Owner Letter Information - Attachment III: Overview
Attachment III Page 1 of 3Ford International Export Sales P.O. Box 600
Ford Motor Company Wixom, Michigan 48096
July, 1987
SAFETY RECALL 87M53 - FUEL/EXHAUST/COOLING SYSTEM INSPECTION AND MODIFICATION PROGRAM FOR AMBULANCES BASED ON 1983 THROUGH 1987-MODEL ECONOLINE E350 CUTAWAY CHASSIS OR VANS EQUIPPED WITH 7.5 L ENGINES
Dear Ambulance Owner or Operator:
This notice is sent to you in accordance with the U.S. National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Ford Motor Company is initiating a safety recall of ambulances - produced by various ambulance manufacturers - that are based on 1983-1987 model Ford Econoline E350 Cutaway Chassis or Vans and equipped with 7.5 liter engines. Ford has obtained information that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in some of these ambulances, in that conditions introduced during their manufacture, or after they have been placed in EMS service, can create an unreasonable risk of injury in the circumstances in which they are operated.
This safety recall supersedes the coordinated national inspection and modification program announced jointly last month by Ford and leading ambulance manufacturers. Ford is confident that the manufacturer of your ambulance will support this recall, as well.
REASONS FOR THIS RECALL
Unlike typical safety recall campaigns, Ford has not identified one specific cause of fires in these vehicles. Rather, the risk of fire is believed to result from a combination of adverse factors involving a vehicle's overall mechanical condition, including excessive underbody temperatures and fuel system pressures, the operating practices to which it is subjected, and the use in some localities of highly-volatile "Winter Grade" gasoline during hot weather.
Investigations by Ford and by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicate to Ford that certain fuel venting and emission system modifications, together with the correction of fuel leak sources and of mechanical discrepancies that cause excessive underbody temperatures or fuel system overpressurization, will substantially reduce the potential for fires related to fuel leaks or to expulsion of fuel from the filler pipe when the filler caps are removed. In the presence of an ignition source, leaking or expelled gasoline or accompanying vapors could ignite, and a vehicle fire and risk of injury could result.
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It is very important, therefore, that you have your ambulance (I) modified to reduce base fuel system pressures and (II) inspected for the presence of discrepancies that can cause or contribute to overpressurization and/or excessive underbody temperatures.
Modification of the fuel venting and emission control systems and the inspection for significant discrepancies in other parts of your ambulance will be free of charge to you. Correction of significant discrepancies introduced after your ambulance was put into service will be your responsibility. The correction of any significant mechanical discrepancies that may be present in your ambulance and the modification of its fuel venting and emissions control systems will make it more tolerant of high-volatility gasoline and the extremes in operating practice to which it sometimes must be exposed as an unavoidable part of emergency medical service. In that connection, the modification also will increase the expansion space in your fuel tank(s) by reducing fuel fill levels slightly. Your adherence to the sound operating and maintenance practices described in the attachment to this letter also is of great importance to the safe operation of your ambulance.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
Please contact an authorized Ford dealer without delay to arrange a service date. At no cost to you, the dealer will inspect and modify your ambulance. The time needed to perform this service will depend on inspection findings, but generally should not exceed one and one-half days. The dealers have repair instructions and parts ordering information. Parts, as needed, will be expedited to the dealers upon receipt of their orders. Additional modifications are required for vehicles operated over 4,000 feet above sea level. Tell your dealer when you call if your vehicle(s) operates above 4,000 feet in altitude. If you do not own or operate any of the affected models, please fill out Section 1 of the enclosed prepaid postcard, and mail it to us.
If your vehicle(s) experiences excessive fuel system pressures before you can have these modifications performed, the condition can normally be alleviated by using summer-blend fuel from a high volume filling station and by keeping the fuel tank(s) no more than 3/4 full. All personnel in your organization involved in the operation or maintenance of your ambulances also should be urged to abide by the operating practice recommendations that were developed jointly by Ford and leading ambulance manufacturers.
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If the inspection and modifications are not carried out promptly and without charge after you present the vehicle to your dealer on the scheduled date, please fill in and mail Sections 2 and 3 of the prepaid postcard to us. You also may send a complaint to the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590 or call the toll free Auto Safety Hotline 800-424-9393.