- Vehicles
- 60,000
- Built between
- Aug 1973 – Oct 1973
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 26 April 1978
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between August 1973 and October 1973. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1974 Ford MustangBuilt August 1973 to October 1973
- 1974 Ford PintoBuilt August 1973 to October 1973
What the defect is
On some of the involved vehicles the steering coupling flange may have been improperly assembled and could loosen during normal vehicle operation.
What gets fixed
THE DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE STEERING COUPLING FLANGE ASSEMBLY.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtAugust 1973 to October 1973
- Recall reported to NHTSA30 January 1978
- Owners notified26 April 1978
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 30 January 1978.
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.
Official source
- 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
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles.system: steering; steering coupling flange.consequences of defect: as a result, the steering coupling flange could slip onthe steering input shaft without prior warning. This could result in loss ofsteering control and an accident.note: steering flange slippage is most likely to occur under high steeringeffort conditions.
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.