Ford Motor Company: Electrical System › 12v/24v/48v Battery › Cables
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Feb 12, 1990 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 72. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
BATTERY TO STARTER CABLES ARE LONGER THAN SPECIFIED; EXCESSIVE CABLE LENGTH COULD CONTACT ENGINE DAMPER PULLEY.
The risk
CABLE PROTECTIVE COVERING AND INSULATION COULD WEAR THROUGH AND CAUSE A DIRECT SHORT TO GROUND, RESULTING IN OVERHEATING OF THE CABLE INSULATION AND POSSIBLY A UNDERHOOD FIRE.
The remedy
REPLACE BATTERY TO STARTER CABLE WITH CORRECT LENGTH CABLE.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 Ford Thunderbird | 140 | 4 | 19 | 8 |
| 1990 Mercury Cougar | 86 | 3 | 9 | 8 |
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 90V026000.
Full record for the 1990 Ford Thunderbird → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →