Ford Motor Company: Latches/Locks/Linkages › Hood › Latch
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Jun 29, 1999 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 854,288. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH MAY CORRODE AT THE LATCH PIVOT AND STICK IN THE OPEN POSITION.
The risk
IF THIS OCCURS AND THE PRIMARY HOOD LATCH IS EITHER NOT ENGAGED OR IS RELEASED, A HOOD FLY-UP COULD OCCUR.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SECONDARY HOOD LATCH WITH COMPONENTS THAT ARE COATED PRIOR TO ASSEMBLY FOR IMPROVED LATCH PIVOT CORROSION PROTECTION.
4 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Ford Explorer | 1,348 | 15 | 44 | 115 |
| 1999 Mercury Mountaineer | 151 | 9 | 5 | 13 |
| 1998 Ford Explorer | 1,959 | 14 | 102 | 181 |
| 1998 Mercury Mountaineer | 236 | 6 | 23 | 22 |
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 99V164000.
Full record for the 1999 Ford Explorer → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →