Ford Motor Company: Steering › Gear Box › Shaft Pitman
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Sep 22, 2003 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 300. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS, THE PITMAN ARM TO STEERING GEAR RETAINING NUT WAS NOT FULLY TIGHTENED TO THE REQUIRED SPECIFICATION.
The risk
IF THE PITMAN ARM TO GEARBOX ATTACHMENT NUT LOOSENS, A NOISE AND A LOOSE FEEL IN THE STEERING COULD OCCUR. IF THE CONDITION PROGRESSED AND SERVICE WAS NOT SOUGHT, THE NUT COULD BACK OFF COMPLETELY AND THE PITMAN ARM COULD SEPARATE FROM THE GEAR CAUSING A LOSS OF STEERING. IF THE WARNING IS NOT HEEDED AND STEERING IS LOST, A CRASH MAY RESULT.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE PITMAN ARM RETAINING NUT TO SPECIFICATIONS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON OCTOBER 1, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.
1 model year covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Ford F-150 | 423 | 11 | 37 | 43 |
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 03V349000.
Full record for the 2003 Ford F-150 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →