The defect
CERTAIN 2004-2005 SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND CERTAIN 2001-2003 SPORT UTIITY VEHICLE HAVING REAR LIFTGATE COMPONENTS SERVICED WITH 2004 EQUIVALENT COMPONENTS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 206, 'DOOR LOCKS AND DOOR RETENTION COMPONENTS.' THE REAR LIFTGATE LATCHING SYSTEM DOES NOT MEET THE INERTIA LOAD REQUIREMENT IN ONE DIRECTION.
The risk
IF THE LIFTGATE IS LEFT UNLOCKED, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL THAT IT MAY OPEN DURING A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR LIFTGATE LATCH RELEASE ROD, THE RELEASE ROD ATTACHMENT CLIP AND THE DOOR HANDLE RETURN SPRING. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 31, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 |
Components: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
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 Escape | 2001 | 996 | 13 |
| Ford Escape | 2002 | 1,027 | 8 |
| Ford Escape | 2003 | 558 | 7 |
| Ford Escape | 2004 | 499 | 6 |
| Ford Escape | 2005 | 1,394 | 4 |
Other latches/locks/linkages recalls in 2004
14 of the 601 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2004 concerned the latches/locks/linkages; FORD MOTOR COMPANY filed 963 campaigns in all.
| 04V605000 23 Dec 2004 | MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS |
| 04V606000 23 Dec 2004 | PACCAR INCORPORATED |
| 04V597000 22 Dec 2004 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 04V517000 28 Oct 2004 | MASERATI NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 04V447000 13 Sept 2004 | ORION BUS INDUSTRIES LTD. |
| 04V285000 9 Jun 2004 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. |
| 04V237000 11 May 2004 | COUNTRY COACH INC |
| 04V207000 5 May 2004 | LAND ROVER |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2004