Vehicle recall 81V102000 · September 8, 1981
Mercury Capri and Ford Mustang
The housing plates on the driver seat back latch recliner assemblies were manufactured with substandard material products.
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- The housing plates on the driver seat back latch recliner assemblies were manufactured with substandard material products. This tainted steel was used to produce seatback latches for both the right and left side seat assemblies. Under certain conditions, the defective housing plates may distort, allowing the locking teeth to disengage and tear off. This permits the seatback to pivot backwards.
- Remedy
- Upon inspection, both driver and passenger seat latch/recliner assemblies, on vehicles exhibiting the suspect date codes, will be replaced.
- Notes
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles.system: interior; seat back latch/recliner assembly housing plate.consequences of defect: a backward pivoting of the driver"s seatback withoutprior warning may cause a loss of vehicle control and, possibly, an accident.
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 81V102000
- Reported to NHTSA
- September 8, 1981
- Filed by
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
- Owner notification
- September 18, 1981
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 6,500
- Initiated by
- the manufacturer
- Components
- Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
- Ford Mustang (1981): 1981
- Mercury Capri (1981): 1981
Has your Ford been repaired?
Recalls here come from NHTSA’s records for the model and year. Not every vehicle of a model is included in every recall, and this site can’t see whether a repair has been done. Only a VIN lookup can tell you that.
NHTSA’s VIN search doesn’t show recalls that were already repaired, recalls more than 15 years old, or some small manufacturers’ recalls. Recall repairs are free.