- Vehicles
- 2,400
- Built between
- Mar 1997 – Apr 1997
- Models
- 3
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 11 June 1997
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between March 1997 and April 1997. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1998 Ford B800Built March 1997 to April 1997
- 1998 Ford F700Built March 1997 to April 1997
- 1998 Ford F800Built March 1997 to April 1997
What the defect is
Vehicle description: medium duty trucks and school bus chassis-cowls equipped with automatic transmissions. The welds that attach the key to the top of the steering column mounted automatic transmission shift linkage may not adequately retain the key, allowing the transmission to be in a gear other than that indicated on the "prndl", or in some cases, "rndl."
What could happen
The domestic special order (dso) park brake may not engage when the shift lever is placed in the park position, or in the vehicle moving in an unintended direction when the accelerator is pressed. In some vehicles the dso parking brake mechanism also may not be properly adjusted, which can result in the park brake not engaging when the shift lever is placed in the park position, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN SHIFT TUBE AND, IF SO EQUIPPED, TO HAVE THE DSO PARK BRAKE LINKAGE ADJUSTED.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMarch 1997 to April 1997
- Recall reported to NHTSA28 May 1997
- Owners notified11 June 1997
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 1997.
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 is expected to begin june 16, 1997. 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.