On top of all its other woes, Ford has now had to recall 1.2million trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans in the US due to concerns about potential engine fires.
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Ford said the recall was tied to the speed (cruise) control deactivation switch system, which could corrode over time, overheat and ignite, a move which builds upon one of the largest recalls in US history, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The news agency noted that the recall was the latest setback for the second-largest US automaker, which said earlier this week that its second-quarter loss more than doubled from what it previously reported because of higher-than-expected pension costs, confirmed its luxury division PAG will not be profitable this year and hired turnaround specialist (Goldman Sachs’ Kenneth Leet) amid a Wall Street Journal report that it is reviewing poorly performing units, including Jaguar, with an eye toward the possible sale of some operations.
On top of that it lost second place in the Ju;y sales tables to Toyota.
AP said the recall involves vehicles powered by petrol or natural gas and equipped with speed control, including the 1994-2002 F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 F-Super Duty trucks, 2000-2002 Excursion SUVs, 1994-1996 Econoline vans and 1996-2002 E-450 vans, and 1998 Explorers and Mountaineers. The recall does not involve similar vehicles with diesel engines.
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By GlobalDataFord UK technical press officer Paul Wilson told just-auto that the automaker expected the recall to include some of the right-hand drive 1998 Explorers sold here (the model was available in the UK from 1997 to 2001) but said the company was still working through its records and could not yet provide more details.
Last September, Ford recalled 3.8m pickups and SUVs from the 1994-2002 model years, including the top-selling F-150 pickup, because of the concerns over engine fires – that was the fifth-largest auto industry recall in US history, according to the news agency. Then, in January 2005, the company recalled nearly 800,000 2000 model year pickups and SUVs because of similar issues.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told AP on Thursday it has closed a nearly two-year investigation into the cause of the fires – it received 1,472 complaints connected to the problems, including 65 reports of fires.
According to the report, NHTSA said there have been no confirmed deaths or injuries, but lawsuits have been filed over three deaths in Iowa, Georgia and Arkansas, allegedly connected to vehicle fires.
The problem arose because brake fluid could leak through the cruise control’s deactivation switch into the system’s electrical components, leading to corrosion which could lead to a build-up of electrical current that could cause overheating and a fire.
Dealers installed a fused wiring harness to the cruise control deactivation switch to prevent the risk of fire if the switch leaked, AP said.
NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson told the news agency that its investigators, working with Ford, found the switch overheated in vehicles where the switch was placed in an upright position or at an angle and where there was excessive vacuum pressure in the brake system.
He reportedly called it “one of the most exhaustive investigations that we’ve ever done.”
Tyson told the Associated Press he did not expect any additional recalls. About 20m of the switches are used in vehicles, but Tyson said similar problems have not been found in non-Ford vehicles.
“We believe that we have identified the problem vehicles and we believe the Ford recall [on Thursday] is going to address the remaining problem,” he said, according to the report.
Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley told the Associated Press about 40% of the vehicles previously recalled have been fixed.
