Ford Motor Company: Exterior Lighting › Headlights
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Feb 10, 1998 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 571,800. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE TEXT AND/OR GRAPHICS FOR THE VEHICLE HEADLAMP AIMING INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED IN THE OWNER GUIDES ARE NOT SUFFICIENTLY CLEAR. THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."
The risk
IF THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES ARE REPLACED, CUSTOMERS MAY BE CONFUSED BY THE AIMING INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED IN THE OWNER GUIDES CAUSING THE HEADLAMPS TO BE IMPROPERLY AIMED.
The remedy
OWNER GUIDES CONTAINING REVISED AIMING INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE MAILED TO OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES.
9 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Ford Contour | 846 | 12 | 20 | 50 |
| 1998 Ford Taurus | 545 | 4 | 14 | 61 |
| 1998 Lincoln Continental | 72 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 1998 Lincoln Navigator | 192 | 6 | 22 | 14 |
| 1998 Lincoln Town Car | 154 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| 1998 Mercury Mystique | 231 | 11 | 7 | 9 |
| 1998 Mercury Sable | 190 | 2 | 3 | 28 |
| 1997 Ford Taurus | 770 | 5 | 12 | 64 |
| 1997 Mercury Sable | 228 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
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 98V028000.
Full record for the 1998 Ford Contour → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →