A nightmarish news comes from Australia today, after the local division of American manufacturer Ford announced the recall of 5000 sets of Ford Territory accessory floor mats sold in the last year.
Since we can't but compare this with Toyota's infamous floor mat recall, we'll have to tell you that, unlike in the case of the Japanese manufacturer, Ford's floor mats do not entrap the accelerator pedal, but tend to fold or bunch. A trait which, truth be told, we are not sure is less or more dangerous than in Toyota's case.
According to GoAuto, at least two customers have reported problems with the mats. In one case, the floor mat problem turned into a low-speed crash, as the Territory ended up crashing at about 10km/h into a barrier. The other driver managed to stop the vehicle before a crash could occur.
Ford Australia spokesman Todd Nissen told the source that the manufacturer has already began contacting customers. Only the ones which bought Ford Genuine carpet mats after June 2009 are subject to the recall. The Ford part number is 5R7J A13002 AA.
Ford advises the drivers to remove the floor mat immediately and not wait to be contacted. The fix for the problems consists in a new set of floor mats, designed in such a way they eliminate the risk of bunching under the feet.
Additional details on the recall and fix can be obtained by calling Ford's Customer Relationship Centre (1800 503 672).
Since we can't but compare this with Toyota's infamous floor mat recall, we'll have to tell you that, unlike in the case of the Japanese manufacturer, Ford's floor mats do not entrap the accelerator pedal, but tend to fold or bunch. A trait which, truth be told, we are not sure is less or more dangerous than in Toyota's case.
According to GoAuto, at least two customers have reported problems with the mats. In one case, the floor mat problem turned into a low-speed crash, as the Territory ended up crashing at about 10km/h into a barrier. The other driver managed to stop the vehicle before a crash could occur.
Ford Australia spokesman Todd Nissen told the source that the manufacturer has already began contacting customers. Only the ones which bought Ford Genuine carpet mats after June 2009 are subject to the recall. The Ford part number is 5R7J A13002 AA.
Ford advises the drivers to remove the floor mat immediately and not wait to be contacted. The fix for the problems consists in a new set of floor mats, designed in such a way they eliminate the risk of bunching under the feet.
Additional details on the recall and fix can be obtained by calling Ford's Customer Relationship Centre (1800 503 672).