Issues
NHTSA Gambles With Focus Owners’ Lives
NHTSA Gambles With Focus Owners’ Lives; No Recall Is Bad Law and Bad Safety
Stalling Recalls
Mercedes-Benz of North America, Inc.
NHTSA ID No.: 68-0027
Date of Company Notification: 3-29-68
Make: Mercedes-Benz
Model: 230, 230S, 250S
Model Year: 1968
Number of Vehicles: 2,404
Fuel delivered to the engine during acceleration may cause engine to hesitate or stall. (Correct by installing modified pump lever for accelerator pump on both carburetors.)
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Ford’s warranty on Focus extended; engines can stall
11/20/03
Christopher Jensen
Plain Dealer Auto Editor
Ford has extended the warranty for the fuel delivery system of the 2000 and 2001 Ford Focus for 10 years.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating thousands of reports that the Focus "stalls unpredictably." But Ford has told the federal government a recall is not needed because stalling is not a safety problem.
Stalling is a serious safety defect, said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen and a former NHTSA administrator.
Focus Extended Coverage Program 03N01
All U.S. Ford and Lincoln Mercury Dealers
SUBJECT:
Extended Coverage Program 03N01 – Certain 2000 and 2001 Model Year Focus Vehicles Fuel Delivery Module
PROGRAM TERMS
This program extends the coverage of the fuel delivery module (FDM) to 10 years from the original warranty start date of the vehicle, with no limit on the number of miles that the vehicle has been driven. This program provides replacement coverage, and is automatically transferred to subsequent owners.
2004 F-150’s Have Door Problems
By Christopher Jensen
Plain Dealer Auto Editor
Friday, November 14, 2003
Ford has notified its dealers of a problem on some of its 2004 F-150 pickups that could make it impossible to open the doors from the inside.
Clarence Ditlow, head of the Center for Auto Safety in Washington, D.C., said Ford should consider this a safety problem and recall all the F-150s.
"In the event of an emergency . . . you need to be able to open the door to get out," Ditlow said.
Is a Recall by Any Other Name Still a Recall?
New York Times, October 22, 2003
by Cheryl Jensen
U.S. Starts Real-World Rollover Tests
U.S. starts real-world rollover tests
10/08/03
Christopher Jensen
Plain Dealer Auto Editor
East Liberty, Ohio – Later this year, the federal government expects to begin releasing test results showing a vehicle’s tendency to roll over – a test that consumer groups have sought for decades.
A Low-Cost Model Is a Big Headache for Ford
By DANNY HAKIM
New York Times
November 6, 2000
DETROIT, Nov. 5 – The Ford Focus might be the most error-prone car in the industry.