- Vehicles
- 436,200
- Built between
- Apr 1996 – Mar 2000
- Models
- 3
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 11 October 2000
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between April 1996 and March 2000. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1996-2000 Ford ContourBuilt April 1996 to February 2000
- 1999-2000 Mercury CougarBuilt December 1997 to March 2000
- 1996-2000 Mercury MystiqueBuilt April 1996 to February 2000
What the defect is
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles not equipped with the anti-lock braking system (abs). A pressure conscious reducing valve (pcrv) in the rear brakes may be subject to corrosion and result in malfunction, when operated in areas that use salt compounds on the roadway for de-icing or dust control.
What could happen
If both pcrv's malfunction, vehicle handling could be adversely affected during braking as a result of the rear wheels locking, increasing the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSTALL IMPROVED PCRV'S IN THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM. THIS RECALL WAS EXPANDED IN SEPTEMBER 2000 TO INCLUDE 1999 AND 2000 FORD CONTOUR, MERCURY MYSTIQUE AND COUGAR VEHICLES.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtApril 1996 to March 2000
- Recall reported to NHTSA9 March 2000
- Owners notified11 October 2000
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 9 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
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 00S03
- Recalling manufacturer
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
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
Owner notification began april 3, 2000 for the 1996-1998 model vehicles and on october 11, 2000, for the 1999-2000 model vehicles.owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673. 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.