Ford Motor Company: Vehicle Speed Control › Cables
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Aug 5, 2003 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 448,005. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH SPEED CONTROL AND 4.0L SOHC ENGINES, IF THE STRAND COVER ON THE SPEED CONTROL CABLE BECOMES FLARED AT THE END, THE SPEED CONTROL CABLE MAY BIND WHEN THE SPEED CONTROL IS ACTIVATED.
The risk
THE THROTTLE RETURN SPRING FORCE MAY NOT BE SUFFICIENT TO OVERCOME THE BINDING CONDITION WHEN THE SPEED CONTROL IS DISENGAGED. BRAKING FUNCTION WOULD BE MAINTAINED THOUGH STOPPING DISTANCES MAY BE INCREASED.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE SPEED CONTROL CABLE AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE IT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 29, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
8 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Ford Explorer | 375 | 12 | 21 | 64 |
| 2001 Ford Explorer Sport | 188 | 7 | 11 | 18 |
| 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac | 167 | 6 | 9 | 15 |
| 2001 Mercury Mountaineer | 22 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 2000 Ford Explorer | 952 | 15 | 64 | 101 |
| 2000 Mercury Mountaineer | 123 | 8 | 12 | 15 |
| 1999 Ford Explorer | 1,348 | 15 | 44 | 115 |
| 1999 Mercury Mountaineer | 151 | 9 | 5 | 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 03V280000.
Full record for the 2001 Ford Explorer → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →