Ford Botches Accelerator Cable Fix

About four years prior to the Toyota unintended acceleration hoax captured the nation’s attention, Ford recalled 470,000 2002-2004 Escape crossovers to fix an accelerator cable that tended to get stuck. Yet, it seems the fix created another problem that could cause an “unintended acceleration” issue.

The Center for Auto Safety is accusing Ford of botching a recall on 2002-2004 Ford Escapes by creating a new problem.

A report in Autoblog.com says that the Center for Auto Safety is accusing Ford of botching the recall by introducing a new problem to the cruise control cable. It seems that during the repair process, it was likely that the cruise control cable was damaged. This issue leads to a case of unintended acceleration linked to a malfuncting cruise control cable.

How serious is this problem? According to the Center, there already has been one fatal accident and they have reports from many other owners on the issue. What’s even worse is that the Center is accusing Ford of knowning about this problem and not addressing it. They point to a memo Ford sent to dealers as proof of their claims. According to the Autoblog story, the Center said, “The bulletin contained updated illustrations and a “warning regarding the correct procedures to follow when replacing the accelerator cable.” The update specifically notes cruise control cables could be damaged during the recall repairs.”

It would seem that Ford’s ongoing “investigation” is rubbing the Center the wrong way. Executive Director Clarence Ditlow plans to tell Ford CEO Alan Mulally to “get it over with now.”

Ford recently responded to the Center’s claim in an email to the New York Times. They said, “We are in the midst of our investigation, and we have not reached any conclusions. We will work closely with NHTSA to determine the cause of the crash and will take appropriate action if warranted by the outcome of the investigation.”

While Toyota has taken its share of grief in the past few years due to recall/quality issues, Ford is starting to have several issues as well. Over the past 6 years, Ford has had:

• 1.5 million trucks recalled for spontaneously exploding airbags
• Faulty cruise control modules that have been linked to dozens of vehicle fires
• 2+ million trucks likely to be recalled for rusting fuel tank straps

The reality is that recalls affect all auto manufactures, it is how they respond to them that matters. How would you grade Ford’s recall history versus Toyota?

Related Posts:

• Ford FINALLY Expands F150 Airbag Recall, But Where’s The Fine?
• F-150 Reputation Resistant to Rust, Fire, and More. Why?
• Toyota Gets Accelerator Recall Right