NHTSA recall 13V081000
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 | 13V081000 |
| Manufacturer's number | 13S01 |
| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
| Reported | 2013-03-07 |
| Owners notified | 2013-03-28 |
| Component | SEATS |
| Units potentially affected | 196667 |
What is wrong
Ford is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles manufactured from March 24, 2003, through November 7, 2006, equipped with a third row seat and originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The third row stowable seat can experience corrosion and structural degradation at the seat anchor mechanism mounted to the rear wheel wells. As a result of the corrosion, the third row seat may not fully latch into its seating position.
What can happen
In the event that the vehicle is crashed into from the rear, an unlatched seat may increase the risk of personal injury.
The remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install new third row seat latch striker mounting brackets, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2013. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332.
Notes
Ford's recall campaign number is 13S01.Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
| 2004 FORD FREESTAR | Built 2003-03-24 to 2006-11-07. |
|---|---|
| 2005 FORD FREESTAR | Built 2003-03-24 to 2006-11-07. |
| 2006 FORD FREESTAR | Built 2003-03-24 to 2006-11-07. |
| 2007 FORD FREESTAR | Built 2003-03-24 to 2006-11-07. |
| 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY | Built 2003-03-24 to 2006-11-07. |
| 2005 MERCURY MONTEREY | Built 2003-03-24 to 2006-11-07. |
| 2006 MERCURY MONTEREY | Built 2003-03-24 to 2006-11-07. |
| 2007 MERCURY MONTEREY | Built 2003-03-24 to 2006-11-07. |
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 EA12003
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.
| EA12003 | Engineering analysis, opened 2012-04-23, closed 2013-05-02. Corrosion of Third-Row Seat Attachment. SEATS; SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY; STRUCTURE:BODY; STRUCTURE. |
|---|
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
| TSB160069 | 2021-12-20. Service bulletin. Safety recall 13S01 - Corrosion on sheet metal that supports 3rd row seat latch strikeers - requests for recall service action |
|---|---|
| 16-0069 | 2020-12-07. Service bulletin. For 2004-2007 Freestar or Monterey vehicles Safety Recall 13S01 has been issued for vehicles that are operated in high corrosion areas for an extended period, where the sheet metal that supports the folding 3rd row seat latch strikers could experience corrosion and may compromise the mounting point for the forward portion of the 3rd row seat. Initially, this condition may result in seat movement when passengers sit on or put weight on the seat, or difficulty latching the front of the seat when in its seating position. If corrosion is severe, the seat latch strikers may become detached from the vehicle. The seat belts and the permanent mounting attachment at the rear of the seat are unaffected. |
| TSB-14-0166 | 2015-08-01. Service bulletin. FORD/MERCURY: SAFETY RECALL REGARDING SHEET METAL SUPPORT FOR FOLDING 3RD ROW SEAT LATCH STRIKERS CAN EXPERIENCE CORROSION AND WILL COMPROMISE MOUNTING POINT CAUSING SEAT TO MOVE. MODEL 2004-07 FREESTAR, MONTEREY. *PE |
| TSB-14-0144 | 2014-12-10. Service bulletin. FORD/MERCURY: SHEET METAL SUPPORTING FOLDING 3RD ROW SEAT LATCH STRIKERS WILL EXPERIENCE CORROSION AND COMPROMISE MOUNTING POINT FOR FORWARD PORTION OF 3RD ROW SEAT, IF VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN HIGH CORROSION AREAS FOR EXTENDED PERIOD. MODEL 2004-2007 FREESTAR, MONTEREY. *PE |
| 042117 | 2005-04-18. Service bulletin. 3RD ROW SEAT STRAP BREAKING. *EH |
| 18135 | 2005-01-18. Service bulletin. 3RD ROW SEAT STRAP BREAKING (STRAP USED FOR STOWING OR ACCESSING THE REAR SEAT). *TT |
A bulletin is the manufacturer's note to its dealers. It is not part of this recall.