Investigation PE98041: 1996–1998 Ford Crown Victoria

Status

CLOSED

Opened

Jul 23, 1998

Closed

Sep 29, 1998

Model years

1996–1998

Subject

Front seat anchor bolt failure

Component: Seats

Summary

The driver's seat, of the subject split-seat configuration, is secured to the vehicle floor pan with four bolts.a single bolt is located at both the front and rear of each of the two seat tracks.these tracks are located on each side of the seat.if the outboard-forward bolt fails, the seat is retained by 3 remaining bolts.when retained by 3 bolts, the rearward movement of the left side of the seat back is limited to approximately 4 inches.this was determined by ford testing and confirmed by odi.this minimal movement should not cause a driver to experience difficulties controlling the vehicle.ford has developed a kit to repair the seat bolt boss, consisting of a large, 3/16 inch thick washer, contoured to fit inside the floor pan seat bolt boss reinforcement.this fix was added to production vehicles in september, 1997.ford is currently preparting a technical service bulletin, to be sent to both dealer and operators of police vehicles, announcing the availability of the kit for in-sevice repairs.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action on these models if warranted by the circumstances.

An NHTSA investigation looks into whether a safety defect exists. Opening one is not a finding. Outcomes can include a recall, closure without action, or further inquiry.

Model years covered

• 1998 Ford Crown Victoria119 complaints
• 1997 Ford Crown Victoria288 complaints
• 1996 Ford Crown Victoria276 complaints