Ford Automatic Transmission Warning Decal

From the 'net:

The Ford Motor Company received a small number of complaints about the "park-to-reverse" problem in the early 1970s. From an engineering perspective, a properly maintained vehicle—regardless of the manufacturer—cannot simply jump from park to reverse. In 1971 there were 4.6 million Ford vehicles in use with automatic transmissions that generated nine park-to-reverse complaints. A routine investigation was undertaken. Ford engineers identified a total of forty such complaints from 1968 to 1971, including several accidents.

In early 1972 the internal Ford investigation was intensified, but Ford engineers concluded there was no discernible defect. They suspected that complaints arose when drivers mis-positioned the select lever between park and reverse before leaving the vehicle. Although Ford engineers investigated some technical strategies to reduce the problem of mis-positioning, they concluded that none were promising. Ford decided instead to make the parking instructions in owners manuals more explicit and remove the letters "ark" from the word "Park" to encourage drivers to push the shift lever all the way to the left into park.

Here is a pic of one off a Maverick dash:



Ray

i noticed on my car when i changed the transmission and installed the column lock linkage again, that it was possible for the linkage to just be slightly out of alignment and it would sometimes lock up the shifter when you pushed it into park and it never got into park, the linkage made it feel like you were at the end of shifter movement, but if you visually looked down at the shifter you would see it in between park and Reverse. Before i didn't have the column lock linkage and moving through all positions was easy.

I think it was possible because the linkage is exposed down there, that the cars would run through dirt which gummed up the bushings not allowing the linkage to go full throw when put into park because over time you never looked at the shifter visually you just went by feel and knew which gear you were in.(i do this on my modern car as well driving it for the last 15 years i never look at the shifter anymore.

so figure driver is going to market puts the car in drive, on the way runs through dirt or gravel, it kicks up into the linkage and causes an obstruction in the bushing. they get to market put the car in what they think is park shutdown engine. The shifter is just right so the neutral safety is triggered but the Parking arm is not engaged into the tranmission parking lock plate in the tail of the trans.

start the car and 50/50 the trans either goes into Park and locks the arm into the parking plate, or it jumps into Reverse.

i could totally see that happening. and the person would of panicked slammed the brakes or caused an accident and then Force the shifter into park which dislogged the dirt from the bushing which hung up in the first place.. Ford sends out an investigator and he has no trouble rolling the Shifter into gear and park and deems it Driver error. The truth is ford should of never left the trans linkage that exposed and the Neutral safety is exposed on the C6. they could of easily used the FMX floor shift and at least protected the Safety swtich.

More info on this safety sticker involving our cars.

https://autoweek.com/article/wait-theres-more/little-warning-label-saved-ford-23-million-vehicle-recall

Ray