Ford Exterior Lighting: Switch

Ford is recalling about 157,000 vehicles over a problem with the exterior lighting. A short circuit could lead to either the brake lamps staying on, or to a loss of brake lamp function, increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
01V078000
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Reported
12 March 2001
Vehicles
157,000
Built between
May 1999 – Aug 2000
Models
2
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 May 1999 and August 2000. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2000-2001 Ford TaurusBuilt May 1999 to August 2000
  • 2000-2001 Mercury SableBuilt May 1999 to August 2000

What the defect is

Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with adjustable pedals. If the grease from the adjustable pedal assembly enters the stop lamp switch, it can contaminate the contacts leading to carbon build up, and potentially, a short circuit.

What could happen

A short circuit could lead to either the brake lamps staying on, or to a loss of brake lamp function, increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH AND WIPE DOWN THE ADJUSTABLE PEDAL ASSEMBLY TO REMOVE EXCESS GREASE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 22, 2001.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMay 1999 to August 2000
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA12 March 2001
  3. 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 12 March 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
01S08
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.

Same component

Same brand