Vehicle recall 98V198000 · August 25, 1998
Mercury Sable and Ford Taurus
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with manual seat tracks.
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with manual seat tracks. The front seat belt buckle attaching stud may have been improperly heat treated. This heat treatment may have resulted in cracks developing in the stud.
- Consequence
- If the stud is cracked, in the event of a vehicle crash, the occupant may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of personal injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the seat belt buckle mounting bracket and stud assembly.
- Notes
- Owner notification began September 4, 1998.OWNERS who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 98V198000
- Reported to NHTSA
- August 25, 1998
- Filed by
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
- Owner notification
- September 4, 1998
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 7,000
- Initiated by
- the manufacturer
- Components
- Seat belts › Front › Anchorage
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
- Ford Taurus (1998-1999): 1999, 1998
- Mercury Sable (1998-1999): 1999, 1998
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.