The defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, CONTAMINATION OF THE FILTER IN THE FUEL DELIVERY MODULE (FDM) CAN REDUCE, AND EVENTUALLY BLOCK, THE FLOW OF FUEL TO THE ENGINE.
The risk
THIS MAY CAUSE ENGINE HESITATION, LOSS OF POWER, SURGING, AND OTHER SIMILAR SYMPTOMS. OVER TIME, THE FILTER MAY BECOME SUFFICIENTLY BLOCKED TO CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
The remedy
THIS ACTION IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN AND IS NOT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE SAFETY ACT. ALL OWNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FDM WITH A NEW DESIGN AT NO CHARGE IF THE OWNER REPORTS THAT THE VEHICLE EXHIBITS ANY OF THE IDENTIFIED SYMPTOMS. THE FREE REPLACEMENT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE, WITH NO MILEAGE LIMIT. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING NOVEMBER 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Focus | 2000, 2001 |
Components: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Focus | 2000 | 3,686 | 11 |
| Ford Focus | 2001 | 1,761 | 7 |
Other fuel system, gasoline recalls in 2003
41 of the 527 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2003 concerned the fuel system, gasoline; FORD MOTOR COMPANY filed 963 campaigns in all.
| 03V531000 16 Dec 2003 | MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS |
| 03V529000 12 Dec 2003 | MASERATI NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 03V510000 8 Dec 2003 | HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY |
| 03V454000 10 Nov 2003 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 03V471000 10 Nov 2003 | DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION |
| 03V442000 4 Nov 2003 | MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 03V443000 4 Nov 2003 | DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION |
| 03V420000 27 Oct 2003 | MACK TRUCKS, INC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2003