NHTSA Complaint #730539 — 1995 FORD MUSTANG

THIS REPORTS A FAILURE WHICH OCCURRED VERY EARLY IN THE CAR OWNERSHIP, BUT WHICH ONLY RECENTLY CAME TO LIGHT. IT IS A REPORT OF A DEFECTIVE SWAY BAR WHICH APPARENTLY FRACTURED DURING THE FIRST MONTH OF OWNERSHIP CAUSING IMPROPER HANDLING AND CONTROL, ALONG WITH EXCESSIVE VIBRATION OF THE VEHICLE DURING THE ENSUING YEARS OF OWNERSHIP. THE OWNER DID NOT REALIZE THE SOURCE OF THIS IMPROPER PERFORMANCE UNTIL SOME TIME LATER WHEN THE FRACTURED SWAY BAR BROKE OFF ON ONE SIDE CAUSING A NOW NOTICEABLE RATTLING NOISE. HOWEVER, THIS NOISE ONLY OCCURRED AT SPEEDS OVER 30 MPH AND BUMPY ROAD SURFACE CONDITIONS. IT WAS ONLY AFTER THE SERVICE MANAGER HAD VISUALLY INSPECTED THE BREAK UPON REPLACEMENT OF THE SWAY BAR THAT A FRACTURE-BRAKING SEQUENCE OVER TIME WAS EVIDENT DUE TO RUST IN ONLY A PORTION OF THE BREAK. THE MOST STARTLING DISCOVERY WAS THE EVIDENCE OF METAL CRYSTALIZATION IN AND AROUND THE SITE OF THE BREAK. THUS, IT WAS APPARENT THAT THIS WAS A MOLDED HOLE RATHER THAN A MACHINED OR DRILLED HOLE. IN ASSESSING THIS INCIDENT THE MANAGER VERBALLY CONFIRMED THAT THIS WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE IMPROPER VEHICLE HANDLING AND POOR PERFORMANCE, ALONG WITH THE EXCESSIVE VIBRATION EXPERIENCED BY THE OWNER SOON AFTER PURCHASE. THE MANAGER ALSO AGREED THAT AT HIGH SPEEDS THIS LOSS OF THE SWAY BAR STRENGTHENING OF THE VEHICLE FRAME MIGHT RESULT IN COMPLETE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. HE URGED ME TO REPORT IT TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. HE PROVIDED ME WITH THE APPROPRIATE PHONE NUMBER. I DID VERBALLY REPORT THIS INCIDENT AND ASKED THAT THE INFORMATION BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF OTHER SIMILARLY-EQUIPPED FORD CONVERTIBLES OWNERS FOR A SAFETY INSPECTION OF THE SWAY BAR INSTALLATION IN THEIR OWN VEHICLE. ALSO, I ASKED THAT THE SYMPTOMS OF EXCESSIVE VIBRATION AND POOR HANDLING (UNSTABLE SWAYING) BE BROUGHT TO THEIR ATTENTION AS A CLUE TO POSSIBLE FRACTURE OF THE SWAY BAR SINCE BOTH OF THESE SYMPTOMS HAD COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED AFTER BAR REPLACEMENT.