- Vehicles
- 33,000
- Built between
- Dec 1997 – Aug 1998
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 22 March 2001
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between December 1997 and August 1998. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1999 Mercury CougarBuilt December 1997 to August 1998
What the defect is
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The brake lamp switch terminals could overheat.
What could happen
This could cause either a loss of brake lamp function or continuously illuminated brake lamps, increasing the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW STOP LAMP EXTENSION HARNESS WITH BRONZE TERMINALS AT THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH CONNECTOR, AND ALSO INSPECT THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH FOR SIGNS OF OVERHEATING AND REPLACE, AS REQUIRED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 22, 2001.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtDecember 1997 to August 1998
- Recall reported to NHTSA6 February 2001
- Owners notified22 March 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 6 February 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.
Manufacturer contact
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.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 01S03
- 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
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.