Ford Motor Company: Electrical System › Ignition
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Apr 25, 1996 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 7,900,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
THE IGNITION SWITCH COULD EXPERIENCE AN INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT.
The risk
THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE OVERHEATING, SMOKE, AND POSSIBLY FIRE IN THE STEERING COLUMN AREA OF THE VEHICLE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH.
31 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 Ford Mustang | 101 | 7 | 29 | 22 |
| 1993 Ford Tempo | 227 | 2 | 5 | 16 |
| 1993 Ford Thunderbird | 423 | 4 | 7 | 10 |
| 1993 Mercury Cougar | 195 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 1993 Mercury Topaz | 71 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 1992 Ford Mustang | 69 | 5 | 21 | 11 |
| 1992 Ford Tempo | 176 | 2 | 21 | 11 |
| 1992 Ford Thunderbird | 184 | 4 | 11 | 6 |
| 1992 Mercury Cougar | 92 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 1992 Mercury Topaz | 62 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| 1991 Ford Aerostar | 223 | 4 | 69 | 23 |
| 1991 Ford Bronco | 32 | 2 | 10 | 1 |
| 1991 Ford F-150 | 304 | 6 | 41 | 12 |
| 1991 Ford F-250 | 107 | 7 | 9 | 5 |
| 1991 Ford F-350 | 31 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 1991 Ford Mustang | 77 | 6 | 22 | 5 |
| 1991 Ford Tempo | 110 | 1 | 6 | 11 |
| 1991 Ford Thunderbird | 112 | 4 | 13 | 7 |
| 1991 Mercury Cougar | 73 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| 1991 Mercury Topaz | 40 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| 1990 Ford Aerostar | 195 | 7 | 57 | 24 |
| 1990 Ford Bronco | 56 | 1 | 13 | 3 |
| 1990 Ford Escort | 101 | 2 | 42 | 5 |
| 1990 Ford F-150 | 275 | 5 | 32 | 8 |
| 1990 Ford F-250 | 111 | 7 | 14 | 4 |
| 1990 Ford F-350 | 39 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| 1990 Ford Mustang | 85 | 5 | 29 | 10 |
| 1990 Ford Tempo | 133 | 2 | 27 | 16 |
| 1990 Ford Thunderbird | 140 | 4 | 19 | 8 |
| 1990 Mercury Cougar | 86 | 3 | 9 | 8 |
| 1990 Mercury Topaz | 48 | 2 | 11 | 3 |
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 96V071000.
Full record for the 1993 Ford Mustang → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →