Ford Fuel System, Gasoline

Ford is recalling about 671,000 vehicles over a problem with the fuel system, gasoline. This may cause engine hesitation, loss of power, surging, and other similar symptoms.

Campaign
03V482000
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Reported
19 November 2003
Vehicles
671,000
Built between
May 1999 – Jun 2001
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
19 January 2004
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between May 1999 and June 2001. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2000-2001 Ford FocusBuilt May 1999 to June 2001

What the defect is

On certain passenger vehicles, contamination of the filter in the fuel delivery module (fdm) can reduce, and eventually block, the flow of fuel to the engine.

What could happen

This may cause engine hesitation, loss of power, surging, and other similar symptoms. Over time, the filter may become sufficiently blocked to cause the engine to stall, which could result in a crash.

What gets fixed

THIS ACTION IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN AND IS NOT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE SAFETY ACT. ALL OWNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FDM WITH A NEW DESIGN AT NO CHARGE IF THE OWNER REPORTS THAT THE VEHICLE EXHIBITS ANY OF THE IDENTIFIED SYMPTOMS. THE FREE REPLACEMENT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE, WITH NO MILEAGE LIMIT. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING NOVEMBER 2003.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMay 1999 to June 2001
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA19 November 2003
  3. Owners notified19 January 2004

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 19 November 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 1-800-392-3673.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
03N01
Recalling manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Recall initiated by
ODI

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 campaign no. 03N01.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