NHTSA recall 03V279000
A recall listed here may apply to a vehicle of this year, make and model. Only the manufacturer can say whether it applies to one vehicle: check the VIN with the official lookups.
| Published by | NHTSA (United States) |
|---|---|
| Campaign number | 03V279000 |
| Manufacturer's number | 03S05 |
| Manufacturer | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| Reported | 2003-08-05 |
| Owners notified | 2003-08-08 |
| Component | WHEELS |
| Units potentially affected | 29946 |
What is wrong
ON CERTAIN POLICE AND TAXI VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH STEEL WHEELS, SOME OF THE WHEELS MAY DEVELOP CRACKS IN THE RIM NEAR THE WELD LINE THAT CONNECTS THE RIM TO THE DISK.
What can happen
THE CRACKS CAN ULTIMATELY RESULT IN RAPID AIR LOSS FROM THE TIRE AND COULD AFFECT VEHICLE CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE FOUR ROAD WHEELS AND SPARE WHEEL WITH THE MANUFACTURING DATE CODES OF AUGUST 18, 2001 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 22, 2002. IN ADDITION, FORD IS PROVIDING EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR WHEELS ON 2003 CROWN VICTORIA POLICE INTERCEPTOR AND TAXIS BUILT FROM OCTOBER 1, 2002 THROUGH APRIL 29, 2003. THESE WHEELS ARE EXHIBITING CRACKS AT A SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER RATE THAN THOSE WHEELS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON AUGUST 8, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
Notes
FORD RECALL NO. 03S05.CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
| 2003 FORD CROWN VICTORIA | Built 2001-10-10 to 2002-09-30. |
|---|---|
| 2003 FORD CVPI | Built 2001-10-10 to 2002-09-30. |
A vehicle with no link is not in this site's catalog, which covers cars, multipurpose vehicles and trucks by model year. The campaign is from data as of 2026-10-19.
Investigated as PE03009
This recall followed 1 NHTSA investigation. An investigation is NHTSA looking into a possible defect. It is not a finding that a defect exists, and it does not say that any one vehicle is affected.
| PE03009 | Preliminary evaluation, opened 2003-02-25, closed 2003-08-08. FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIM. WHEELS. |
|---|
From NHTSA's investigation file, as of 2026-10-19. The JSON has NHTSA's summary of each.
Bulletins for the same vehicles and component
| 04M05 | 2005-05-05. Service bulletin. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 04M05. STEEL WHEEL ADDITIONAL COVERAGE. *TT |
|---|---|
| 03M03 | 2003-10-07. Service bulletin. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 03M03 - STEEL WHEEL ADDITIONAL COVERAGE. *TT ADVANCE NOTICE. *TT |
| 03125 | 2003-09-11. Service bulletin. THE GOODYEAR P225/60R16 EAGLE RS-A PLUS IS A NEW AND IMPROVED TIRE AVAILABLE FOR POLICE APPLICATIONS. *TT |
| 15857 | 2002-12-04. Service bulletin. SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A CLICK OR RATTLE NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT WHEEL AREA. *TT |
A bulletin is the manufacturer's note to its dealers. It is not part of this recall.