Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: mounting
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Vehicles affected
250
Reported to NHTSA
1987-07-16
Owners notified
1987-07-02
Defect description
FUEL LEAK AT THE TOP OF THE FRONT FUEL TANK IN THE AREA OF THE VAPOR VALVE GROMMET. GROMMET MAY SPLIT DUE TO COMPRESSIVE LOAD WHEN INSTALLED IN THE FUEL TANK.
Safety risk
FUEL MAY LEAK FROM VAPOR VALVE AND BECOME THE SOURCE OFFUEL FOR A FIRE.
Manufacturer remedy
INSTALLATION OF A NEWLY DESIGNED VAPOR VALVE GROMMET.
THE RUBBER THAT ENCASES BALL STUD AND SOCKET JOINT (CONNECTS STEERING DRAG LINK AND PITMAN ARM) MAY DETERIORATE, CAUSING METAL TO METAL CONTACT, AND MAY EVENTUALLY RESULT IN COMPLETE SEPARATION. CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: COMPLETE SEPARATION OF THE DRAG LINK TO PITMAN ARM CONNECTION RESULTS IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL WHICH MAY LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT.
Manufacturer remedy
INSTALL NEW DRAG LINK ASSEMBLIES WITH STEEL BALL AND SOCKET JOINTS AT THE PITMAN ARM CONNECTIONS.
WHEN FRONTALLY IMPACTED INTO A FIXED BARRIER AT 30 MPH, AS SPECIFIED IN FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD (FMVSS) NO. 301, THE LEFT FRAME RAILS OF SUCH VEHICLES MAY DISPLACE INBOARD, PINCHING THE FUEL/WATER SEPARATOR CANISTER BETWEEN THE FRAME RAIL AND ENGINE SUFFICIENTLY TO DISPLACE THE FUEL/WATER SEPARATOR DRAIN ROD, ALLOWING THE CONTENTS OF THE CANISTER TO DRAIN. CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: FUEL LEAK DURING OR AFTER A CRASH INCREASES THE POSSIBILITY OF A FIRE.
Manufacturer remedy
INSTALL A CANISTER SHIELD, A REVISED DESIGN DRAIN ROD SHIELD, AND MODIFY FUEL/WATER SEPARATOR MOUNTING BRACKET.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
Component
Complaints
Median mileage
Electrical system: ignition: switch
4
—
Electrical system: wiring: interior/under dash
3
—
Fuel system, diesel
2
—
Tires
2
—
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
1
—
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components
1
—
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: pads
1
—
Steering: steering wheel/handle bar
1
—
The 1984 model has about 1.5 times as many complaints as this one. The 1986 model has 2 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.