NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Recall Query RQ97-015: PARKING PAWL
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Recall Query RQ97-015 on October 29, 1997 and closed it on April 1, 1999. NHTSA's investigations file lists 4 Ford models for it and links recall 91V-189 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- RQ97-015 (also written RQ97015)
- Investigation type
- Recall Query An investigation into whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or whether its remedy works, run much like a Preliminary Evaluation.
- Status
- Closed April 1, 1999
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Ford Motor Company
- Component
- Power Train — Automatic Transmission
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 91V-189 (NHTSA record)
- Vehicles and equipment
- 4 Ford models, including the Aerostar and Ranger
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Recall Query RQ97-015.
WHEN THE AUTOMATIC SHIFT LEVER IS PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION, THE PARKING PAWL DOES NOT ALWAYS ENGAGE THE PARK GEAR.THIS CAN LEAD TO THE VEHICLE JUMPING OUT OF GEAR UNINTENTIONALLY AND CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO START ROLLING INADVERTENTLY
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Recall Query RQ97-015. 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.
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.
Ford VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for RQ97-015
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.