Ford Motor Co. is recalling another 57,199 trucks and SUVs warning that the vehicles might catch fire because of a design flaw.
The latest Ford fire recall covers 2006 and 2007 trucks and SUV equipped with the 5.4 liter engine. They are the 2006-2007 E-150, E-250, E-350 trucks and the 2007 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.
The fire hazard in the Ford vehicles is caused by the fuel rail cross-over hose, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
NHTSA reports that the hose may crack, which could cause a fuel odor or a fuel leak. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire, NHTSA warns.
The recall is the latest in a lengthy series of Ford recalls to repair engineering errors that could cause a car or truck to catch fire. Ford has recalled almost 11 million vehicles beginning with the 1992 model year to repair fire hazard flaws in the cruise control system and anti-lock braking system.
ConsumerAffairs.com reported last month that more than 1.8 million 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.
Earlier in February, Ford concluded that a previous recall to prevent faulty cruise control system from erupting in flames was ineffective in almost 225,000 of the almost 11 million Ford vehicles recalled because of a fire hazard since the automaker first acknowledged the fire hazard in 1999.
As a result, Ford is issuing a second recall for the almost 225,000 vehicles that were previously recalled for a faulty cruise control system that might fail and cause the vehicle to burn even when parked and turned off.
The new recall issued February 4 is not scheduled to begin until March when Ford dealers will replace the fuel rail assembly.
Ford truck and SUV owners wanting more information about the fire danger in their vehicle or the recall may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673 or NHTSA 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).