Ford Motor Company: Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Mar 25, 1998 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 400. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES PREVIOUSLY SERVICED UNDER FORD SERVICE BULLETIN 97-17-9 FROM AUGUST 1997 THROUGH DECEMBER 1997. THESE VEHICLES WERE INADVERTENLY EQUIPPED WITH AN 18-GALLON FUEL TANK RATHER THAN THE 16-GALLON AS SPECIFIED. THE 18-GALLON TANK HAS A SECOND VALVE LOCATION WHERE A SHIPPING PLUG SHOULD BE INSTALLED.
The risk
IF THIS SHIPPING PLUG IS DISPLACED, FUEL LEAKAGE CAN RESULT. FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD POTENTIALLY RESULT IN A FIRE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE CORRECT FUEL TANK.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 Ford Taurus | 825 | 8 | 12 | 69 |
| 1996 Mercury Sable | 304 | 5 | 10 | 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 98V067000.
Full record for the 1996 Ford Taurus → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →