Ford Structure: Bumpers

Ford is recalling about 220,000 vehicles over a problem with the structure. Under extreme conditions, bumper could separate from thevehicle when using a bumper mounted trailer hitch ball.

Campaign
91V026000
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Reported
12 February 1991
Vehicles
220,000
Built between
Feb 1990 – Jan 1991
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
26 March 1991
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between February 1990 and January 1991. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1991 Ford ExplorerBuilt February 1990 to January 1991

What the defect is

Rear bumper reinforcement may be subject to fatigue cracking under extended trailer tow service when using a bumper-mounted trailer hitch ball.

What could happen

Under extreme conditions, bumper could separate from thevehicle when using a bumper mounted trailer hitch ball.

What gets fixed

INSTALL TWO BRACKETS TO REINFORCE THE BUMPER.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtFebruary 1990 to January 1991
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA12 February 1991
  3. Owners notified26 March 1991

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 1991.

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: rear bumper reinforcement.vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicle.note: bumper mounted trailer hitch ball assembly should not be used until repairprocedure is completed.

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.

Same component

Same brand