Ford recalls 650,000 F-150s, Lincoln Mark LTs

The Lincoln Mark LT is being recalled for a brake hose issue. Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 650,000 Ford F-150 and Lincoln Mark LT pickup trucks to fix a brake hose that could weaken brake power.

Ford is recalling the 2005-06 versions of the trucks with 5.4-liter three-valve V8s, according to a posting on Wednesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The brake hose may swell over time and detach from the intake manifold, according to the posting. Although the brake function wouldn’t be completely lost, braking would require increased brake pedal effort, the posting said.

Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood said 11 minor accidents caused by the issue were reported, a sufficient number for the automaker to act. No injuries were reported, he said.

More than 600,000 of the trucks are in the United States and about 50,000 are in Canada, Sherwood said. Ford said its dealers will replace the hose at no charge to customers, who will receive a letter notifying them about the recall in June.

Ford, Lincoln and other Auto Recall Notices

Article by Craig Trudell, Autoweek.com

Ford Recalls 2008 Super Duty Trucks

Ford Motor Co. has ordered dealers to stop selling the new Super Duty pickup with the 6.4-liter diesel engine and is recalling more than 37,000 of the 2008 F-Series trucks after reported tailpipe fires in the diesel version of the pickups.

Ford has received three reports of flames shooting out of tailpipes after either fuel or oil leaked into an area of the exhaust system where diesel particulates are burned off to meet emissions requirements, according to a Ford spokesman.

In Texas, one Super Duty diesel's hot tailpipe set grass fire when the driver pulled off the road, according to Ford. The fire was quickly put out and no one was hurt.

"This is an important product for us and an important customer base, and we want to move swiftly to make sure this does not become a safety issue for our customers," Ford spokesman Dan Jarvis said.

The heavy-duty work truck is an important aspect of financial recovery at Ford as the automaker tries to pull itself out of $12.7 billion in red ink from last year. Ford dealers have an inventory on hand of roughly 29,000 Super Duty trucks with the 6.4-liter diesel engine. Sales of the hot selling truck will not resume until the engine control software can be updated.

The software upgrade resets the Super Dutypowertrain control module on the Ford trucks to recognize improper levels of heat in the exhaust system. If heat is detected the system will power down the truck so the driver can pull to the side of the road and allow the truck to cool off.

Ford estimates the software can be modified during ten minute procedure. Super Duty trucks that have not been shipped from their assembly plant in Louisville, Kentucky will receive the engine control software update at the plant.

Customers with the first 8,400 diesel Super Duty trucks already on the roads will be notified that they should bring their vehicles into dealerships for the software update.

Ford will send out a recall notice to customers in April and dealers will contact consumers as soon as possible to warn them of the potential problem.

Gasoline-powered versions of the Super Duty and previous model-year diesel trucks with 6.0-liter or 7.3-liter engines are not affected by the recall.

Almost 70 percent of the Super Duty trucks sold are equipped with diesel engines.

Joe Benton

ConsumerAffairs.com

Ford Recalls 4.6 Million For Possible Engine Fires

WASHINGTON -- The government is warning the owners of about 4.6 million recalled Ford vehicles to immediately bring their cars and trucks into dealerships. The Ford cars and trucks recalled need to disconnect faulty cruise control switch systems that have been linked to engine fires.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued the consumer advisory to the owners of certain Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, vans and passenger cars. About 9.6 million Ford Motor Co. vehicles have been recalled and about 5 million have been fixed. NHTSA said they have received about 60 complaints of engine fires in the Ford vehicles since August 2007.

The following make up the current list of recalled items from Ford as of Feb. 28th, 2008.
For more information and specifics about the recall go to the Ford Recall page.

