- Vehicles
- 50,224
- Built between
- Feb 2001 – Mar 2001
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Other
- 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 February 2001 and March 2001. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2002 Ford ExplorerBuilt February 2001 to March 2001
- 2002 Mercury MountaineerBuilt February 2001 to March 2001
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: 2002 ford explorer and mercury montaineer sport utility vehicles. The brackets connecting the left cylinders to each side of the liftgate glass could rotate out of position if either the urethane bond or torque are not sufficient.
What could happen
Rotation of the brackets could potentially cause the lift cylinders to detach from the glass or, in some cases, could potentially cause the liftgate glass to break. Either condition is most likely to occur when the glass is being closed.
What gets fixed
FORD DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES FOR THE POSITION OF BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT LIFTGATGE GLASS LIFT CYLINDER BRACKETS. IF THE BRACKETS ARE IN THE PROPER POSITION, THE BRACKET RETAINERS WILL BE TIGHTENED TO A HIGHER TORQUE. IN CASES WHERE THE BRACKET IS NOT PROPERLY POSITION, THE BRACKET MUST BE RE-ALIGNED.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 2001 to March 2001
- Recall reported to NHTSA10 April 2001
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 10 April 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
- 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 a special service campaign to inspect and torque the liftgate glass bracket on affected vehicles. Owners can contact ford AT1-800-392-3673, 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.