- Vehicles
- 6,750
- Built between
- Jul 1996 – Dec 1999
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Equipment
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- Not yet
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between July 1996 and December 1999. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- Ford Accessory Parts Aftermarket Trailer HitchBuilt July 1996 to December 1999
What the defect is
Aftermarket trailer hitch assemblies. The mounting bolts and nut plates may become loose and lose clamp load, resulting in a disengagement of the attaching bolts from the vehicle.
What could happen
If the operator does not notice the condition due to rattle or other looseness of the trailer hitch assembly, there is a potential for the trailer hitch to separate from the vehicle.
What gets fixed
FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF THE TRAILER HITCH ASSEMBLIES TO RETURN THEIR HITCHES TO THE DEALERS TO REPLACE THE MOUNTING BOLTS AND NUT PLATES WITH A HIGHER STRENGTH MOUNTING BOLTS AND NUT PLATES INSTALLED AT A HIGHER TORQUE AND INCLUDING AN ADHESIVE PATCH.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJuly 1996 to December 1999
- Recall reported to NHTSA7 March 2000
No owner-notification date has been published yet. Manufacturers normally write to registered owners within 60 days of reporting a recall.
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 7 March 2000.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Purchasers of this aftermarket trailer hitch should contact their dealer or call ford at 1-800-392-3673, to register with the manufacturer for the recall.also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.