Ford Motor Company: Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Gear Position Indication (prndl)
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Oct 7, 1997 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 866,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS AND MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE ASSEMBLY WAS NOT FULLY ATTACHED TO THE STEERING COLUMN BRACKET, THE SHIFT CABLE ASSEMBLY CAN COME OUT OF THE BRACKET. THE VEHICLE OPERATOR WOULD THEN NOT BE ABLE TO SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION FROM ONE OF THE DRIVE GEAR POSITIONS INTO THE PARK POSITION EVEN THOUGH THE GEAR SHIFT SELECTOR WOULD INDICATE "PARK."
The risk
THE CONDITION WOULD NOT ALLOW A DISENGAGEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION FROM THE PARK POSITION OR AFFECT PROPER NEUTRAL START SWITCH OPERATION. UNINTENDED VEHICLE MOVEMENT COULD OCCUR IF THE PARKING BRAKE WAS NOT SET.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL MAKE THE PROPER ATTACHMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CONTROL CABLE TO THE STEERING COLUMN BRACKET AND ADD A TIE STRAP TO THAT CONNECTION.
7 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Ford Expedition | 836 | 7 | 73 | 43 |
| 1998 Ford F-150 | 1,381 | 18 | 91 | 83 |
| 1998 Ford F-250 | 56 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 1998 Lincoln Navigator | 192 | 6 | 22 | 14 |
| 1997 Ford Expedition | 853 | 9 | 74 | 52 |
| 1997 Ford F-150 | 2,758 | 26 | 262 | 165 |
| 1997 Ford F-250 | 304 | 14 | 19 | 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 97V171000.
Full record for the 1998 Ford Expedition → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →