Ford Motor Company: Exterior Lighting
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Jan 23, 1996 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 40,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
A DEFECTIVE CONTROL MODULE IN THE "AUTOLAMP" SYSTEM CAN MALFUNCTION. IF THE "AUTOLAMP" SYSTEM IS BEING USED TO ACTIVATE THE EXTERIOR LIGHT (INCLUDING HEADLAMPS), THE HEADLAMPS COULD SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THIS WILL NOT OCCUR IF THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING IS TURNED ON MANUALLY BY THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH.
The risk
IF THE HEADLAMPS SHUT OFF WHILE THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN, DRIVER VISIBILITY WOULD BE IMPAIRED INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE "AUTOLAMP" CONTROL MODULE. OWNERS ARE INSTRUCTED TO USE THE MANUAL HEADLAMP SWITCH UNTIL THE CONTROL MODULE CAN BE REPLACED.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 Lincoln Continental | 48 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 1995 Lincoln Continental | 70 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
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 96V009000.
Full record for the 1996 Lincoln Continental → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →