Ford Motor Company: Engine and Engine Cooling
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Nov 6, 2000 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 262,559. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 1995 PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.0L AND 2.5L ENGINES, AND 1996 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.5L ENGINES. TIGHTENING OF THE ENGINE COOLING FAN MOTOR BEARINGS, UP TO AND INCLUDING MOTOR STALL, CAN RESULT IN INCREASED MOTOR TORQUE AND HIGHER THAN NORMAL MOTOR CURRENT AND ACCOMPANYING HIGH MOTOR TEMPERATURES.
The risk
OVERHEATING OF THE COOLING FAN MOTOR DUE TO EXCESSIVE CURRENT CAN RESULT IN SMOKE AND ODORS FROM BEARING GREASE, INSULATION AND OTHER INTERNAL MOTOR COMPONENTS. IF ELECTRICAL CURRENT CONTINUES TO BE APPLIED TO THE MOTOR, INTERNAL MOTOR COMPONENTS COULD IGNITE POSSIBLY IGNITING OTHER ENGINE COMPARTMENT COMPONENTS.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A POSITIVE TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT DEVICE IN-LINE WITH EACH FAN MOTOR. FORD WILL ALSO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THE ENGINE COOLING FAN ASSEMBLY TO A TOTAL OF 8 YEARS OF SERVICE OR 100,000 MILES FROM THE WARRANTY START DATE, WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST. IF THE VEHICLE ALREADY HAS MORE THAN 100,000 MILES, THIS COVERAGE WILL LAST UNTIL JULY 31, 2001.
4 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 Ford Contour | 563 | 11 | 24 | 35 |
| 1996 Mercury Mystique | 185 | 10 | 12 | 7 |
| 1995 Ford Contour | 891 | 12 | 65 | 39 |
| 1995 Mercury Mystique | 335 | 12 | 15 | 13 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 00V367000.
Full record for the 1996 Ford Contour → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →