The defect
WHEN FRONTALLY IMPACTED INTO A FIXED BARRIER AT 30 MPH, AS SPECIFIED IN FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD (FMVSS) NO. 301, THE LEFT FRAME RAILS OF SUCH VEHICLES MAY DISPLACE INBOARD, PINCHING THE FUEL/WATER SEPARATOR CANISTER BETWEEN THE FRAME RAIL AND ENGINE SUFFICIENTLY TO DISPLACE THE FUEL/WATER SEPARATOR DRAIN ROD, ALLOWING THE CONTENTS OF THE CANISTER TO DRAIN. CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: FUEL LEAK DURING OR AFTER A CRASH INCREASES THE POSSIBILITY OF A FIRE.
The remedy
INSTALL A CANISTER SHIELD, A REVISED DESIGN DRAIN ROD SHIELD, AND MODIFY FUEL/WATER SEPARATOR MOUNTING BRACKET.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford E250 | 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| Ford E350 | 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| Ford Econoline | 1983, 1984, 1985 |
Components: FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL
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 E250 | 1983 | 0 | 5 |
| Ford E250 | 1984 | 2 | 5 |
| Ford E250 | 1985 | 2 | 4 |
| Ford E350 | 1983 | 4 | 8 |
| Ford E350 | 1984 | 4 | 12 |
| Ford E350 | 1985 | 2 | 10 |
| Ford Econoline | 1983 | 2 | 5 |
| Ford Econoline | 1984 | 7 | 6 |
| Ford Econoline | 1985 | 10 | 5 |