NHTSA recall campaign
99V310001
ManufacturerFORD MOTOR COMPANYReported1999-11-03Affected470,582 vehicles
What was wrong
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE HYDRAULIC LIFT CYLINDER BRACKET WELDS COULD FRACTURE.
Risk
WITH A BROKEN BRACKET WELD, THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR THE LIFTGATE BRACKET TO GRADUALLY BEND INWARD ALLOWING THE LIFT CYLINDER BALL STUD TO DISENGAGE, UNEXPECTEDLY ALLOWING THE LIFTGATE TO FALL FROM AN OPEN POSITION.
Manufacturer remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL LIFTGATE REINFORCEMENT BRACKETS. DEPENDING UPON THE CONDITION OF THE LIFTGATE SHEET METAL IN THE AREA OF THE BRACKET, DEALERS MAY ALSO INSTALL A LARGER REINFORCEMENT.
To check whether your specific VIN is covered and to find a participating dealer, look this campaign up on NHTSA.gov →