The defect
THE INVOLVED VEHICLES MAY START IN REVERSE GEAR. THIS DOES NOT COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER SEQUENCE, STARTER INTERLOCK, AND TRANSMISSION BRAKING AFFECT". SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY BE EQUIPPED WITH A DEFECTIVE NEUTRAL START SWITCH THAT OCCASIONALLY PERMITS ENGINE STARTING WITH THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER IN THE REVERSE ("R") POSITION.
The remedy
DEALER WILL INSPECT THE INVOLVED VEHICLES AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION NEUTRAL START SWITCH AT NO CHARGE TO OWNER.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford LTD | 1981 |
| Lincoln | 1981 |
| Lincoln Mark VI | 1981 |
| Mercury Marquis | 1981 |
Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
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 LTD | 1981 | 0 | 4 |
| Lincoln | 1981 | 0 | 1 |
| Lincoln Mark VI | 1981 | 0 | 2 |
| Mercury Marquis | 1981 | 0 | 3 |
Other electrical system recalls in 1980
12 of the 167 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 1980 concerned the electrical system; FORD MOTOR COMPANY filed 963 campaigns in all.
| 80V147000 13 Nov 1980 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 80V136000 15 Oct 1980 | CHRYSLER CORPORATION |
| 80V133000 15 Oct 1980 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 80V116000 15 Sept 1980 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 80V105000 7 Aug 1980 | GRUMMAN FLXIBLE CORP. |
| 80V047000 15 Apr 1980 | AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP. |
| 80V045000 11 Apr 1980 | TOYOTA MOTOR CO., LTD. |
| 80V042000 8 Apr 1980 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 1980