Ford Electrical System: Cables

Ford is recalling about 5,000 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. If the battery cable or starter wire insulation is damaged by such contact, a short to ground can occur resulting in overheating of the wiring and possible ignition of surrounding components.

Campaign
96V193000
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Reported
2 October 1996
Vehicles
5,000
Built between
Jun 1996 – Sep 1996
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
25 October 1996
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between June 1996 and September 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1997 Ford EconolineBuilt June 1996 to September 1996

What the defect is

The battery cable harness does not have adequate protection from contacting and being damaged by the right engine mount.

What could happen

If the battery cable or starter wire insulation is damaged by such contact, a short to ground can occur resulting in overheating of the wiring and possible ignition of surrounding components.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL INSPECT FOR CHAFING OF THE CABLE AND WILL ADD INSULATION AND A TIE STRAP TO THE BATTERY CABLE HARNESS.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJune 1996 to September 1996
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA2 October 1996
  3. Owners notified25 October 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 2 October 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
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

Owner notification:owner notification began october 14, 1996. 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.

Same component

Same brand