Ford Motor Company: Exterior Lighting › Brake Lights › Switch
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Mar 2, 2004 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 938,789. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES ARE BEING RECALLED TO CORRECT A PROBLEM WITH A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH AND/OR ASSOCIATED WIRING. THIS MALFUNCTIONING COULD RENDER THE STOP LAMPS INOPERABLE OR CAUSE THEM TO STAY ON ALL THE TIME. THIS COULD CAUSE CONFUSION TO A FOLLOWING DRIVER, WHICH COULD LEAD TO A CRASH.
The risk
IN ADDITION, IF THE SWITCH AND/OR ASSOCIATED WIRING FAIL IN THE OPEN POSITION, THE BRAKE LIGHTS WILL NOT ACTUATE AND THE DRIVER WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE OUT OF "PARK" IF THEY FAIL IN THE CLOSED POSITION, THE BRAKE LIGHTS WILL REMAIN ON, WHICH WILL NOT ALLOW THE SPEED CONTROL TO BE ACTIVATED. THIS COULD ALSO CAUSE THE BATTERY TO DISCHARGE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE STOP LAMP SWITCH AND ASSOCIATED WIRING ASSEMBLY AND INSTALL A NEWLY DESIGNED STOP LAMP SWITCH AND WIRE ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON APRIL 5, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
8 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Ford Taurus | 1,223 | 4 | 12 | 56 |
| 2003 Mercury Sable | 201 | 4 | 1 | 13 |
| 2002 Ford Taurus | 1,426 | 4 | 11 | 75 |
| 2002 Mercury Sable | 440 | 4 | 5 | 32 |
| 2001 Ford Taurus | 1,037 | 10 | 15 | 92 |
| 2001 Mercury Sable | 430 | 9 | 7 | 32 |
| 2000 Ford Taurus | 1,195 | 8 | 25 | 102 |
| 2000 Mercury Sable | 464 | 7 | 8 | 34 |
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 04V106000.
Full record for the 2003 Ford Taurus → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →