The defect
THE PARK PAWL SHAFT WAS IMPROPERLY POSITIONED WHEN THE ROLL PIN THAT RETAINS IT WAS INSTALLED DURING TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY. IF THE SHAFT WAS NOT PROPERLY POSITIONED, THE ROLL PIN MAY NOT HAVE LINED UP WITH THE GROOVE IN THE SHAFT AND HAVE BEEN CRUSHED AT ASSEMBLY. ALSO, A BURR COULD HAVE BEEN RAISED ON THE SHAFT.
The risk
THIS COULD RESULT IN THE PARK PAWL OCCASIONALLY NOT ENGAGING WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SELECTOR LEVER IS PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION. THIS COULD RESULT IN THE VEHICLE ROLLING AS IF IN NEUTRAL IF THE VEHICLE OPERATOR DOES NOT APPLY THE PARKING BRAKE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE PARK PAWL SHAFT ROLL PIN. IF THE ROLL PIN IS DAMAGED, BOTH THE ROLL PIN AND THE PARK PAWL SHAFT WILL BE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, OWNERS WILL BE REMINDED TO FULLY APPLY THE PARKING BRAKE, IN ADDITION TO PLACING THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Taurus | 1996 |
| Ford Windstar | 1996 |
| Mercury Sable | 1996 |
Components: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
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 Taurus | 1996 | 825 | 6 |
| Ford Windstar | 1996 | 1,386 | 8 |
| Mercury Sable | 1996 | 304 | 5 |
Other power train recalls in 1996
10 of the 297 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 1996 concerned the power train; FORD MOTOR COMPANY filed 963 campaigns in all.
| 96V255000 23 Dec 1996 | MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED |
| 96V243000 5 Dec 1996 | HINO DIESEL TRUCKS(USA) |
| 96V198000 9 Oct 1996 | BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY |
| 96V190000 4 Oct 1996 | UTILIMASTER CORPORATION |
| 96V176000 18 Sept 1996 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 96V166000 5 Sept 1996 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 96V035000 22 Feb 1996 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 96V015000 23 Jan 1996 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 1996