- Vehicles
- 15,355
- Built between
- Mar 2001 – Apr 2002
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 21 June 2002
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between March 2001 and April 2002. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2002 Ford ThunderbirdBuilt March 2001 to April 2002
What the defect is
On certain passenger vehicles, the driver's side seat belt contacted the seat recliner during a 35 MPH ncap full-frontal barrier impact test.
What could happen
The edge of the recliner mechanism caused a partial cut in the lap portion of the webbing. If the webbing is cut, it increases the risk of injury in a crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN INSERT BEHIND THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT LOWER TRIM PANEL. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 21, 2002.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMarch 2001 to April 2002
- Recall reported to NHTSA14 June 2002
- Owners notified21 June 2002
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 14 June 2002.
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 1-866-436-7332.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 02S38
- 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
Customers can 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.