- Vehicles
- 112,000
- Built between
- Aug 1980 – Dec 1980
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 14 August 1981
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between August 1980 and December 1980. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1981 Ford EscortBuilt August 1980 to December 1980
- 1981 Mercury LynxBuilt August 1980 to December 1980
What the defect is
Some of the involved vehicles have an electrically ungrounded fuel inlet. These vehicles are subject to static charge accumulation at the fuel filler pipe opening, which can occur if these vehicles are refueled from an electrically ungrounded dispensing nozzle.
What gets fixed
A GROUNDING CONNECTION FROM THE FILLER PIPE INLET TO THE VEHICLE BODY AND A STATIC ELECTRICITY SUPPRESSION ROD INSIDE THE FILLER PIPE WILL BE INSTALLED AT NO CHARGE TO OWNER.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtAugust 1980 to December 1980
- Recall reported to NHTSA22 July 1981
- Owners notified14 August 1981
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 July 1981.
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
- 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
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles.system: fuel; fuel inlet.consequences of defect: this static charge may generate a spark of staticelectricity which can ignite fuel vapor at the fuel pipe opening. If thevehicle"s fuel tank is either replaced or cleansed during repair, a spark ofstatic electricity generated further down the filler pipe may ignite fuel vaporinside the pipe. In either event, fire, personal injury and property damage mayresult.
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.