- Vehicles
- 113,000
- Built between
- Aug 1981 – Mar 1982
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 26 May 1982
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between August 1981 and March 1982. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1982 Ford EscortBuilt August 1981 to March 1982
- 1982 Ford EXPBuilt August 1981 to March 1982
- 1982 Mercury LN7Built August 1981 to March 1982
- 1982 Mercury LynxBuilt August 1981 to March 1982
What the defect is
On the involved vehicles, a thermal limiter in the blower motor resistor circuit of the air conditioner/heater assembly may not function as intended. If the blower motor becomes jammed when the system is operating in the medium-low blower speed, the resistor coils can overheat causing melting and possible ignition.
What gets fixed
DEALER WILL REPLACE THE RESISTOR ASSEMBLY WITH AN IMPROVED VERSION WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtAugust 1981 to March 1982
- Recall reported to NHTSA11 May 1982
- Owners notified26 May 1982
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 11 May 1982.
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: passengers vehicles equipped with optional airconditioning.system: air conditioner; motor, fan.consequences of defect: a vehicle fire could result, possibly causing loss ofvehicle control, accident, and passenger injury.note: until the vehicle is serviced, the blower should be operated only in thehigh or low speeds. The A/C mode lever should be turned to the "off" positionif the blower becomes noisy or if a burning odor or smoke is noticed.
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.