NHTSA campaign 98V233000

Ford and Mercury Recall 98V-233: FORD/SHIFT LEVER DAMAGE

Recall influenced by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation

NHTSA recall 98V233000 was reported by FORD MOTOR COMPANY on September 18, 1998, with 175,000 vehicles potentially affected (per NHTSA). NHTSA's record lists the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique for model years 1995–1998 (try.vin imports model years 1995 and later). Owners were notified on November 20, 1998, per NHTSA.

Updated daily from NHTSA's recall files

Is my vehicle included?

This page lists, by model year, the vehicles NHTSA's recall record names for campaign 98V233000 in the model years try.vin imports (1995 and later); NHTSA's own record can list more. A model year on the list doesn't mean every vehicle of that year is included, and some may already have been repaired.

To see whether a specific vehicle is included and still needs the repair, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Key facts

NHTSA campaign: 98V233000 (also written 98V-233 or 98V233)
Filed by: FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Report received: September 18, 1998
Potentially affected: 175,000 vehicles (per NHTSA)
Component: Power Train — Automatic Transmission — Lever and Linkage — Floor Shift
Owners notified: November 20, 1998

Vehicles listed for this recall

NHTSA's recall record lists these vehicles for recall 98V233000. try.vin imports model years 1995 and later, so NHTSA's own list can be longer. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to it. Build dates are NHTSA's range for a model year (per NHTSA); a vehicle built in that range is not necessarily included.

Ford

Ford Contour
- 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 · Vehicles built July 18, 1994 – January 12, 1998 (per NHTSA)

All Ford recalls

Mercury

Mercury Mystique
- 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 · Vehicles built July 18, 1994 – January 12, 1998 (per NHTSA)

All Mercury recalls

NHTSA's recall notice

As NHTSA's recall record states it for campaign 98V233000.

Defect description

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE FLOOR SHIFT AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CONTROL CAN BE DAMAGED IF SUBJECTED TO CERTAIN INTERIOR CLEANING PRODUCTS. THE GEAR POSITION INDICATOR CAN DETERIORATE AND NOT CORRECTLY INDICATE THE ACTUAL GEAR POSITION.

Safety consequence

THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN INCORRECT GEAR SELECTION.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLOOR SHIFT CONTROL.

Notes

OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN NOVEMBER 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).

Sources

Official NHTSA notice for recall 98V233000

Campaign details come from NHTSA's recall files, which try.vin imports once a day. The plain-language subject and the completion rate come from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Recalls Data dataset. How try.vin reads recall data.