- Vehicles
- 866,000
- Built between
- Jul 1996 – Aug 1997
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 20 October 1997
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between July 1996 and August 1997. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1997-1998 Ford ExpeditionBuilt July 1996 to August 1997
- 1997-1998 Ford F-150Built July 1996 to August 1997
- 1997-1998 Ford F-250Built July 1996 to August 1997
- 1998 Lincoln NavigatorBuilt May 1997 to August 1997
What the defect is
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and multi-purpose passenger vehicles. If the automatic transmission shift cable assembly was not fully attached to the steering column bracket, the shift cable assembly can come out of the bracket. The vehicle operator would then not be able to shift the transmission from one of the drive gear positions into the park position even though the gear shift selector would indicate "park."
What could happen
The condition would not allow a disengagement of the transmission from the park position or affect proper neutral start switch operation. Unintended vehicle movement could occur if the parking brake was not set.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL MAKE THE PROPER ATTACHMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CONTROL CABLE TO THE STEERING COLUMN BRACKET AND ADD A TIE STRAP TO THAT CONNECTION.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJuly 1996 to August 1997
- Recall reported to NHTSA7 October 1997
- Owners notified20 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 7 October 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
- 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
Owner notification is expected to begin october 20, 1997.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.