Photo: Ford
This just in from the Ford Motor Company. Many, many cars and commercial vehicles manufactured between calendar years 2011 and 2016 are the subjects of a regional safety recall. The problem appears to be a minuscule component in the door latch.
“In the affected vehicles, the pawl spring tab in the side door latch could break,” Ford explains. If this happens, the given condition prevents the door from latching. That’s not just irritating. It’s dangerous. Here’s Ford again: “In certain situations where the door is able to be closed, the door may unlatch while driving, increasing the risk of injury.”
The Blue Oval further describes the problem as having a higher rate of occurrence in states where it’s hot. Hence, FoMoCo informs that this recall is focused primarily in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and so forth.
Up to this point, Ford has identified one reported accident related to the said issue, as well as one reported injury. In total, 828,053 vehicles are affected, from which 766,682 in the U.S. and 61,371 in neighboring Mexico. The fix for this tiny but potentially dangerous defect is to replace the side door latches. At no cost to the owner, naturally.
Affected nameplates include the 2012 - 2015 Ford Focus, 2013 - 2015 Ford Escape, 2013 - 2015 Ford C-Max, 2015 Ford Mustang, 2015 Lincoln MKC, and 2014 - 2016 Ford Transit Connect. You can check if your car is due new door latches by using the recalls look-up by VIN feature on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website.
Bear this in mind, boys and girls. When the bean counters get their noses too close in the R&D process of a car, accidents and safety recalls are certain to happen. Remember what happened to General Motors not too long ago? Yup, the inevitable happened because the bean counters wouldn’t spend an additional $1 per car on a better quality ignition switch.
The Blue Oval further describes the problem as having a higher rate of occurrence in states where it’s hot. Hence, FoMoCo informs that this recall is focused primarily in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and so forth.
Up to this point, Ford has identified one reported accident related to the said issue, as well as one reported injury. In total, 828,053 vehicles are affected, from which 766,682 in the U.S. and 61,371 in neighboring Mexico. The fix for this tiny but potentially dangerous defect is to replace the side door latches. At no cost to the owner, naturally.
Affected nameplates include the 2012 - 2015 Ford Focus, 2013 - 2015 Ford Escape, 2013 - 2015 Ford C-Max, 2015 Ford Mustang, 2015 Lincoln MKC, and 2014 - 2016 Ford Transit Connect. You can check if your car is due new door latches by using the recalls look-up by VIN feature on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website.
Bear this in mind, boys and girls. When the bean counters get their noses too close in the R&D process of a car, accidents and safety recalls are certain to happen. Remember what happened to General Motors not too long ago? Yup, the inevitable happened because the bean counters wouldn’t spend an additional $1 per car on a better quality ignition switch.
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