Ford Motor Company: Air Bags › Frontal › Sensor/Control Module-inactive
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Sep 8, 1999 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 280,481. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE AIR BAG SENSOR WIRING PIGTAIL INSULATION CAN BECOME BRITTLE AND CRACK OVER TIME DUE TO ACCUMULATION OF WATER IN THE PIGTAIL PROTECTIVE CONVOLUTE IN COMBINATION WITH HIGH UNDERHOOD TEMPERATURES RELATED TO THE ROUTING OF THE WIRING PIGTAIL NEAR THE RADIATOR. THIS CAN RESULT IN ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS CRACKING OF THE INSULATION.
The risk
IN SOME CASES, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAN ILLUMINATE AND THE AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM DISABLED.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL AIR BAG SENSORS WITH REVISED WIRING INSULATION. IN ADDITION, VEHICLES WHICH HAVE THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED WILL HAVE A NEW AIR BAG DIAGNOSTIC MONITOR INSTALLED.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Ford Contour | 846 | 12 | 20 | 50 |
| 1998 Mercury Mystique | 231 | 11 | 7 | 9 |
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 99V243000.
Full record for the 1998 Ford Contour → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →