05 GT without factory recalls performed

[Forfer8]

hello

Looking to buy an 05 GT wHere none of the factory recalls might have been made.

Does a Vin check know if they were applied?

Neither front/rear suspension arms nor the Tamara/airbag modules seem to have been exchanged.

Question: does Ford still honor factory recalls ?
If not where can these parts be purchased and who can replace them ? Any Ford dealer ? What is the cost ?
Can one do w/o?

Thanks

 

[twobjshelbys]

The air bag recall can be performed by a dealer without time limit. Ford can tell you what recalls are needed and what has been performed. You can also enter the VIN in the federal recall database to see if it is still outstanding.

I'm pretty sure the only official recall against the GT was the airbag (and there are several, some duplicates). Ford was pretty tenacious about individually tracking down all vehicles that needed the A-arm update so if it doesn't have the billet arms it doesn't need them but I believe it was performed as a TSB not a recall.

There is another TSB (although often referred to as a recall) for the rear half-shaft bolts that can shear. Again, Ford dealer can pull a report to check if it's been done.

 

[Shark01]

There is another TSB (although often referred to as a recall) for the rear half-shaft bolts that can shear. Again, Ford dealer can pull a report to check if it's been done.

Well because this isn't a recall, doesn't seem like Ford would do them for free nor bother to keep track like they are required to do with the airbags. I know my car's previous owner bought the bolts and installed them himself, so the dealer would have no idea.

 

[twobjshelbys]

Well because this isn't a recall, doesn't seem like Ford would do them for free nor bother to keep track like they are required to do with the airbags. I know my car's previous owner bought the bolts and installed them himself, so the dealer would have no idea.

If Ford did the replacement it will be in their system. If it was self-replaced then hopefully the owners would have kept records. For the OP, if the car sat in a garage for its life and never saw a dealer, then you're safe to assume that none of these have been done.

The difference between a recall and a TSB is push/pull. A recall involves safety and in government tracked. They are generally aggressively pushed to owners who get letters until they do it. A TSB is a "pull". TSBs are almost always installed for free, but you have to demonstrate the problem. My bolts were replaced free of charge very early on. My TSBs on other cars had to be done inside the warranty period...

PS. An axle bolt failure on a moving vehicle seems like it could involve a safety issue, like losing control, but somehow it didn't trigger...

I had to fight with Honda to get a TSB installed past warranty simply because the car was so perfect it didn't need anything done to it during warranty and the dealer was supposed to nudge certain owners about its availability but didn't contact me. In my case the TSB was triggered by uttering the magic words "idle vibration at idle with A/C running". Turns out some bushings caused a resonance through the trans. They replaced bushings on the radiator and trans... I'd just assumed it was the nature of the beast since I'm used to trucks and other cars that aren't silent but my wife found it on google as a problem ...

 

[Shark01]

If Ford did the replacement it will be in their system.

But if you were not the owner at the time, they would most likely not tell you.....I have run into this several times looking at cars with poor documentation history.