Vehicle recalls are no fun at all, whether for the manufacturer or the owner. The level of inconvenience cannot be understated, not to mention worries of something bad happening between now and sending the vehicle to the service center. Ford is the latest vehicle manufacturer to issue a recall, attributing this to a couple of factors: fire risk and door latch issues. Needless to say, either one of them are very important, since you would not want to end up driving a vehicle that spontaneously combusts, or take a corner only to find the door swinging itself open, with the occupants holding on for dear life.
The total number of vehicles affected by this particular recall? 570,000 and counting, and this involves Ford vehicles on both sides of the pond. Regardless of whether you are in North America or Europe, if you happen to drive any of the affected cars, it would be best to send it in to the nearest service center immediately so that problems that can result in engine fires as well as doors that fly open unexpectedly will be fixed.
Expect this massive recall to negatively affect Ford’s earnings in the first quarter of 2017. Ford claims that this recall exercise will reduce the company’s pretax earnings by a whopping $295 million, which is a large enough figure for any public listed company to balk at.
The engine fire recall will affect more than 360,000 vehicles in North America and Europe. Over in North America, the models involved in the engine fire recall are the Escape SUVs from the 2014 model year, the 2014 and 2015 compact Fiesta ST, the 2013 and 2014 Fusion midsize car and the 2013 through 2015 Transit Connect small van.
Over in Europe, this particular recall will involve the 2010 through 2015 C-Max hybrid and Focus small car, and the 2013 through 2015 Transit Connect van. All of the vehicles mentioned come with the 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine.
Apparently, it has been discovered that not having adequate coolant circulation might result in the engine overheating, and hence having a crack appear in the cylinder head. Ford claims that when that happens, pressurized oil will leak through the crack. In the event that this pressurized oil lands on a hot surface, it might end up with an engine barbecue. There is also proof to back this theory up as Ford has received 29 reports of fires in the U.S. and Canada to date.
Should there be available parts, dealers will work on installing a coolant level sensor as well as a warning light on the dashboard that will inform owners should the coolant level start to run low. Apart from that, Ford will include 211,000 vehicles to a 2015 recall as part of the faulty door latch replacement exercise. This recall affects the 2014 Fiesta and the 2013 and 2014 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ.
Hopefully all will be fixed in due time in accordance to safety regulations and standards, so that no untoward incident will play out eventually.
