Ford Steering: Shaft Pitman

Ford is recalling about 300 vehicles over a problem with the steering. If the pitman arm to gearbox attachment nut loosens, a noise and a loose feel in the steering could occur.

Campaign
03V349000
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Reported
22 September 2003
Vehicles
300
Built between
Apr 2003 – Apr 2003
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
1 October 2003
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between April 2003 and April 2003. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2003 Ford F-150Built April 2003 to April 2003

What the defect is

On certain pickup trucks, the pitman arm to steering gear retaining nut was not fully tightened to the required specification.

What could happen

If the pitman arm to gearbox attachment nut loosens, a noise and a loose feel in the steering could occur. If the condition progressed and service was not sought, the nut could back off completely and the pitman arm could separate from the gear causing a loss of steering. If the warning is not heeded and steering is lost, a crash may result.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE PITMAN ARM RETAINING NUT TO SPECIFICATIONS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON OCTOBER 1, 2003.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtApril 2003 to April 2003
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA22 September 2003
  3. Owners notified1 October 2003

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 22 September 2003.

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 should contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
03S07
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

Ford recall no. 03S07.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.

Same component

Same brand