Ford Motor Company: Steering › Gear Box › Shaft Sector
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on May 27, 2003 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 171,446. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, IF THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT YOKE SEPARATES FROM THE STEERING GEAR INPUT SHAFT, THE STEERING SYSTEM BECOMES DISCONNECTED.
The risk
THIS COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL, POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT YOKE TO DETERMINE IF THE YOKE IS FULLY SEATED ON THE STEERING GEAR INPUT SHAFT. IF THE YOKE IS FULLY SEATED NO SERVICE IS REQUIRED. IF THE YOKE IS NOT FULLY SEATED AND BOLT GROOVE AND SPLINE IS VISIBLE, THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT AND BOLT WILL BE REPLACED AS WELL AS THE BOLT AT THE STEERING COLUMN CONNECTION. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MAY 30, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
3 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Ford Expedition | 853 | 9 | 74 | 52 |
| 1997 Ford F-150 | 2,758 | 26 | 262 | 165 |
| 1997 Ford F-250 | 304 | 14 | 19 | 20 |
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 03V196000.
Full record for the 1997 Ford Expedition → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →