Ford Motor Company: Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly › Mounting
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Jul 29, 2011 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 1,100,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN 1997 THROUGH 2003 MODEL YEAR FORD F-150, 2004 MODEL YEAR FORD F-150 HERITAGE, 1997 THROUGH 1999 MODEL YEAR F-250 LESS THAN 8,500 LBS. GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING (GVWR), AND 2002 AND 2003 LINCOLN BLACKWOOD VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 20, 1995, THROUGH AUGUST 4, 2004, ORIGINALLY SOLD, OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO ROAD DEICING CHEMICALS MAY CAUSE SEVERE CORROSION OF THE FUEL TANK STRAPS WHICH SECURE THE TANK TO THE VEHICLE.
The risk
AS A RESULT OF THE CORROSION, ONE OR BOTH STRAPS MAY FAIL ALLOWING THE FUEL LINES TO SEPARATE FROM THE TANK, OR IN SOME CASES, CAUSING THE TANK TO CONTACT THE GROUND. EITHER SCENARIO MAY RESULT IN A FUEL LEAK PRESENTING A FIRE HAZARD.
The remedy
FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND INSTRUCT THEM TO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO A FORD OR LINCOLN DEALER TO HAVE THE FUEL TANK STRAPS REPLACED WITH STRAPS THAT HAVE INCREASED CORROSION PROTECTION. EARLY IN THIS CAMPAIGN, IF REPLACEMENT STRAPS ARE NOT AVAILABLE, DEALERS MAY INSTALL A CABLE SUPPORT UNDER THE STRAP AS AN INTERIM REPAIR OR A STEEL REINFORCEMENT OVER THE EXISTING STRAP AS A PERMANENT REPAIR. ANY REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332. FORD'S RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER IS 11S21
13 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Ford F-150 | 2,029 | 16 | 40 | 75 |
| 2003 Ford F-150 | 423 | 11 | 37 | 43 |
| 2003 Lincoln Blackwood | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Ford F-150 | 821 | 10 | 95 | 51 |
| 2002 Lincoln Blackwood | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2001 Ford F-150 | 1,236 | 19 | 248 | 91 |
| 2000 Ford F-150 | 1,075 | 17 | 343 | 81 |
| 1999 Ford F-150 | 1,044 | 18 | 69 | 84 |
| 1999 Ford F-250 | 581 | 19 | 13 | 55 |
| 1998 Ford F-150 | 1,381 | 18 | 91 | 83 |
| 1998 Ford F-250 | 56 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 1997 Ford F-150 | 2,758 | 26 | 262 | 165 |
| 1997 Ford F-250 | 304 | 14 | 19 | 20 |
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 11V385000.
Full record for the 2004 Ford F-150 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →