Ford News and Recalls

February 7, 2005
Ford is recalling nearly 360,000 Ford Focus cars to fix a potential problem with their rear door latches. the problem involves about 358,857 vehicles from the 2000-2002 model years and stems from a build-up of corrosion around the rear door latches which can eventually prevent them from ensuring the doors are secure.

"If not latched properly, the door may open while the vehicle is in motion," NHTSA said.

The Focus has set new recall records since its introduction. This is the tenth safety recall conducted in the U.S. There have also been several defect investigations.

Less than two weeks ago, Ford recalled nearly 800,000 F-150 pickups and related SUVs and minivans because of fire risks involving their cruise control switches.

Ford Motor Company is recalling approximately 850,000 2013-2014 Ford C-MAX, Fusion, Escape and Lincoln MKZ vehicles in North America for a potential issue with the restraints control module.

The restraints control module in the recalled vehicles may experience a short circuit, illuminating the air bag warning indicator. Depending on the location of the short circuit, the deployable restraint systems (e.g., airbags, pretensioners, side curtains) may not function as intended in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

The short circuit also may affect the function of other systems that use data from the restraints control module, including stability control. In these cases, the corresponding warning indicator lamps would also illuminate.

Ford says as of Sept. 24, 2014, it is aware of approximately 745,000 vehicles in the U.S. and federalized territories, approximately 83,000 in Canada and approximately 20,000 in Mexico.

The company says there are no reports of any accidents or injuries related to this condition.

Affected vehicles include:

• 2013-2014 C-MAX vehicles built at Michigan Assembly Plant, Jan. 19, 2012, to Nov. 21, 2013;
• 2013-2014 Fusion vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant, Feb. 3, 2012, to Aug. 24, 2013;
• 2013-2014 Escape vehicles built at Louisville Assembly Plant, Oct. 5, 2011, to Nov. 1, 2013; and
• 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant, April 25, 2012 to Sept. 30, 2013.

Dealers will replace the restraints control module at no cost to the customer.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it will investigate problems with stalling and surging engines in nearly 725,000 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs and Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans from the 2009 through 2011 model years.

The most commonly-cited problem is aptly called the "limp home mode." It's the condition in which the car suddenly drops to 20 mph and about 900 rpms.

The function is built into the engine control system. It's supposed to be triggered only by a serious engine problem and is meant to allow the driver time to maneuver to a safe place before stopping.

ConsumerAffairs has been hearing about this problem too. Randy of Jacksonville, Fla., posted a complaint in January about his 2010 Ford Escape Limited. 

"On January 23, 2013, the engine shut down on the highway while going 65 mph. Was is in the middle lane but was able to nurse it to the shoulder," he said. "Turned it off and restarted. Ran fine for another 20 minutes and the engine shut down again. Restarted and made it to the house. Don't tell me that there is nothing wrong Ford!"

Katherine of Ellwood City, Pa., had a similar experience in her Ford Escape.

"I was driving on the highway about 65 mph when suddenly it lost acceleration and went to 20 mph. I was on a bridge at the time with no shoulder and coasted to the end of the bridge to pull over. I could see the cars behind me fearing I would get hit," she said. "When the tow truck arrived he checked under the hood and started the car back up with no problem. I was able to get home. I am very worried now after reading hundreds of incidents of this same occurrence! This is unsafe and I am very upset."

NHTSA said it has recorded 1,500 complaints about the problem, with three crashes and one injury so far.

Besides stalling, NHTSA siad the affected vehicles may also surge unexpectedly as the rpms increase to prevent stalling during limp mode.

An earlier throttle problem in the Ford Escape has been fixed, Ford said. It is not thought to be related to the stalling problem.

Ford Motor Co. has agreed to settle customer lawsuits over alleged defects in the intake manifoldsof as many as two million vehicles.

The settlement was filed in federal court in Oakland, Calif. Ford will pay owners of some Mercury Grand Marquis, Lincoln Town Cars and Ford Crown Victorias at least $735 to reimburse them for repairs made because of faulty manifolds, which route air to an engine's cylinders.

Car owners claimed in a class action that Ford installed plastic intake manifolds that were prone to cracking and causing coolant leaks on some 1996 to 2001 models. The settlement could cost Ford as much as $375 million if every customer files a claim.

Ford doesn't admit liability by settling the lawsuit.

Under the agreement, Ford will reimburse consumers with receipts for repairs related to the intake manifold. The Dearborn-based company will also pay $735 to anyone without receipts who verifies with a company dealership that the repair was made, the agreement said.

Ford will also extend the life of warranties of customers who haven't had manifold failures, according to the agreement. This could cost Ford additional money to replace manifolds in the future. Ford will also pay for notifying car owners about the settlement. The settlement is subject to court approval.

The settlement covers 1996 through 2001 models of the Mercury Grand Marquis, Lincoln Town Car and Ford Crown Victoria, as well as certain Mercury Cougars, Ford Thunderbirds and Mustangs built before 2002.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 2,456 year 2012-2014 Focus Electric vehicles manufactured September 15, 2011, through August 23, 2013.

