Ford Motor Company: Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Gear Position Indication (prndl)
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Sep 5, 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
THE PARK PAWL ABUTMENT BRACKET HAS A SHARP EDGE WHICH CAN CAUSE THE PARKING PAWL TO HANG UP AND NOT ENGAGE THE PARK GEAR. THIS WOULD ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO MOVE EVEN THOUGH THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR SHOWS THAT THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK.
The risk
UNINTENDED AND UNEXPECTED VEHICLE MOVEMENT CAN RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE PARK PAWL ABUTMENT BRACKET.
6 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Ford Taurus | 770 | 5 | 12 | 64 |
| 1997 Lincoln Continental | 96 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 1997 Mercury Sable | 228 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 1996 Ford Taurus | 825 | 8 | 12 | 69 |
| 1996 Ford Windstar | 1,386 | 9 | 45 | 60 |
| 1996 Mercury Sable | 304 | 5 | 10 | 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 96V166000.
Full record for the 1997 Ford Taurus → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →