Ford Visibility: Electrical Heating Element

Ford is recalling about 566,979 vehicles over a problem with the visibility. This could create the potential for a fire.

Campaign
01I009000
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Reported
9 July 2001
Vehicles
566,979
Built between
Aug 1994 – Feb 1997
Models
2
Recall type
Other
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
29 August 2001
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between August 1994 and February 1997. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1995-1997 Ford ContourBuilt August 1994 to February 1997
  • 1995-1997 Mercury MystiqueBuilt August 1994 to February 1997

What the defect is

This is not a safety recall in accordance with the safety act. However, it is deemed a safety improvement campaign by the agency. Vehicle description: 1995-1997 ford contour and mercury mystique vehicles. The heater blower resistor could overheat causing the attached electrical connector to melt.

What could happen

This could create the potential for a fire.

What gets fixed

FORD WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR THE HEATER BLOWER SWITCH FOR 10 YEARS FROM ORIGINAL DATE OF SALE OF THE VEHICLE OR 150,000 MILES, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW HEATER BLOWER RESISTOR AND A NEW WIRE JUMPER HARNESS FREE OF CHARGE.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtAugust 1994 to February 1997
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA9 July 2001
  3. Owners notified29 August 2001

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 July 2001.

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
01M07
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

Ford has decided to conduct an extended coverage program to extend the warranty coverage for potential heather blower resistor problems. Owners can contact ford AT1-866-436-7332, concerning this program.

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.

Same component

Same brand