Ford Motor Company: Power Train › Transfer Case (4-wheel Drive)
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Nov 13, 1997 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 75,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: ALL WHEEL DRIVE PASSENGER MINIVANS. THESE VEHICLES CAN DEVELOP POWERTRAIN BENDING RESONANCE OR TRANSFER CASE OUTPUT SHAFT BUSHING DISPLACEMENT. THE POWERTRAIN BENDING RESONANCE OR THE OUTPUT SHAFT BUSHING DISPLACEMENT CAN RESULT IN STRUCTURAL FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION AND/OR TRANSFER CASE. FLUID EXPLUSION, DRIVESHAFT SEPARATION OR LOSS OF VEHICLE DRIVE CAN RESULT.
The risk
THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, AND, IF THE EXPELLED FLUID CONTACTS THE EXHAUST SYSTEM, A VEHICLE FIRE COULD OCCUR.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW TRANSFER CASE REAR OUTPUT SHAFT BUSHING AND AN ALUMINUM DRIVESHAFT WILL BE INSTALLED.
6 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Ford Aerostar | 63 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| 1996 Ford Aerostar | 104 | 6 | 4 | 9 |
| 1995 Ford Aerostar | 157 | 7 | 18 | 16 |
| 1994 Ford Aerostar | 257 | 5 | 28 | 22 |
| 1993 Ford Aerostar | 374 | 4 | 38 | 37 |
| 1992 Ford Aerostar | 317 | 5 | 30 | 29 |
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 97V204000.
Full record for the 1997 Ford Aerostar → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →