Ford Suspension: Lower Ball Joint

Ford is recalling about 8,100 vehicles over a problem with the suspension. In some cases, directional control of the vehicle could be reduced.

Campaign
01V121000
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Reported
11 April 2001
Vehicles
8,100
Built between
Nov 1998 – Aug 2000
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
19 April 2001
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between November 1998 and August 2000. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1999-2000 Ford Mustang CobraBuilt November 1998 to August 2000
  • 2000 Ford Mustang Cobra RBuilt November 1998 to August 2000

What the defect is

Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. If the ball joint assembly in the rear knuckle, where the lower control arm attaches, is displaced longitudinally from its installed position, it can cause higher stress levels in the knuckle casting. If this occurs, the casting could fracture, allowing the corner of the vehicle to drop, and the lower control arm could contact the inside of the rear wheel.

What could happen

In some cases, directional control of the vehicle could be reduced.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH REAR SUSPENSION KNUCKLES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 19, 2001.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtNovember 1998 to August 2000
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA11 April 2001
  3. Owners notified19 April 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 11 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.

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
01S15
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