This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Vehicle is a 2002 Ford Sport Trac with approx 42K miles. Began with rapid flashing of left turn signal. Rear turn and brake lamp were inoperable. Replacing bulb had no effect. Found positioning steering column to a higher tilt position corrected malfunction. Removed steering column cover and found 4 wires pulled out of connector on multi-function (turn signal switch). Wires move in and out as column is moved through tilt range. Wires out at bottom of tilt and in at top of tilt range. Removed connector part # E6db-14489-da. 3 connector pin retainers fell out and were recovered. A fourth was found to be in the connector but not retaining it's pin. Connector must be replaced to correct problem. Also the wiring harness is secured above the tilt pivot point of the steering column. I believe the harness is secured with insufficient slack to prevent excessive stress on the connector at the lower positions of the steering column tilt range. I base this on the fact that the 3 pins with broken retainers are on the top row of the connector and would be the most stressed in a lower position of the steering wheel. Also I have over 20 years of aircraft electronics experience as an avionics technician and fully understand proper wire routing procedures. Digital pictures of the connector are available.
There is a problem in the steering column wiring that after a while causes not only your turn signal and brake light to stop working but in some cases causes problem with air bag as well. A lot of cases can be seen by going to www.mysporttrac.com/mysporttrac/ and doing a search of turn signals. On my particular vehicle. My turn signal or brake light on the passenger side will not work when the tilt steering is engaged. If I leave the steering wheel all the way up everything works. I attribute my air bag indicator light coming on to this same issue. Most people are saying the wires are too short and some come unplugged and others break their pins off.
: the contact stated there is a short in the wiring system causing the vehicle to continually blow fuses. This causes the vehicle taillights and dashboard lights to be inoperable. The dealership was unable to find the source of the problem. Updated 03/03/06.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Millbrook, AL, USA