- Vehicles
- 72
- Built between
- Jan 1990 – Jan 1990
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 9 March 1990
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 1990 and January 1990. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1990 Ford ThunderbirdBuilt January 1990 to January 1990
- 1990 Mercury CougarBuilt January 1990 to January 1990
What the defect is
Battery to starter cables are longer than specified; excessive cable length could contact engine damper pulley.
What could happen
Cable protective covering and insulation could wear through and cause a direct short to ground, resulting in overheating of the cable insulation and possibly a underhood fire.
What gets fixed
REPLACE BATTERY TO STARTER CABLE WITH CORRECT LENGTH CABLE.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 1990 to January 1990
- Recall reported to NHTSA12 February 1990
- Owners notified9 March 1990
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 12 February 1990.
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
System: battery to starter cable.vehicle description: passenger cars equipped with 3.8 liter engines.
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.