- Vehicles
- 2,250
- Built between
- Sep 1997 – Sep 1997
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 27 October 1997
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between September 1997 and September 1997. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1998 Ford MustangBuilt September 1997 to September 1997
- 1998 Ford WindstarBuilt September 1997 to September 1997
What the defect is
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles and mini-vans. The rack and pinion steering gears may have damaged input shaft bearings.
What could happen
This condition can increase steering efforts, affecting steering control.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DATE CODE ON THE RACK AND PINION STEERING GEAR, AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THOSE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLIES THAT FALL WITHIN THE SUSPECT DATE CODE RANGE. THE DATE CODES FOR WINDSTAR MODEL VEHICLES ARE 97JB09 OR 97JC08; THE DATE CODES FOR MUSTANG MODEL VEHICLES ARE 97J09B OR 97J08B.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtSeptember 1997 to September 1997
- Recall reported to NHTSA30 September 1997
- Owners notified27 October 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 30 September 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 began september 23, 1997.DEALERS were advised to stop sale of these vehicles until inspections could be performed and were to directly contact owners of any vehicles that have been delivered. 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.