In the affected vehicles, a powertrain control module software problem may result in a stall-like condition. An unexpected loss of power while driving increases the risk of a crash.

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the power control module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin by late November 2013.

Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall campaign number is 13S09.

Ford's attempt to focus on safety and reliability isn't getting much help from its recall-plagued subcompact, the Focus. With nine safety recalls and five defect investigations so far, the Focus is turning into a major black eye for Ford.

The latest investigation announced by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) has to do with wheels falling off the 2000 models, the right and left rear wheels to be precise. There's already been a recall for a similar problem involving only the left rear wheels in some 203,000 2000 models.

Some 350,000 2000 models were recalled because their roof pillars could cause head injuries in crashes. Other problems include airbags that deploy inadvertently, engine compartment fires and engine stalling.

It's the most recalls for a single manufacturer since General Motors' notorious X-cars (the Buick Skylark, Chevrolet Citation, Oldsmobile Omage and Pontiac Phoenix) racked up 13 recalls in the their first two years, according to the Center for Auto Safety.

The non-profit Center for Auto Safety wrote Ford's then-chairman, William Clay Ford, in November 1999, warning up about the damage being done to Ford's reputation by quality problems and the cover-ups that often accompanied them.

Ford is now the company's CEO and the problems continue. "The Focus fiasco shows Mr. Ford has a long road to hoe before he can restore some of the luster to his great grandfather's company," the center's executive director, Clarence M. Ditlow, said.

More than 1.8 million Ford Motor Co. cars and trucks remain at risk of erupting into flames 5 months after the automaker recalled an additional 3.6 million vehicles because of a fire hazard in the cruise control system.

Ford initially promised parts would be available for the massive recall to repair the vehicles by October 2007. The automaker then said the parts will not be available until later in 2007.

An Oregon family's F-150 burst into flames in the driveway. Reader photo.

When Ford first announced the delay because of a parts shortage, the automaker said there have been no supply problems for parts for SUVs. That is no longer true.

The badly needed parts are still in short supply and discouraging some Ford truck owners from responding to the recall. Because Ford dealers are unable to accomplish the required repairs, as a temporary fix they disconnect the cruise control system when consumers respond to their notice from Ford.

A Ford spokesman insists the automaker is doing all it can to complete the fire hazard recall.

This was a large recall, and we're working with the supplier to meet the volume challenge as soon as possible, said Ford spokesman Dan Jarvis.

Devastating consequences

The continuing parts delay adds to mounting confusion in an already troubling situation for many Ford consumers faced with the cruise control recall. The consequences are sometimes devastating.

An Oregon family lost their truck and almost lost their home to a fire that originated in their Ford truck.

Friday January 11, 2008 my husband came home from work at 5:30 and parked his 2001 F-150 Supercrew in the driveway, they wrote. Just 45 minutes later the truck was fully engulfed in flames.

Our garage door and siding on the front of our house was damaged but not destroyed. The truck on the other hand is a total loss, the wife said.

The Oregon truck was part of the Ford recall, according to the owner.

When we got the letter regarding the recall we called Ford and they said that they didn't have the part that was required to fix it but that since our cruise control wasn't working (It had stopped working about 2 months before the fire) it must already be disconnected and we should be fine, said the truck owner, who asked not to be publicly identified.

The truck owner reports that Ford told them fires are rare so I wouldn't worry. From the sounds of all these stories they are not as rare as they would like the consumer to believe.

The struggling automaker continues to insist the company is responding adequately in an effort to notify Ford customers to return their vehicles to a Ford dealership for repair of the fire hazard.

We have sent multiple mailings to customers, based on current vehicle registrations, asking them to bring in vehicles. I dont have an exact figure, but about half of the total have done so to date. We have one of the highest return rates in the industry, based on update registration info, and sending multiple mailings, Ford spokesman Jarvis said in an email response to ConsumerAffairs.com.

Liability waiver

Some Ford dealers now require customers who decline to disconnect the cruise control system to sign a waiver of liability.

A Florida woman with a Ford Econoline Van equipped with hand controls for a wheel chair faced the demand that she sign the waiver. I need my cruise control if I have to travel any amount of distance, she wrote.

It has been since September 7 I have been waiting to get my van fixed, said this Ford owner. I tried to get Ford to fix the problem but they just want to plug it back in and if I sign the waiver and something happens they will no longer be responsible for any damages, she said.

A Ford Explorer owner in Bainbridge Island, Washington is not satisfied with the automakers explanation.

They say the part is back ordered. I also understand that this part was originally found unsafe back in 2005 although I was only notified in August 2007, he said.

In San Jose, California another Ford owner encountered similar treatment.

My local Ford dealer disconnected my cruise control in November 2007, saying that it was required if I was to get the defective part replaced but he could not replace the part because of a backlog on the part and that it would take one month, the owner wrote.

Now it's been over 2 months and my dealer has no estimate on a replacement part. The dealer said that I could reconnect the cruise control but if the car caught on fire it would be my problem, he said.

Back in Bainbridge Island, Washington that explanation has a hollow ring. I would like someone to put a fire under them, because they are not motivated to replace the item once they've disconnected it, the Explorer owner concluded.