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.
