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After the federal government received reports of hundreds of complaints and news of 14 motor vehicle accidents related to braking problems in 2005 and 2006 Ford F-150 and LIncoln Mark LT vehicles, the auto maker has quickly issued a recall.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defect Investigations ruled that Ford’s actions were sufficient to close the case and will not be taking further action.

The iconic Ford F-150 is one of Ford’s best-sellers and most profitable vehicles.  Ford had surprised Wall Street with unexpectedly higher earnings last quarter, but the fallout over a big recall potentially affecting safety may cut in to the compamy’s third quarter profits.

To correct the problem, dealers will replace a hose inside the braking assembly. Ford announced that the program would start right after the July 4 holiday and said concerned owners could call the company toll-free at (800) 392-3673.

Posted under Recalls

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation of Fords and Mazdas from the 2001 through 2003 model years. There have been 8 fires reported in these vehicles, as well as two other incidents.

The vehicles being investigated are the Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute. Thus far, the Escape, rather than its Tribute twin, have had the major problems reported. The result of the investigation could result in a recall or be found to be isolated coincidences.

Posted under Automotive, Safety

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently tested four 2007 model vehicles with side airbags: Toyota FJ Cruiser and Ford Freestyle (midsize SUVs); Ford Fusion (midsize moderately priced car) and Ford Crown Victoria (large family car). The FJ Cruiser and Freestyle earn good ratings for protection in side crashes. The Fusion is rated acceptable, and the Crown Victoria is marginal. Side airbags are optional in the FJ Cruiser and Crown Victoria. The Fusion has been upgraded to standard side airbags for the 2007 model year. The Freestyle will have standard side airbags in 2007s built after September.

“We commend Ford for making side airbags standard in the Fusion and Freestyle,” says Institute president Adrian Lund. “A few years ago, it was rare to find these standard in moderately priced family vehicles, but they’re quickly becoming the norm.”

The tests were conducted outside of the Institute’s normal schedule at the request of the manufacturers. Tests of the Crown Victoria and Fusion update earlier tests of these vehicles without side airbags.

“Manufacturers may request a test because they’ve made changes to improve a vehicle’s performance or they have a new vehicle they think will earn a good rating,” Lund explains. “We encourage these requests because it means manufacturers are striving to make their vehicles safer, and we can get the results out to consumers earlier. When we do conduct tests early the manufacturers provide reimbursement for the cost of the vehicles.”

Summary of test results: The FJ Cruiser with optional side airbags earned a good rating. Intrusion into the occupant compartment was minimal. Performance in all categories (dummy injury measures, head protection, and structure) was good across the board.

“A perfect score,” Lund points out.

The Freestyle’s structure didn’t perform quite as well, but this vehicle is rated good overall. The dummies’ heads were protected from hitting any hard structures by side curtain-style airbags that deploy from above the windows.

Both the Fusion and Crown Victoria (also sold by Mercury as the Milan and Grand Marquis) with side airbags improved compared with the poor ratings earned by 2006 models tested without side airbags. In the new test of the Fusion, head protection was good but measures recorded on the driver dummy indicated that a fracture of the pelvis would be possible in a crash of this severity. The Fusion with side airbags earned an overall rating of acceptable for side impact protection. In the Crown Victoria, head protection also improved, but this car is rated marginal because of high forces recorded on the driver dummy’s pelvis and poor structural performance. (Note: These ratings do not apply to 2006 models equipped with optional side airbags. Ford changed the side airbags, door structure, and interior trim of 2007 Fusions and the side airbags and interior trim of 2007 Crown Victorias to improve occupant protection in side impacts.)

How vehicles are evaluated: Each vehicle’s overall side evaluation is based on performance in a crash test in which the side of the vehicle is struck by a barrier moving at 31 mph. The barrier represents the front end of a pickup or SUV. Ratings reflect injury measures recorded on two instrumented SID-IIs dummies, both representing a small woman or preteen; assessment of head protection countermeasures; and the vehicle’s structural performance during the impact. Injury measures obtained from the two dummies, one in the driver seat and the other in the rear seat behind the driver, are used to determine the likelihood that the driver and/or passenger in a real-world crash would have sustained serious injury to various body regions. The movements and contacts of the dummies’ heads during the crash also are evaluated. Structural performance is based on measurements indicating the amount of B-pillar intrusion into the occupant compartment.

Posted under Automotive, Safety, Uncategorized

Several weeks after recalling a significant portion of its truck line for those vehicles’ potential to cause a fire, Ford Motor Company is recalling 350,000 Focuses. The company states that the rear door latches may corrode and eventually malfunction, causing them to improperly close.

The conmpany plans to begin notifying customers March 1 and stated that dealers will replace corroded latches and clean and lubricate others.

Posted under Automotive, Recalls

A Ford press release confirms that 792,000 vehicles are impacted. They include the F-150, Expedition and Navigator from model year 2000 and the F-Series Supercrew from model year 2001. According to Ford, using the vehicle’s cruise control can cause a fire under the hood.

Ford reports that the company does not have enough replacement switches on hand and will first take the step of deactivating the cruise control to eliminate the fire risk. The company announced that it expects to begin notifying consumers by mail in February. When enough replacement parts are on hand, the company will then make the necessary repairs and reactivate the cruise control feature.

Consumer Help Web advises consumers who own these vehicles not to wait for a mailed notice some time in the future. Ford’s Customer Assistance Center can be reached by calling toll-free to (866) 436-7332. The consumer advocacy company believes that waiting several weeks for a mailed notice when a problem is known to exist is ineffective communication for consumers at risk and urges consumers to call the company and make appropriate arrangements to deactivate the safety hazard.

Posted under Recalls