Ford Motor Company: Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Jun 9, 1997 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 100,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AX4S AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLES. THE LOW/INTERMEDIATE SERVO COVER CAN SEPARATE FROM THE TRANSAXLE WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN. IF THIS OCCURS, TRANSMISSION FLUID WILL LEAK CONTACTING THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER.
The risk
THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER TEMPERATURE MAY BE HOT ENOUGH TO IGNITE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND CAUSE A VEHICLE FIRE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION AND REPLACE THESE SERVO COVERS.
4 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Ford Windstar | 1,433 | 14 | 65 | 54 |
| 1997 Ford Taurus | 770 | 5 | 12 | 64 |
| 1997 Ford Windstar | 192 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
| 1997 Mercury Sable | 228 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
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 97V097000.
Full record for the 1998 Ford Windstar → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →