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. THE CAMPAIGN BEGAN ON APRIL 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Mercury Cougar | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury Cougar | 1999 | 454 | 7 |
| Mercury Cougar | 2000 | 211 | 3 |
| Mercury Cougar | 2001 | 82 | 1 |
| Mercury Cougar | 2002 | 95 | 1 |
Other fuel system, gasoline recalls in 2004
53 of the 601 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2004 concerned the fuel system, gasoline; FORD MOTOR COMPANY filed 963 campaigns in all.
| 04V607000 23 Dec 2004 | HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY |
| 04V609000 22 Dec 2004 | WINNEBAGO INDUSTRIES, INC. |
| 04V570000 3 Dec 2004 | MITSUBISHI FUSO TRUCK OF AMERICA, INC. |
| 04V557000 19 Nov 2004 | SAAB CARS USA, INC. |
| 04V541000 18 Nov 2004 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) |
| 04V530000 1 Nov 2004 | MACK TRUCKS, INC |
| 04V514000 26 Oct 2004 | POLARIS INDUSTRIES, INC. |
| 04V465000 30 Sept 2004 | HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2004