Trucks:

• 1997-2002 Expedition
• 1998-2002 Navigator
• 2002-2003 Blackwood
• 1993-1996 Bronco
• 2000-2003 Excursion (built prior to 11/4/02)
• 1992-2003 Econoline E-150/250/350
• 1996-2003 Econoline E450
• 2002-2003 Econoline E550
• 1998-2002 Ranger
• 1998-2001 Explorer/Mountaineer
• 2001-2002 Explorer Sport (2 door) & Sport Trac
• 2003-2004 F-150 Lightning
• 1993-2003 F-Series (Under 8500 lb. GVW)
• 1993-2003 F-Series (over 8500 lb. GVW) 
• 1993-2003 F-Series (over 8500 lb. GVW)
• 1995-2002 F-53 Motorhome

Cars:

• 1992-1998 Town Car
• 1992-1998 Crown Victoria
• 1992-1998 Grand Marquis
• 1993-1998 Mark VIII
• 1993-1995 Taurus SHO (automatic transmission)
• 1994 Capri

Latest Ford Recall Issued After Engine Defect Linked to 14 Accidents

Yet another Ford recall was announced last week for more than 1 million trucks, SUVs and vans. Ford said it issued the recall because of a defect that could cause the engines of these vehicles to unexpectedly stall and lead to a possible crash. According to Ford, there have been 14 reports of sudden accidents related to this defect. This is the second massive Ford recall since August, when the company recalled millions of other vehicles because of a faulty cruise control switch.

The Ford recall encompasses 1.2 million trucks, SUVs and vans from the 1997-2003 model years with 7.3 liter diesel engines. The recall includes Ford E-Series van, Excursion full-size sport utility vehicle, and F-450 Super Duty and F-550 Super Duty trucks. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the camshaft position sensor - an electrical component that helps regulate the fuel going into the engine- located on the engine could function intermittently and lead to an engine stall and potential crash.

While fourteen accidents have been caused by the defective Ford engines, so far, no one has been injured. A Ford spokesperson told the Associated Press that in the event of an engine stall, drivers traveling in the recalled Ford vehicles at speeds greater than 30 miles per hour would have full power steering and power braking, allowing them to pull over to the side of the road. At speeds below 30 mph, the motorists would still have braking and steering functions, the spokesperson said.

Ford said that owners of the recalled vehicles will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln/Mercury dealer to have their vehicles inspected, and if necessary repaired. There will be no charge to owners for this service. The notifications for this latest Ford recall will be sent in phased mailings between mid-Dec and end of May, Ford said.

This is the second Ford recall since August, when the company recalled 3.6 million vehicles because a faulty cruise control switch could be a fire hazard. The same problem with the cruise control switch was responsible for a recall of 6 million cars, trucks, SUV and vans in January 2005. At the time of the August recall, Ford said that it had received reports of a “few” fires, though it would not confirm exactly how many such reports there had been. However, since the cruise control switch was first used by Ford in 1992, the NHTSA has documented 600 fires

In regards to the cruise control recall, Ford said that it was responding to customer concerns, and denied that the cruise control switches posed a hazard. But over the past decade, Ford has recalled 10 million vehicles because of concerns that the cruise control switch can cause fires. The Ford cruise control recalls have now covered every single car and truck built with this switch.

For a list of all Ford Recalls available visit the Ford Recall Page or find out more about Ford's Technical Service Bulletins.

12/10/07 - Source - NewsInferno.com

Ford Lacks Parts For Recall Repair

Ford Motor Company does not have sufficient parts to repair 1.25 million passenger cars recalled for a potential fire hazard and the parts will not be available until later in 2007.

The automaker claims to be making every effort to provide the parts but has failed to give dealers the needed quantity to be installed on the cruise control switch system in some recalled vehicles.

Ford's recall of 3.6 million cars and trucks announced in August covered more than a dozen models built from 1992 to 2004. The automaker has recalled more than 10 million vehicles since 1999 because of engine fires linked to the cruise control systems in trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles.

Vehicles that are affected by the parts shortage include the 1992-1997 Lincoln Town Car 1992-1997 Ford Crown Victoria, 1992-1997 Mercury Grand Marquis, 1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII, 1993-1995 Taurus SHO and 1994 Mercury Capri.

A Ford spokesman said there have been no supply problems for parts for SUVs and pickup trucks covered by the recall.

Ford had promised in August that it expected the parts to be available for the passenger cars in early October.

The spokesman blamed the problem on demand for the part exceeding supply as Ford owners rushed to dealers in an effort to eliminate the fire hazard.

Dealers are installing a fused wiring harness into the speed control electrical system as part of the recall. Owners can take their vehicles to a dealer to have the cruise control deactivated until the parts arrive.

From ConsumerAffairs.com