What NHTSA investigated
Summary of information from manufacturer:ford believes that the al-leged defect only occurs in a small number of the subject vehicles andrecalled about 195,732 1984 tempo/topaz vehicles in june 1986.ANALYSIS: vehicles potentially involved include tempo/topaz, escort/lynx/exp, mustang/capri, ltd/marquis, and thunderbird/cougar.ford sold about 110,000 replacement mio bolts, mainly for 1983 and 1984MODELS. Low clamping force appears to be a large part of the problem.ford increased the torque requirements and required the use of a manualtorque tool in march and september 1985 production changes. 1987 modelswill be produced with a longer M10 bolt and a nut to increase and main-tain clamping force. Bolts were formerly self tapping. Reports listedabove specifically state that the bolt broke. None refer simply toseat back collapse alone.status:ford reply to odi ir dated 2/2/87.FORD recalled 195,7321984 tempo/topaz vehicles in june 1986 (86V-082). Analyzing reponse,monitoring canadian progress. Response to 4/6/87 letter to fordreceived 7/15/87. Will probably close after canada completes theiractions.===
The recall that followed
Vehicles covered
| Make | Model | Model years |
|---|---|---|
| Ford | ESCORT | 1983–1986 |
| Ford | EXP | 1983–1986 |
| Ford | LTD | 1983–1986 |
| Ford | MUSTANG | 1983–1986 |
| Ford | TEMPO | 1983–1986 |
| Ford | THUNDERBIRD | 1983–1986 |
| Mercury | CAPRI | 1983–1986 |
| Mercury | COUGAR | 1983–1986 |
| Mercury | LYNX | 1983–1986 |
| Mercury | MARQUIS | 1983–1986 |
| Mercury | TOPAZ | 1983–1986 |
Source
From NHTSA’s investigation file, rebuilt daily. To report a problem with your own vehicle, go to nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem. All open investigations.