Ford Motor Company: Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Apr 7, 1998 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 167,742. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH FEDERAL REGULATION 573. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. FORD IS INITIATING AN OWNER NOTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR OWNERS OF CERTAIN 1995-1997 CROWN VICTORIA MODEL VEHICLES WITH POLICE, TAXI, AND COMMERCIAL FLEET PACKAGES AND TOWN CAR VEHICLES WITH THE LIVERY PACKAGE. THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE INSUFFICIENT CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE BRAKE LINE AND THE UNDERBODY FRONT FLOOR PAN ASSEMBLY WHICH COULD CAUSE WEAR OF THE BRAKE LINES.
The risk
THIS COULD LEAD TO BRAKE FLUID LOSS FOR THE REAR BRAKES AND, POTENTIALLY, INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BRAKE LINES FOR WEAR, INSTALL TWO NEW TUBE BUNDLE CLIPS, AND CHECK THE BRAKE LINES FOR PROPER CLEARANCES. IF THE BRAKE LINES ARE WORN, THE DAMAGED SECTION OF THE BRAKE LINE WILL BE REPLACED.
6 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Ford Crown Victoria | 288 | 11 | 15 | 9 |
| 1997 Lincoln Town Car | 314 | 8 | 6 | 10 |
| 1996 Ford Crown Victoria | 276 | 12 | 16 | 13 |
| 1996 Lincoln Town Car | 259 | 10 | 11 | 9 |
| 1995 Ford Crown Victoria | 250 | 12 | 11 | 15 |
| 1995 Lincoln Town Car | 165 | 9 | 10 | 16 |
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 98I001000.
Full record for the 1997 Ford Crown Victoria → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →