NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Defect Petition DP06-005: ENGINE STALLING FFV

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Defect Petition DP06-005 on December 4, 2006 and closed it on December 28, 2007. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: DP06-005 (also written DP06005)
Investigation type: Defect Petition A petition asking NHTSA to open a defect investigation; NHTSA grants or denies it, and granting one opens an investigation.
Status: Closed December 28, 2007
Opened: December 4, 2006
Closed: December 28, 2007
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Components: Fuel System, Gasoline — Delivery; Fuel System, Gasoline — Delivery — Fuel Pump; Fuel System, Gasoline — Delivery — Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings; Fuel System, Gasoline — Fuel Injection System; Fuel System, Gasoline — Fuel Injection System — Fuel Rail; Fuel System, Gasoline — Fuel Injection System — Injectors; Fuel System, Gasoline — Storage; Fuel System, Gasoline — Storage — Auxillary Tank; Fuel System, Gasoline — Storage — Auxillary Tank — Selector Devices; Fuel System, Gasoline — Storage — Tank Assembly; Fuel System, Gasoline — Storage — Tank Assembly — Filler Pipe and Cap; Fuel System, Gasoline — Storage — Tank Assembly — Mounting; Fuel System, Other; Fuel System, Other — Delivery; Fuel System, Other — Delivery — Fuel Pump; Fuel System, Other — Delivery — Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings; Fuel System, Other — Fuel Injection System; Fuel System, Other — Storage; Fuel System, Other — Storage — Fuel Gauge System; Fuel System, Other — Storage — Tank Assembly; Fuel System, Other — Storage — Tank Assembly — Filling/Charging; Fuel System, Other — Storage — Tank Assembly — Mounting; Fuel System, Other — Storage — Tank Assembly — Pressure Relief Devices
Vehicles and equipment: Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable

A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Defect Petition DP06-005.

try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.

ON OCTOBER 11, 2006, PUBLIC CITIZEN PETITIONED ODI TO INVESTIGATE REPORTS OF ENGINE STALLS CAUSED BY E85 FUEL IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2003 - 2005 FORD TAURUS FLEX-FUEL VEHICLES (FFV). ODI'S REVIEW OF THE PETITION AND OTHER AVAILABLE DATA FOUND A LOW STALL RATE ATTRIBUTABLE TO E-85 FUELING AND THAT THE MAIN CONCERNS,PROLONGED ENGINE START AND ROUGH IDLE DURING COLD ENGINE STARTUP AT WINTER TEMPERATURES, WERE RESOLVED BY AN ENGINE SOFTWARE UPDATE.TO ENSURE THAT ALL SUBJECT VEHICLES RECEIVE THIS UPDATE, FORD INITIATED A NOTIFICATION CAMPAIGN TO OFFER FREE ENGINE COMPUTER RECALIBRATION.BASED ON THIS INFORMATION, THIS DEFECT PETITION IS DENIED. THIS DENIAL SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A FINDING THAT NO SAFETY DEFECT EXISTS.ODI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO RECONSIDER THIS ISSUE IF FUTURE DATA WARRANT.ADDITIONAL DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE POSTED IN THE DP06-005 PUBLIC FILE.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Defect Petition DP06-005. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.

Ford

Ford Taurus
- 2003, 2004, 2005

All Ford recalls

Mercury

Mercury Sable
- 2003, 2004, 2005

All Mercury recalls

What an NHTSA investigation is

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.

An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.

To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

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

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for DP06-005

Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.