NEWS:   Ford F-150 recall greatly expanded: safety regulators

YAHOO NEWS -- April 14,  2011 – Ford Motor Co and U.S. safety regulators have agreed to a greatly expanded recall of the best-selling vehicle in North America, the Ford F-150 pickup truck, the regulators said on Thursday.

The expanded recall is for a possible short-circuit that could cause airbags to deploy unexpectedly, and involves nearly 1.2 million F-150 pickup trucks and 16,000 Lincoln Mark LT vehicles, said the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This is in addition to a previous recall of 144,000 Ford F-150 trucks, bringing the total for this issue to 1.33 million vehicles, NHTSA said.

F-150 is the primary model of the F-series pickup trucks, the best-selling vehicles in North America for the past 34 years. Pickup trucks and SUVs generally create more profit for automakers than do smaller cars.

Ford said it knows of no crashes or injuries caused by the issue. It will begin notifying vehicle owners in May to bring the pickup trucks or Lincolns into dealers for repair at no cost. Repairs will take less than half a day, Ford said.

But owners are asked to bring in their vehicles right away if their airbag warning light is illuminated, Ford said. If the light is ignored, in some circumstances, the driver's side front airbag could deploy unexpectedly.

Ford said the airbag warning typically is illuminated for "an extended period" before the driver's side front airbag surprises a driver by deploying. Drivers should have time to safely take the vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln/Mercury dealer if they do so when the warning signal is first lit, Ford said.

Ford said its field data indicates that drivers have maintained control of their vehicles if the front side airbag deploys.

Overall, the recall affects 1.32 million trucks from the model years 2004 to 2006.

A mistake in the assembly of the vehicles could cause an airbag wire in the steering wheel to short-circuit, Ford and NHTSA said.

The expansion comes after talks between the automaker and safety regulators in Washington.

"We are pleased that Ford shares our commitment to safety and is taking action to protect consumers by expanding its safety recall," said NHTSA Administrator ...in a statement.

In February, Ford said in a response to safety regulators, "the condition does not present an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety" but agreed to the recall of 144,000 F-150s.

On Thursday, Ford said it held to its previous statement that the issue is not an "unreasonable risk," but agreed to the expanded recall "to reassure customers of Ford's commitment to safety and to eliminate any possible customer confusion."

Ford cooperated during the study of the airbag issue throughout the process, NHTSA said

MORE RECALL INFO:

• Ford F-150
• Lincoln Mark LT

MAY 2008 -- Ford is recalling 605,684 MY 2005-2006 F-150 and Lincoln Mark LT vehicles equipped with 5.4L 3-Valve engines. The brake booster vacuum supply hose attached to the intake manifold fitting may swell over time and lose retention force. This condition could allow the hose to become detached from the fitting during an intake manifold backfire. Should the hose detach from the intake manifold, several brake applications with power assist will be available before the vacuum reserve is depleted. Once the brake booster vacuum reserve is depleted, the driver will have foundation brake function, but with increased brake pedal effort. Reduced vehicle braking could lead to a crash. Dealers will replace a rubber hose on the brake booster vacuum supply tube assembly. The recall is expected to begin on or about July 7, 2008. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. This recall was the subject of a Preliminary Evaluation, PE08-001, conducted by the Office of Defects Investigation. 08V208

NEWS:   Ford recalls over 650,000 pickups for brake hose

Defective hose could affect braking power on F-150 and Lincoln Mark TL pickup trucks.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- May 14, 2008 -- Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 655,000 Ford F-150 and Lincoln Mark LT pickup trucks to fix a hose that could affect the vehicles' braking power.

The automaker is issuing the recall of 2005-2006 versions of the trucks with 5.4 liter 3-valve engines. This is according to a posting Wednesday on the Web site of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Ford spokesman ....says more than 600,000 of the trucks are in the United States and about 50,000 are in Canada. About 1,500 are in other countries around the world.

Ford says there have been 11 minor accidents and no injuries tied to the issue.

Dealers will replace the hose at no charge to consumers. Owners are expected to be notified in late June, and the recall is expected to begin in July.

MORE RECALL INFORMATION:    Ford F-150      Lincoln Mark LT

NEWS:   Ford recalls some 235,000 pickups, vans, SUVs 

Vehicles from 2006 model year may have problems with windshield wipers

WASHINGTON (AP) - November 17, 2005.   Ford Motor Co. is recalling about 235,000 pickups, vans and sport utility vehicles from the 2006 model year because of potential problems with the windshield wiper motor.

The models include the E-150, E-250, E-350 and E-450 vans, the Escape, Expedition and Explorer SUVs, F-150 and Ranger pickups and Taurus sedan. It also includes the Lincoln Navigator SUV and Lincoln Mark LT pickup and Mercury Mountaineer and Mariner SUV.

It is Ford’s second large recall in two days. On Wednesday, the automaker said it was recalling 220,000 vehicles from the 2005 model year amid concerns a battery cable rubbing against the frame could cause fires and worry that a fuel tank strap could separate after tens of thousands of miles.    MORE...