Service brakes, air: antilock: control unit/module
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Vehicles affected
65,000
Reported to NHTSA
1979-03-29
Owners notified
1979-11-09
Defect description
CERTAIN AIR BRAKE ANTI-LOCK MODULATORS COULD MALFUNCTION DURING OPERATION OF THE ANTI-LOCK SYSTEM. A NYLON PISTON WITHIN THE MODULATOR AIR VALVE SYSTEM CAN SWELL FROM EXPOSURE TO SYSTEM CONTAMINANTS. CONTINUED EXPOSURE MAY CAUSE THE PISTON TO SWELL TO THE EXTENT THAT INTERFERENCE WITH THE CYLINDER WALL WILL RESULT, CAUSING MOMENTARY STICKING OR A PERMANENT JAM. THIS CAN RESULT IN TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT LOSS OF BRAKING FOR THE AFFECTED AXLE.
Manufacturer remedy
THE PISTONS IN THE VALVE PORTION OF THE MODULATORS WILL BE REPLACED WITH PISTONS THAT DO NOT SWELL WHEN EXPOSED TO AIR BRAKE SYSTEM CONTAMINANTS.
THE INVOLVED VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH SAFETY COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION LABELS AND INCOMPLETE VEHICLE DOCUMENTS THAT INDICATE THAT THE GROSS AXLE WEIGHT RATING (GAWR) IS APPROXIMATELY 0.6 TO 6.0 PERCENT GREATER THAN THE COMBINED LOAD CAPACITY OF THE TIRES AT THE SPECIFIED TIRE INFLATION PRESSURE. THIS FAILS TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NOS. 120, "AIR BRAKE SYSTEMS", AND 119, "NEW PNEUMATIC TIRES FOR VEHICLES OTHER THAN PASSENGER CARS", OR 109, "NEW PNEUMATIC TIRES".
Manufacturer remedy
OWNER WILL RECEIVE CORRECT LABELS BY MAIL, FREE OF CHARGE.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
No complaints recorded for this model year.
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.