Ford Motor Company: Electrical System › Ignition › Switch
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Feb 9, 1999 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 762,201. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MINI VANS. THESE VEHICLES WERE PRODUCED WITH A HIGHER THAN SPECIFIED ELECTRICAL LOAD THROUGH THE ACCESSORY POWER FEED CIRCUIT. THE POTENTIAL FOR CONTACT BETWEEN THE B2 (BATTERY), A2 (ACCESSORY), AND P1 (PROOF) CIRCUITS CAN OCCUR, CREATING A SHORT CIRCUIT, ALLOWING CURRENT TO FLOW THROUGH THE GROUND WIRE.
The risk
THIS CAN CAUSE OVER HEATING AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE FIRE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A JUMPER HARNESS WITH A RELAY WHICH WILL RE-ROUTE AND ACTIVATE ALL A2 ACCESSORIES THROUGH THE RELAY.
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 99V029000.
Full record for the 1997 Ford Aerostar → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →