The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3.8L ENGINES AND ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: ALASKA, COLORADO, IOWA, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, KANSAS, MASSACHUSETTS, MAINE, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NORTH DAKOTA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. WATER CAN ACCUMULATE WITHIN THE SPEED CONTROL CABLE CONDUIT. IF ENOUGH WATER ACCUMULATES, IT COULD FREEZE WITHIN A LOW AREA OF THE CABLE ROUTING WHEN EXPOSED TO A LONG TERM COLD SOAK AT TEMPERATURES AT LEAST SEVERAL DEGREES BELOW FREEZING.
The risk
DRIVER CONTROL OF VEHICLE SPEED USING THE SPEED CONTROL SYSTEM OR THE ACCELERATOR CONTROL SYSTEM WOULD BE DIMINISHED INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL ADD A BOOT TO THE SPEED CONTROL CABLE.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Taurus | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 |
| Lincoln Continental | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 |
| Mercury Sable | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 |
Components: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
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 | 1991 | 649 | 4 |
| Ford Taurus | 1992 | 681 | 5 |
| Ford Taurus | 1993 | 1,557 | 6 |
| Ford Taurus | 1994 | 923 | 4 |
| Ford Taurus | 1995 | 1,205 | 5 |
| Lincoln Continental | 1991 | 203 | 3 |
| Lincoln Continental | 1992 | 126 | 3 |
| Lincoln Continental | 1993 | 121 | 4 |
| Lincoln Continental | 1994 | 190 | 5 |
| Mercury Sable | 1991 | 221 | 4 |
| Mercury Sable | 1992 | 364 | 4 |
| Mercury Sable | 1993 | 674 | 6 |
| Mercury Sable | 1994 | 387 | 4 |
| Mercury Sable | 1995 | 350 | 5 |
Other vehicle speed control recalls in 1997
11 of the 268 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 1997 concerned the vehicle speed control; FORD MOTOR COMPANY filed 963 campaigns in all.
| 97V221000 8 Dec 1997 | DUCATI NORTH AMERICA |
| 97V225000 8 Dec 1997 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 97V183000 27 Oct 1997 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 97V143002 8 Sept 1997 | INTERNATIONAL TRUCK & ENGINE CORPORATION |
| 97V143001 8 Sept 1997 | INTERNATIONAL TRUCK AND ENGINE |
| 97V131000 19 Aug 1997 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE |
| 97V124000 4 Aug 1997 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 97V074000 30 Apr 1997 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 1997