Ford Motor Company: Electrical System › 12v/24v/48v Battery
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Jul 7, 2004 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 83,687. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 6.0L DIESEL ENGINES, THE ENGINE GROUND STUD THAT ATTACHES THE NEGATIVE BATTERY TERMINAL EYELET TO THE ENGINE BLOCK MAY BE LOOSE.
The risk
IF THE GROUND WIRE IS LOOSE, ELECTRICAL CURRENT MAY FLOW TO THE RADIO SUPPRESSION STRAP CAUSING IT TO HEAT AND POTENTIALLY MELT OR IGNITE ADJACENT COMPONENTS WHICH COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE GROUND STUD AND THE RADIO SUPPRESSION STRAP AND ADJACENT COMPONENTS WILL BE INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE AND REPLACED, IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 23, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
5 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Ford Excursion | 106 | 5 | 9 | 6 |
| 2003 Ford F-250 | 116 | 7 | 8 | 6 |
| 2003 Ford F-350 | 90 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| 2003 Ford F-450 SD | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Ford F-550 SD | 33 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
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 04V327000.
Full record for the 2003 Ford Excursion → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →