07/10/2004 | 160000 | 1 | |
| Consumer smelled gasoline inside of the vehicle. a recall was issued. called the mercury manufacturer and was told that vin number did not match the recall. *ak | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY | |||
| 01/01/2000 | 76000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1995 mercury tracer. the contact stated that since the year 2000, she smelled a strong odor of gasoline emanating from the vehicle. fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in a vehicle fire. she notified the manufacturer in reference to recall 97v145000, fuel system, gasoline storage tank assembly. she was advised that since her vehicle identification number was excluded from the recall, she was ineligible for a free remedy. no repairs were made. the failure mileage was 76,000 and the current mileage was 88,000. | |||
| 03/10/2009 | 116000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1995 mercury tracer. the contact stated that gasoline was leaking from the vehicle. upon further inspection, he found a fracture in the fuel tank. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id numbers 97v145000 and 97v144000, although the failures were identical. the failure and current mileages were less than 116,000. | |||
| 07/18/2008 | 143296 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1995 mercury tracer. while driving 30 mph, the contact smelled gasoline. he stated that nhtsa campaign id numbers 97v144000 and 97v145000 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly) mentioned the same failures. the vehicle has not been diagnosed. the vin was unknown. the current mileage was 143,300 and failure mileage was 143,296. updated 09/24/08. *lj updated 09/30/08.*jb | |||
| 06/26/2007 | 50471 | 1 | 11/01/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1995 mercury tracer. while driving 65 mph, the contact detected a gas odor inside and outside the vehicle. the mechanic stated that there was a crack in the fuel tank. according to the manufacturer, recall # 97v145000 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly) does not apply to his vin. the contact felt that his vehicle should be included in the recall. the current and failure mileages were 50,471. | |||
| 06/11/2006 | 71288 | 1 | 11/06/2002 |
| I smelled gasoline in my garage on tuesday june 11. laying between the cars i found several steady drips from the fuel tank. i pushed the car out of the garage and two days later it had leaked to a level for the leak to stop. i contacted ford/merc. motor co. about the existing recall , notes:mercury tracer 97s79,for the potential units affected 64000 vehicles. even though i had a serious potential for a house fire i was told that my vin did not qualify for the recall. i was further told to get it fixed by a for dealer and they may review the data in the future. i am looking for immediate relief for this problem. can you help? *jb | |||
| 08/13/2005 | 88000 | 1 | 12/24/1995 |
| The plastic gas tank on our 1995 mercury tracer cracked open. the shop that we took it to knew of a recall because he owned one previously that was recalled for this specific problem. ours is not under the recall, but the crack is identical to what is in recalls 97v145000 and 97v144000. the heat shield that is mounted directly to the gas tank, cracked the tank and caused what could have been a potential fire if we had not noticed that there was gas leaking onto the roadway. the repairs have been made, but we feel that this vehicle should have been included under the recall. it is a 1.9l engine and was built in mexico. *nm | |||
| 05/01/2003 | 1 | 12/27/1998 | |
| Consumer states: fuel tank vent hose leaks when you fill it up, when you run so low it quits leaking ,and is on highway.*ak *tt *nm | |||
| 70000 | 1 | ||
| Dealer determined that a crack at the shield bracket caused fuel to leak from the fuel tank. recall 97v144000 concerning fuel tank was issued; however, this vehicle was not covered under recall due to vin. *ak | |||
| 07/21/2003 | 150000 | 1 | |
| Nhtsa recall 97-v-144-000 :vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with 1.9l engines, built at the hermosillo or wayne assembly plants and originally sold or is currently registered in cracks can develop in the fuel tank near the heat shield attachment, resulting in fuel leakage if the cracks go through the fuel tank wall. the consumer had the same problem, however this vehicle was not recalled due to the vin. *ak there were cracks and leaks in the fuel line at the heat shield mount. the tank was replaced. *scc *nlm | |||
| 09/16/1998 | 2 | 12/01/2096 | |
| My dates/ mileage are not accurate, but info otherwise is correct. do i need accident report for air bag date? i am scarred from the gas and the airbag seam that ripped my wrists open from the deployment of the bags during this accident. i was quite infected. also, my gas tank cracked a few years ago and my ex-beau used boat putty for plastic boat gas tanks to fix it until i could handle it. it held well until now and has cracked further in the same area. putty is not holding any longer. i was just about to replace the tank recently when i heard about the recall. i would like to know if i am still eligible for a replacement tank per the recall of 1997 and for replacement air bags. after my accident i did have my car repaired but wonder if the same yr and model of airbag may be installed. please advise asap. i need to handle my air bags & tank as i can put less than $7 in gas at a time or it leaks and eats asphalt away on the street and in parking spaces. the smell and danger is at a high level. please respond quickly.thanks again. dt | |||
| 07/15/2002 | |||
| Fuel leakages from fuel tank while vehicle parked. dealer and manufacturer were notifed. feel free to provide any further information.*ak | |||
| There was a smell of fuel in inside of vehicle.dealer was notified, and mechanic stated there was a massive leak of fuel.*ak | |||
| While fueling vehicle fuel began to leak consistently .dealer has been notified. consumer found out there was a recall 97v145000; however, recall was limited to states with a warm climates.*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer states while driving vehicle, smelled fuel on the outside of vehicle consumer states found a recall on the same problem however manufacturer states vehicle does not match vin number.*jb | |||
| 07/01/1998 | 4 | 07/01/2098 | |
| Purchased the car used, a/c has not be operational since-emits a foul odor. continuous heater core leaks and failure, emits foul odor resembling antifreeze. causes nausea and headaches. not sure if a/c problems and heater core problems are related. speedometer bounces around after 30mph is exceeded. cruise control cuts off when going up an incline. automatic seatbelts stick in position. beep that alerts when you have a key in the ignition and a door open, beeps constantly even when no key is in ignition, cannot find cause. cigarette lighter does not work, cannot find cause. automatic belt tensioner rattles. have read through the consumer complaints, and it seems as though i just about have them all. checked date of manufacture for fuel tank recall, one month short of being in recall, have concerns about leakage. sometimes i do have a fuel odor in the car, especially when car has just been filled up. any help in this matter would greatly be appreciated.*ak | |||
| 07/01/2001 | |||
| Fuel tank is leaking. please provide further details.*ak | |||
| 05/27/2001 | |||
| Smelled a gas odor while in vehicle. also, fuel tank was leaking, it had a crack in the front part. contacted dealer, and dealer stated had to order fuel tank. *ak | |||
| 05/01/2001 | 1 | 05/01/1996 | |
| When i bought the mercury tracer back in 1996, i was very excited, but after the first year of owning the vehicle there was a recall on the gas tanks, at which time i took the car in to be checked. soon after that i began to have many problems with the car. the electrical system failed at which time it was covered under warranty, the key swithch stop working meaning the switch would not turn to off position, the door locks would not lock, the electric seatbelt stop working a few months after holiday ford said they fixed it. every year for the past 3 years i have had to have the braked fixed(roters). the just last year the heating system went out, the radiator had a small leak and it . i don't go on major trips, i have kept the car up with regular maintenance for having this car for six years i have had all these problems and maby a few more, i will sit down and write list. then here it is 2001 and the mortor just died without warning, i was driving down the street getting ready to turn the corner and the motor just started shaking and the brakes partially failed, it was weird because one minuet it was working fine and the next thing i know it just began to shake. i was told by a machanic that the car will need a new motor. i have friends who have had their car for 15-20 years and the motor is still working, so why did my motor just die out. the car had oil and everything else that is suppose to keep it in shape, i truly believe this car was a lemon to begin with, please help. *ak | |||
| 10/01/2000 | 1 | 07/01/1999 | |
| Has to replace plastic tank w/new metal tank cost over $450 | |||
| 05/24/2000 | 1 | 01/01/2000 | |
| In may of 2000, the original plastic fuel tank, in my 18 year-old daughter's mercury tracer, cracked it was replaced with a new metal tank. the cost was $457.96, which my daughter paid out of her pocket. i would like to now if she is eligible to be reimbursed for the cost of the replair since it was a manufacturer defect. | |||
| 1 | 04/01/1995 | ||
| The gas tank developed a crack near the heat shield attachment, gas leakage due to crack, recall (97v-144) is being denied for unknown reasons. *mjs | |||
| 04/27/1999 | |||
| The fuel tank is leaking from the cracks in the wall. had noticed the fuel leakage in driverway. the vehicle is at the repair shop. | |||
| 04/27/1999 | |||
| The fuel tank would be leaking from cracks in the wall. had notice the fuel leakage in the driveway. the vehicle at repair shop now. | |||
| 11/27/1998 | 1 | 06/30/1998 | |
| 97s79; vehicle had fuel leaking from the front of the fuel tank. dealer was contacted and stated the vin did not comply to the recall, the fuel tank was replaced at owner's expense. *ak | |||
| 11/27/1998 | 1 | 06/01/1995 | |
| On 11/27/1998, i took my car to get a regular oil change, the mechanic found that the fuel tank was leaking fuel. i then took the car to a lincoln mercury dealership that day. the service manager told me that the seam in the tank could be cracked, and proceeded to tell me that the need to investigate it to see what the problem was. on 11/30/1998, i was told that the fuel tank was leaking and it needed to be replaced. on 12/01/1998 i was told that they determined that in fact the seam was leaking on the tank and that they would replace it. this is basically the same issue that happened a few years ago with the ford escort, but it was recalled. i spoke to a ford customer rep., and she said that because it was a ford recall, not mercury, there was nothing that could be done. this is now costing me at least $500.00 for the repairs as well as approx $40.00 per day for rental car fees and i got the rental car on 11/28/1998. is there anything that i can do regarding this matter. | |||
| 08/05/1998 | 1 | 08/16/1998 | |
| Vehicle was repaired under recall # 97v145 on 05-aug-98. after having driven the vehicle owner noticed that fuel was continually leaking from the vehicle. owner will be contacting the manufacturer. *ak | |||
| The fuel tank was leaking gas. dealer found that the gas tank was plastic and welded together ,and had split where it was welded. *ak | |||
| Fuel tank leaks. dealer did not want to fix tank. vehicle is now on recall. *ak | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER | |||
| 11/21/1995 | 2 | 02/01/1995 | |
| Erratic operation of low coolant light, erratic operation of low fuel light, seem to be on same circuit with coolant light, coolant light sensor replaced. *cj | |||
| 03/20/1995 | 3 | ||
| Gas gauge assembly does not accurately determine the gas in the car. car has been in for service three times and still has not been fixed. tt | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY | |||
| 06/23/2004 | 1 | ||
| Consumer noticed liquid leaking from underneath the vehicle. consumer took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the fuel tank needed to be replaced due to a crack inside of the fuel tank. *ak | |||