The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 5.0L ENGINES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALASKA, IDAHO, IOWA, MAINE, MICHIGAN (UPPER PENINSULA ONLY), MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. THESE VEHICLES, WHEN OPERATED FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND TEMPERATURES BELOW -20 DEGREES FARENHEIT, DO NOT RETURN TO IDLE DUE TO ICE IN THE THROTTLE BODY.
The risk
ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE CAN BE CONTROLLED BY EITHER APPLYING THE SERVICE BRAKES OR SHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION TO NEUTRAL, INCREASED BRAKE PEDAL EFFORTS OR SOME INCREASE IN STOPPING DISTANCE CAN RESULT.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REVISED PCV SYSTEM WITH WATER HEATED VACUUM SOURCE.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 1996, 1997 |
| Mercury Mountaineer | 1996, 1997 |
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 Explorer | 1996 | 1,450 | 6 |
| Ford Explorer | 1997 | 1,731 | 7 |
| Mercury Mountaineer | 1996 | 3 | 1 |
| Mercury Mountaineer | 1997 | 328 | 6 |
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 |
| 97V046000 21 Mar 1997 | SAAB CARS USA, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 1997