NHTSA recall 98V060000
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 | 98V060000 |
| Manufacturer's number | 98S09 |
| Manufacturer | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| Reported | 1998-03-19 |
| Owners notified | 1998-04-20 |
| Component | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS |
| Units potentially affected | 320000 |
What is wrong
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 4.0L SINGLE OVERHEAD CAM ENGINES. THE ENGINE FUEL LINES CAN BE DAMAGED IF THE VEHICLE IS JUMP STARTED AND THE GROUND CABLE IS ATTACHED TO THE FUEL LINE BRACKET THAT IS LOCATED NEAR THE BATTERY. SINCE THE BRACKET IS NOT GROUNDED, THE STAINLESS STEEL FUEL LINE BRAID COULD ACT AS A GROUND POTENTIALLY OVERHEATING THE PTFE INNER LINER OF THE FUEL LINE RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE FUEL LINE.
What can happen
THE FUEL LINES CAN LEAK, AND IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD POTENTIALLY RESULT.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WARNING LABEL ON THE FUEL LINE BRACKET ADVISING OWNERS NOT TO USE IT FOR A JUMP START GROUND. ALSO A REVISED BOLT WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE ALTERNATOR BRACKET TO PROVIDE A CONVENIENT JUMP START GROUND LOCATION.
Notes
OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN APRIL 20, 1998.OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
| 1997 FORD EXPLORER | Built 1996-08-01 to 1998-02-01. |
|---|---|
| 1998 FORD EXPLORER | Built 1996-08-01 to 1998-02-01. |
| 1997 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER | Built 1996-08-01 to 1998-02-01. |
| 1998 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER | Built 1996-08-01 to 1998-02-01. |
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 RQ98020
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.
| RQ98020 | Recall query, opened 1998-11-03, closed 2000-11-15. FUEL LINE DAMAGE FROM JUMP STARTING. FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS. |
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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
| 15532 | 2002-04-11. Service bulletin. INFORMATION ON VEHICLES EXHIBITNG FUEL LINE DAMAGE DUE TO PINCHING/SQUEEZING OF THE FUEL RETURN LINE. *TT |
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A bulletin is the manufacturer's note to its dealers. It is not part of this recall.