The defect
THE PARK PAWL ABUTMENT BRACKET HAS A SHARP EDGE WHICH CAN CAUSE THE PARKING PAWL TO HANG UP AND NOT ENGAGE THE PARK GEAR. THIS WOULD ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO MOVE EVEN THOUGH THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR SHOWS THAT THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK.
The risk
UNINTENDED AND UNEXPECTED VEHICLE MOVEMENT CAN RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE PARK PAWL ABUTMENT BRACKET.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Taurus | 1996, 1997 |
| Ford Windstar | 1996 |
| Lincoln Continental | 1997 |
| Mercury Sable | 1996, 1997 |
Components: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
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 Taurus | 1997 | 770 | 3 |
| Ford Windstar | 1996 | 1,386 | 8 |
| Lincoln Continental | 1997 | 96 | 1 |
| Mercury Sable | 1996 | 304 | 5 |
| Mercury Sable | 1997 | 228 | 3 |
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 |
| 96V086000 14 May 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