- Vehicles
- 83,687
- Built between
- Dec 2002 – Mar 2003
- Models
- 5
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 22 July 2004
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between December 2002 and March 2003. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2003 Ford ExcursionBuilt December 2002 to March 2003
- 2003 Ford F-250Built December 2002 to March 2003
- 2003 Ford F-350Built December 2002 to March 2003
- 2003 Ford F-450 SDBuilt December 2002 to March 2003
- 2003 Ford F-550 SDBuilt December 2002 to March 2003
What the defect is
On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with 6.0L diesel engines, the engine ground stud that attaches the negative battery terminal eyelet to the engine block may be loose.
What could happen
If the ground wire is loose, electrical current may flow to the radio suppression strap causing it to heat and potentially melt or ignite adjacent components which could result in a fire.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE GROUND STUD AND THE RADIO SUPPRESSION STRAP AND ADJACENT COMPONENTS WILL BE INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE AND REPLACED, IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 23, 2004.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtDecember 2002 to March 2003
- Recall reported to NHTSA7 July 2004
- Owners notified22 July 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 7 July 2004.
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
- 04S15
- 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. 04S15.CUSTOMERS may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration 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.