Ford Engine and Engine Cooling: Gasoline

Ford is recalling about 240,000 vehicles over a problem with the engine and engine cooling. Belt failures can result in the loss of power steering assist and the loss of brake assist once the vacuum reservoir is depleted.

Campaign
96I003000
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Reported
28 May 1996
Vehicles
240,000
Built between
Not published
Models
2
Recall type
Other
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
Not yet
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.

  • 1992, 1994 Ford E Series
  • 1992-1994 Ford F Series

What the defect is

This is not a safety recall in accordance with federal regulation 573. However, it is deemed a safety improvement campaign by the agency. The front end accessory drive (fead) serpentine drive belt can detach from the engine pulleys during certain engine operations. The diesel engine can cause the belts to stretch in excess of the tensioner capacity and the belt detaches from the pulleys.

What could happen

Belt failures can result in the loss of power steering assist and the loss of brake assist once the vacuum reservoir is depleted. Also fead belt failure poses a risk of engine compartment fire in vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions if it results in the transmission oil cooler hose rupture.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW TENSIONER, DRIVE BELT, BELT GUIDE AND AN IMPROVED IDLER PULLEY.

Timeline

  1. Recall reported to NHTSA28 May 1996

No owner-notification date has been published yet. Manufacturers normally write to registered owners within 60 days of reporting a recall.

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 28 May 1996.

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

Manufacturer's recall number
96B82/96B83
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

Note:ford has decided to conduct a safety improvement service campaign to replace the fead serpentine belt without charge.owners can contact ford at 1-800-285-4545.

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