Recalls for '97 SOHC

[derekpw]

How are recalls generally handled by the manufacturer and dealer from which you purchased your vehicle? Is someone required to notify the owner of the issuance of a recall? If so, is a person SOL if they never do receive a notice and the repair timeframe expires?

My '97 SOHC had been making tapping noises at startup since I purchased it new. Had mentioned it to the dealer's service department many times during my trips there for service. They always told me it was "just the way the SOHC engine sounds" and there was no way to eliminate it. So I just lived with it.

It was only this year that I read about the recall to replace the chain tensioners to eliminate the noise. Saw it on the AllData site. Never did receive a notice telling about this. My truck then had over 80k miles (now has 93k) and the recall only fixed those with 72k or less at Ford's expense.

Is it up to the dealer or manufacturer to notify the owner? Do I have any way to get this done for free or am I just outa luck for not "seeing" this recall until it was too late.

Any help would be appreciated. I don't want this chain tensioner problem causing other problems down the road. Plus, it seems that I may be having problems now with my intake gasket. Thanks.

ps. this also was the case for the 01M01 recall.

pps. my Ford dealer told me back at 88k that my chain tensioners and o-ring seals needed to be replaced but at my expense. they would not pick up any of the cost.

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01M01 Cam Chain Guide Additional Warranty Coverage
01M01 Front Cam Chain Guide Extended Coverage
00M12 Camshaft Chain Tensioner & Intake Gasket

 

[dogfriend]

I'm pretty sure that they must notify by mail if the recall is safety related. I received a recall notice for my Firestone tires, even though I was the second owner of the vehicle.

I don't think that they are obligated to inform you if the recall or campaign or TSB is not safety related. I would think that it is in the dealerships interest to inform you because they would gain warranty work which is paid by Ford. However, I don't think they get the same rate from Ford as they do for non-warranty work, so if they have a lot of other work (higher rate) they may not be as eager to point it out. This probably varies from dealer to dealer. Also, your dealer could just be clueless

Ive read that whenever you have a complaint and you are still under warranty, make sure that they write up a shop order to document that your problem was during the warranty period. Then you can argue that the condition existed during warranty but wasn't repaired and should be fixed now.

 

[jazz_master221]

recall

00m12....camshaft chain tensioner and lower intake manifold gasket-additional coverage to 6 years or 72,000 miles from warranty start date,whichever occurs first....
caution:may not need repair;service only if concern is present........
.................01m01
frontcam chain guide assembly- additional coverage to 7 years from vehicle warranty start date or 100,000 miles,whichever ocurs first........caution may not need repair service only if concernis present......99m02
throttle body plate sticking closed
caution may not need repair ...service only if concern is present....
now this is what i am going to do next year i will have ford check my timing chain...because right now it only makes the noise when i let it sit for a week with out starting it...it will make a rough sounding noise for about one second ..which i believe is from a lack of oil in the area of the timing chain..once the oil starts pumping the noise goes away...i took my x to the dealer last weeek and he told me that ..00m12 was done one my x
.....i bought mine used about a year ago..it has 76000 miles on it.....when i bought it ,it had 71000...but for a 97 the engine and the interior looks brandnew ...so i plan on paying the 75 bucks to have the dealer check my chain before my warrenty is up...:redexp: :redexp:

 

[treywylie]

Very similar situation to yours... I first heard the noise with 20k on the engine. I took it in, had it documented, REdocumented at 35k, and then at 88k, my engine jumped time on the passenger side, requiring a new engine. Ford started down the "we'll pay for the parts to rebuild, but you pick up all labor to remove, rebuild, and reinstall..." After i got the service mgr to get a meeting with the regional rep, I showed him all my documentation and they agreed to ship a new long block and cover ALL labor... They have discretion with this, but you'll need to have the Service Mgr. and the dealership on your side if you're out of the covered period.

All this took place prior to the extended coverage notices. I am the original owner ('97 SOHC XLT) and have received all the factory bulletins on the matter since then. If you buy a used vehicle, be sure to notify the manufacturer of the change in ownership and that they have your current address. We did this on my wife's car and Lexus has been good about sending us all notices on the car.

Good luck.

-twylie

 

[weebo]

best thing to do is to go to ford.com and input your vin number...that will tell you if your vehicle was actually involved in that recall. you can take that data to the dealer and 'make' them fix the recalls. if they've never done it i'm sure there are at least two upgrades for you ecm (computer) which may help performance as well.