The defect
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 4.6L ENGINE AND 6R TRANSMISSION, THE BOLT SECURING THE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LINE FITTINGS AT THE TRANSMISSION MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY TORQUED DURING VEHICLE ASSEMBLY. AS A RESULT, THE BOLT MAY LOOSEN AND THE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LINES MAY DISENGAGE FROM THE TRANSMISSION, CAUSING A TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK.
The risk
IF LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID CONTACTS THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, IT MAY POSE A RISK OF FIRE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND HAVE THE TRANSMISSION COOLER LINE ATTACHMENT BOLT TIGHTENED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 30, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 2008 |
| Ford Explorer Sport Trac | 2008 |
| Mercury Mountaineer | 2008 |
Components: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES
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 Explorer | 2008 | 148 | 1 |
| Ford Explorer Sport Trac | 2008 | 23 | 1 |
| Mercury Mountaineer | 2008 | 96 | 1 |
Other power train recalls in 2007
21 of the 587 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2007 concerned the power train; FORD MOTOR COMPANY filed 963 campaigns in all.
| 07V589000 20 Dec 2007 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 07V586000 20 Dec 2007 | BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY |
| 07V579000 18 Dec 2007 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 07V554000 7 Dec 2007 | AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP. |
| 07V555000 4 Dec 2007 | CHRYSLER LLC |
| 07V523000 6 Nov 2007 | THULE TOWING SYSTEMS LLC |
| 07V498000 24 Oct 2007 | INTERNATIONAL TRUCK & ENGINE CORPORATION |
| 07V413000 12 Sept 2007 | DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2007