Ford Motor Company: Electrical System › 12v/24v/48v Battery
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Oct 29, 1997 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 6,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER MINI VANS EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMOTIVE BATTERIES SUPPLIED BY GNB TECHNOLOGIES. THESE BATTERIES HAVE A DEFECTIVE NEGATIVE POST THAT CAN CAUSE ACID LEAKAGE AND RELATED CORROSION DAMAGE.
The risk
THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE BATTERY WHICH COULD LEAD TO AN ENGINE FIRE OR BATTERY EXPLOSION.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THESE BATTERIES. UNTIL A NEW BATTERY IS OBTAINED, OWNERS SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO "JUMP START" THESE BATTERIES.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Mercury Villager | 83 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| 1997 Mercury Villager | 125 | 3 | 1 | 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 97V184001.
Full record for the 1998 Mercury Villager → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →