Bulletins

BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
POWER TRAIN
98502711/01/1998613061Vehicles may experience speedometer pointer waver. *tt06/16/2000
1296711/01/1998613037Vehicles may exhibit speedometer pointer waver. *mjs06/16/2000
9711109723711/10/199753663Concerns with harsh engagements and harsh shifts with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) 628, p0741 and/or p1744. *yc03/30/1998
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
9915207/26/1999608431Information on the new flush and fill tool available through rotunda. *tt01/05/2001
001501/10/2000612203Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip. *mjs06/06/2000
988804/27/1998601238Information on a new transmission fluid usage chart. *yc07/10/1998
9751103/03/199751945Fluid- transmission fluid usage charts. *jd07/17/1997
BC10120970201/02/199751184Verify the transaxle installed in the vehicle is the correct model and model year for the vehicle. *jd06/27/1997
BC968396100110/01/199650542Procedure for updating the calibration from r-11 to r-12 for stalling on decel & misfire codes on 3.0l vehicles. *tt05/27/1997
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - COOLING UNIT AND LINES
0314807/21/200310003748New transmission cooler flusher - service tips. 2003 escort and super duty f series included. *tt10/29/2003
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - COLUMN SHIFT
1481104/01/2001619293Information on additional parts required when replacing transfer case on vehicles equippped with ax4s transaxle. *tt05/23/2001
1261603/01/1999605338Information on transaxle service case replacement with oss (output shaft speed sensor) hole. *tt06/08/1999
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH
0118109/17/2001625715Brake shift interlock.*jb11/30/2001
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - TORQUE CONVERTER
96261212/16/199650997Transaxle - torque converter replacement guidelines and torque converter/transaxle cooling system cleaning procedures - service tip. *tw06/17/1997
9624911/18/199650908Torque converter - leak test procedure - service tip. *tw06/17/1997
9515707/01/199545937The torque converter identification codes have been revised as of 3/1/95. *sd04/25/1996
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT - SEAL
98267504/01/1998603573A revised forward clutch inner seal for the axod, axode, ax4s & ax4n transaxle is available with improved sealing and reduced chance of the seal rolling during installation. *yc02/25/1999
POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY - PEDAL/LINKAGE
1255903/01/1999605294Concerns with reverse clutch that could become sheared or torn in extremely cold temperatures. *tt06/07/1999
POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION
980216983805/27/1998600591Transaxles use a new transmission fluid. *yc05/27/1998
BC067896102510/25/199650356Information on aode/4r7w transmission main control & case replacement. *tt04/24/1997

Consumer Complaints

Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
POWER TRAIN
06/05/2003112/01/2002
 The transmission failed to go into gear. *jb
1
 Speedometer failed. nlm
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
09/01/20041
 While driving transmission made a loud noise. then it completely failed. *ak
08/05/2002
 While driving rpms revved to 4700, and vehicle started slowing down on its own,smoke came out of transmission and vehicle stalled. transmission was gone. contacted dealer.*ak
03/02/2002
 After taking vehicle to the dealer to get recall done on vehicle, remedy did not work, and consumer still had problems with transmission. contacted dealer. *ak
04/21/2002106/01/2097
 Reversed out of driveway then put in drive. heard knocking noise. car did not move even when eccelerator was pushed. had to be pushed back into carport. transmission failure without warning. *ak
04/22/2002106/01/2097
 While driving on i-95 north in s. florida a knocking noise started to occur. the car started to slow down and downshifted by itself. the car could no longer accelerate over 55 m.p.h. transmission failure without warning.*ak
12/30/200103/01/1995
 Vehicle transmission locked up total failure of transmission at 40 mph no prior warning of failure could have caused accident.repairs to this vehicles transmission seem to be way above average. *ak
04/01/2001105/01/1999
 No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
01/15/2001308/01/2000
 I am not a mechanic so here goes. i first was driving and white smoke began blowing out of the muffler. i stopppred the car and had it towed to an auto repair shop.he said i had a blown head gasket which is quit common in the mercury sable.i contacted several mechanics who all said the same thing,it must be a defect in the sable. i had that fixed and because of this my transmission let go and blew a rod.*ak
06/03/2000104/01/1998
 No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
03/20/2000102/01/2000
 Danger!!!! almost crash !!!!! --while i was driving on the highway 90 in chicago at 60m/h, the transmission suddenly shut down!! speed drops immediatelly!! i was surrounded by heavy traffic moving at 60-80 m/p...luckily, before my car drops to 25m/h, i managed to stop at the roadside. what a hell! i can't control the steering wheel, it doesn't move. after 1 hr, i was saved by a tow truck. the car looks good, and has only 64500 miles. what kind of product ford is making! whenever i thought of that day, i feel i am so saved..
11/04/1999104/01/1995
 While driving at 65 mph, the transmission suddenly locked. the
02/09/2000106/01/1999
 Transmission failed, costing $2000 in repairs. now head gasket has failed with estimated repair in excess of $1200. i have not driven this vehicle for 10,000 miles yet. i am now reading about many similar problems with the ford 3.8l engine & drivetrain. i understand that ford has been aware of these problems for at least 10 years & has failed to correct them. i think the whole situation is a disgusting indictment of the lack of caring on ford's part. i will never purchase another ford product & will tell everyone i know about this horrendous situation. *ak
09/15/1996208/01/1996
 Power transmission failed. yh
04/01/1999109/01/1992
 Transmission replace per ford dealer recommendation
210/01/1998
 I bought the car less than a year ago and have paid over a $1,000 in repairs. the day i left the check engine light came on. the dealer re-built the transmission twice, but i'm still having problems. recently i had full front & back brake job. when i bought the car the brakes were fine. in less than a year i had only 10% brakes left. the day i left i lost all back brakes. a month later it happened again. now they are saying ford has recalled the anti lock system and master cylinder. please help.
02/25/19981
 Transmission was recalled on this vehicle type but we received no notice. mechanic said recall had expired and that ford would not pay for it. transmission was repaired with genuine ford kit. is ford co. responsible for reimbursing me for this repair? *ak
10/28/199806/01/1996
 No summary.
11/06/1996201/28/1992
 Transmiision failed twice.(attorney for consumer)
05/24/19980
 While driving about 65 mph transmission when out, and consumer drove to the side of the road. she s vehicle felt like jumping. drove to nearest service shop where they had told consumer the problem was with a part on the vehicle which consumer did not recall at the time. *ak
05/23/1998
 While driving in center lane transmission went into neutral, losing all power, forcing dangerous evasive driving to coast onto shoulder.
11/01/1996102/01/1992
 Transmission failed.
08/02/199701/15/1992
 Automatic transmission failure. in addition, inner and outer tie rods and lower ball joint/control arm/struts/shocks failed. *ak
07/11/1996104/15/1996
 Damaged planetary gears due to inadequate lubrication.
1
 Transmission failed.
07/01/1996
 Automatic transmission failure. *ak
0
 Transmission failed.
 Transmission has slow pickup and has lost all gears before, the dealer refuses to do anything. *ak
11/28/1996
 The transmission fell out of the vehicle while in motion, vehicle lost control. *ak
06/28/1996101/01/1992
 Transmission failure. *sd
06/18/1996
 Transmission went out, and motor caught on fire. *ak
06/20/19950
 Transmission failed four times.
03/21/19951
 Tranmission failed. *sd
05/11/19961
 Transmission failed 8 times. *sd
11/23/19933
 Transmission failed eight times.
07/21/19951
 Planetary gears in automatic transmission failed.
02/22/1996
 Vehicle parked in with ignition on in gear, jump out of gear and rolled. *ak
02/24/1996
 Automatic transmission will not shift into gears, dealer needs to replace transmission.*ak
02/01/1996
 Heard clunking noise no acceleration. resulting in internal explosion and cracking of automatic transission. tt
 The consumer is having transmission problems. please describe. tt
11/28/1995
 Automatic transmission failure, replaced three different times in 60k miles, automatic will not engage into gears. tt
01/25/19952
 Transmission would not shift into drive/overdrive. *ak
10/10/19940
 Transmission jerks into gear. *aw
 The transmission needs to be replaced. tt
 The transmission is shifting hard . tt
08/16/1995
 Transmission gears got hot and sheared off. tt
08/13/1995
 Transmission failed without warning. vehicle would not move. tt
04/24/19954
 Premature transmission failure. *aw
06/20/1995
 The transmission on the car is bad after it has been replaced twice and has gone in for service numerous times. please explain. tt
11/30/19941
 Auto transsmission failure at 68k. tt
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - COOLING UNIT AND LINES
 Whiledriving on the highway approached a toll booth, paid the toll, and vehicle failed to move. engine was very hot. put 5 quarts of oil in the vehicle. transmission overheated and the fluid evaporated. had the vehicle serviced, and no external leaks were present. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
10/01/1997401/18/1992
 Transmission inadvertently downshifts from 2nd to 1st gear or does not shift out of 1st gear; causes vehicle to slow down, could cause rearend crash. transmission needs overhauling, according to repair shop. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH
03/21/199810/11/1992
 While parked on a slight incline, gear shifted into park with ignition off, the vehicle began to roll back slowly. vehicle taken to dealership. dealer stated that a new transmission is needed. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - TORQUE CONVERTER
03/15/1992
 Torque converter locks up on slight load at 1600 rpms and up, causing severe vibration. *ak
203/15/1992
 Torque converter locks up on slight load at 1600 rpms and up, causing severe dash/front end vibration. *ak
1
 Torque converter failed.
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT
07/09/19949
 Replaced loose wheel bearings.
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT
01/01/1994
 Rack and pinion steering needed to be replaced because steering was pulling to right. also, replaced oxygen sensor/motor mounts/right and left outer cv boot. *ak
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DRIVESHAFT
1
 Drive train failed.
POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION
1
 Transmission failed. *slc
06/01/2000411/01/1998
 The problem i was having was the inability to shift the car out of park in the normal way - start the car, depress the brake and pull the shift lever down. the only way that i could get the car into gear was to pull down on the shift lever while turning the key and then start the engine while in neutral. i discovered, in a conversation with a ford mechanic, that this is a symptom of a failure somewhere in the brake light circuit. something as simple as a blown brake light bulb would cause this problem. there was another symptom that was not discussed with the mechanic, as i didn't realize it was related, but could in itself, cause an accident. the cruise control would not disengage by pressing the brake pedal. apparently the de-activation is controlled by a component wired into the brake light circuit. after i got the brake lights working (dirty contacts on the brake light switch), everything was back to normal. the car shifted as it was suppose to and the cruise control again disengaged when the brake pedal was depressed. in my opinion, the interelationship of these components has good potential to be extremely hazardous. it would be easy to inadvertantly put the car in forward gear while intending to put it in reverse when starting it in neutral. the car could roll when starting it in this manner. the failure of the cruise control to disengage gave me the sensation of flooring the car and putting my foot on the brake at the same time. not usually a very good thing to do. that's it. i hope it helps.
12/27/199712/17/1996
 Transmission locked due to inadequate lubrication.
07/01/1997111/11/1993
 Transmission failure.

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