The defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. THE SIDE DOOR LATCH MECHANISMS MAY EXPERIENCE WATER INTRUSION ALLOWING THE LATCH MECHANISM TO FREEZE IN COLD WEATHER.
The risk
AS A RESULT, THE DOOR LATCH PAWL MAY NOT RETURN TO THE LATCH POSITION WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSED, AND THE DOOR COULD OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SHIELD OVER THE FRONT LATCHES; SEAL A DRAIN HOLE IN THE REAR WINDOW TRIM MOLDING ON THE FREESTYLE REAR SIDE DOORS; AND APPLY GREASE TO ALL FRONT AND REAR SIDE-DOOR LATCH MECHANISMS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 8, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Five Hundred | 2005 |
| Ford Freestyle | 2005, 2006 |
| Mercury Montego | 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 Five Hundred | 2005 | 510 | 2 |
| Ford Freestyle | 2005 | 1,459 | 2 |
| Ford Freestyle | 2006 | 1,300 | 1 |
| Mercury Montego | 2005 | 135 | 2 |
Other latches/locks/linkages recalls in 2006
4 of the 490 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2006 concerned the latches/locks/linkages; FORD MOTOR COMPANY filed 963 campaigns in all.
| 06V463000 4 Dec 2006 | MAZDA MOTOR CORP |
| 06V072000 9 Mar 2006 | DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION |
| 06V064000 8 Mar 2006 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2006