WATER SEPARATOR CANISTER MAY BE PUNCTURED IN A COLLISION. CRASH TESTS IN A 30 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION REVEALED FUEL LEAKAGE EXCEEDING THE MAXIMUM PERMITTED BY FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 301, "FUEL SYSTEM INTEGRITY".
Manufacturer remedy
A PROTECTIVE SHIELD FOR THE CANISTER WILL BE INSTALLED WITHOUT CHARGE.
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Vehicles affected
1,800
Reported to NHTSA
1983-05-02
Owners notified
1983-05-31
Defect description
IN A COLLISION, BOLTS MAY DAMAGE OR PIERCE A FUEL LINE, CAUSING FUEL SPILLAGE. AFFECTED VEHICLES MAY NOT BE CAPABLE OF MEETING THE MINIMUM FUEL LEAKAGE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD 301, "FUEL SYSTEM INTEGRITY".
Manufacturer remedy
THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING 2.18 INCH BOLTS IN THE LEFT FRONT FENDER APRON WITH ONE INCH LONG BOLTS AT NO CHARGE.
THE PARKING GEAR MAY NOT ENGAGE, EVEN THOUGH THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER IS PLACED IN THE "PARK" POSITION. THIS OCCURS IF THE LINKAGE INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION THAT ACTUATES THE PARK GEAR WAS IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED. A PIN THAT RETAINS COMPONENTS ON A LINKAGE (ACTUATING) ROD COULD BREAK AND THE LINKAGE MAY NOT ENGAGE THE PARKING GEAR.
Manufacturer remedy
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE PARKING PAWL ACTUATING ROD ASSEMBLY.
SOME OF THE INVOLVED VEHICLES MAY HAVE A DIODE IN THE ELECTRICAL FUEL PUMP CIRCUIT THAT MAY SHORT DURING ENGINE STARTING DUE TO INADEQUATE CAPACITY TO WITHSTAND CURRENT DRAW. A SHORT CIRCUIT WOULD RESULT IN NORMAL ENGINE STARTING, BUT THE PUMP WILL NOT CONTINUE TO SUPPLY THE ENGINE WITH FUEL.
Manufacturer remedy
THE DEALER WILL REPLACE DEFECTIVE ELEMENT IN THE ELECTRICAL FUEL PUMP CIRCUIT WITH A NEW RELAY FEED WIRING ASSEMBLY WHICH CONTAINS A LARGER CAPACITY DIODE, FREE OF CHARGE.
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE LOCK WEDGES USED TO SECURE THE AXLE BEARING NUTS TO THE AXLE HOUSING MAY FALL OUT OF POSITION, ALLOWING THE NUT TO LOOSEN. THE NUT ON THE LEFT SIDE MAY FALL OFF, ALLOWING MOVEMENT OF THE AXLE SHAFT.
Manufacturer remedy
THE DEALER WILL REPLACE DEFECTIVE LOCK WEDGES WITH AN IMPROVED VERSION. WHEEL BEARINGS WILL BE INSPECTED AND ADJUSTED OR REPLACED, IF NECESSARY.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
Component
Complaints
Median mileage
Power train: clutch assembly
1
—
Structure: body
1
—
The 1984 model has about a fifth 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.