Ford Motor Company: Seats › Front Assembly › Recliner
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Aug 5, 2003 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 1,552,880. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HIGH BACK SEATS, THE UPPER BOLT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE HIGH BACK SEAT, THAT ATTACHES THE SEAT RECLINER MECHANISM TO THE SEAT BACK FRAME, COULD FRACTURE. IF THE BOLT FRACTURES AND DOES NOT JAM IN THE SEAT BACK FRAME, THE SEAT BACK MAY RECLINE UNTIL IT MAKES CONTACT WITH AN OBJECT BEHIND THE SEAT, SUCH AS THE SECOND ROW SEAT CUSHION.
The risk
THE DRIVER COULD POTENTIALLY LOSE CONTACT WITH THE STEERING WHEEL OR FOOT PEDALS DURING SUCH AN EVENT, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER SEAT UPPER BOLT WITH A METAL SPACER AND BOLT. IN ADDITION, SEATS WITH TUBULAR BACK FRAMES WILL HAVE THE FULLY THREADED LOWER RECLINER BOLT REPLACED WITH A PARTIALLY THREADED BOLT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON AUGUST 29, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
12 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Ford Explorer Sport | 133 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac | 144 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 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 |
| 1998 Ford Explorer | 1,959 | 14 | 102 | 181 |
| 1998 Mercury Mountaineer | 236 | 6 | 23 | 22 |
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 03V281000.
Full record for the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →