The defect
WHEN IN THE SECONDARY LATCHED POSITION, THE DRIVER DOOR LATCHES MAY OPEN WHEN SUBJECTED TO TRANSVERSE LOADS LESS THAN THAT SPECIFIED IN FMVSS NO. 206, "DOOR LOCKS AND DOOR RETENTION COMPONENTS."
The risk
THE DRIVER'S DOOR, WHEN CLOSED ONLY TO THE SECONDARY LATCHED POSITION, MAY NOT SUSTAIN A 1,000 POUND TRANSVERSE LOAD.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE DRIVER DOOR LATCH.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Aerostar | 1996 |
| Ford Crown Victoria | 1996 |
| Ford Explorer | 1996 |
| Ford Thunderbird | 1996 |
| Lincoln Town Car | 1996 |
| Mercury Cougar | 1996 |
| Mercury Grand Marquis | 1996 |
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 Aerostar | 1996 | 104 | 4 |
| Ford Crown Victoria | 1996 | 276 | 9 |
| Ford Explorer | 1996 | 1,450 | 6 |
| Ford Thunderbird | 1996 | 233 | 2 |
| Lincoln Town Car | 1996 | 259 | 8 |
| Mercury Cougar | 1996 | 62 | 2 |
| Mercury Grand Marquis | 1996 | 239 | 5 |
Other latches/locks/linkages recalls in 1996
3 of the 297 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 1996 concerned the latches/locks/linkages; FORD MOTOR COMPANY filed 963 campaigns in all.
| 96V237000 20 Nov 1996 | RANSOMES CORPORATION |
| 96V010000 15 Jan 1996 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 1996