- Vehicles
- 73,500
- Built between
- Feb 1996 – Mar 1996
- Models
- 7
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 15 May 1996
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 1996 and March 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1996 Ford AerostarBuilt February 1996 to March 1996
- 1996 Ford Crown VictoriaBuilt February 1996 to March 1996
- 1996 Ford ExplorerBuilt February 1996 to March 1996
- 1996 Ford ThunderbirdBuilt February 1996 to March 1996
- 1996 Lincoln Town CARBuilt February 1996 to March 1996
- 1996 Mercury CougarBuilt February 1996 to March 1996
- 1996 Mercury Grand MarquisBuilt February 1996 to March 1996
What the defect is
When in the secondary latched position, the driver door latches may open when subjected to transverse loads less than that specified in FMVSS no. 206, "door locks and door retention components."
What could happen
The driver's door, when closed only to the secondary latched position, may not sustain a 1,000 pound transverse load.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE DRIVER DOOR LATCH.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 1996 to March 1996
- Recall reported to NHTSA22 April 1996
- Owners notified15 May 1996
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 April 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
- Recalling manufacturer
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 206
- 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, multi-purpose vehicles and mini-vans.note: owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time, should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673. Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.
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.