Ford Motor Company: Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Sep 3, 1997 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 64,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 1.9L ENGINES, BUILT AT THE HERMOSILLO OR WAYNE ASSEMBLY PLANTS AND ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN NEVADA, FLORIDA, HAWAII, TEXAS, CALIFORNIA, LOUISIANA, GEORGIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, MISSISSIPPI, OKLAHOMA, ALABAMA AND ARKANSAS. CRACKS CAN DEVELOP IN THE FUEL TANK NEAR THE HEAT SHIELD ATTACHMENT RESULTING IN FUEL LEAKAGE IF THE CRACKS GO THROUGH THE FUEL TANK WALL.
The risk
FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE CAN RESULT IN A VEHICLE FIRE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE HEAT SHIELD ATTACHMENTS. THIS WILL NOT AFFECT HEAT SHIELD LOCATION OR FUNCTION, AS THE ATTACHMENTS ARE INTENDED TO KEEP THE SHIELD IN PLACE UNTIL THE FUEL TANK IS INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE. AFTER INSTALLATION, THE FUEL TANK STRAPS RETAIN THE HEAT SHIELD.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 Ford Escort | 576 | 5 | 20 | 75 |
| 1995 Mercury Tracer | 96 | 3 | 0 | 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 97V144000.
Full record for the 1995 Ford Escort → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →