The defect
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE AIR FILTER PAPER IN THESE VEHICLES CAN SMOLDER OR BURN.
The risk
THIS CAN LEAD TO DAMAGE TO THE AIR INDUCTION SYSTEM ON THESE VEHICLES AND/OR AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR FILTER ELEMENT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MARCH 10, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Taurus | 2003 |
| Mercury Sable | 2003 |
Components: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
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 Taurus | 2003 | 1,223 | 3 |
| Mercury Sable | 2003 | 201 | 3 |
Other engine and engine cooling recalls in 2004
30 of the 601 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2004 concerned the engine and engine cooling; FORD MOTOR COMPANY filed 963 campaigns in all.
| 04V543000 12 Nov 2004 | ORION BUS INDUSTRIES LTD. |
| 04V544000 11 Nov 2004 | ORION BUS INDUSTRIES LTD. |
| 04V542000 10 Nov 2004 | MITSUBISHI CARIBBEAN |
| 04V515000 28 Oct 2004 | COACHMEN RV COMPANY, LLC |
| 04V529000 27 Oct 2004 | FOUR WINDS INTERNATIONAL |
| 04V516000 20 Oct 2004 | WINNEBAGO INDUSTRIES, INC. |
| 04V540000 20 Oct 2004 | SAAB CARS USA, INC. |
| 04V485000 7 Oct 2004 | GILLIG CORPORATION |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2004