Ford expands recall by 4.5m vans, trucks

Ford Motor is expanding its largest-ever recall – involving faulty cruise control deactivation switches that have caused fires – by 4.5 million vehicles, regulators and company officials said Tuesday.

The action effectively closes out a 10-year saga over the switches made by Texas Instruments that have led to more than a half-dozen recalls at Ford covering 14 million registered vehicles, the carmaker said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Texas Instruments no longer provides the switches for Ford vehicles.

The government added 2 million vehicles to the Ford total, factoring in models not believed to be on the road.

The affected vehicles should be taken to Ford dealers to be fixed.

"While the data shows the majority of the vehicles being recalled do not pose a significant safety risk, we are recalling the vehicles to reassure consumers and eliminate any future concerns," Ford said.

NHTSA Tuesday alerted owners of more than a half-dozen truck and van models sold in US territories of potential fire hazards linked to flawed switches in Ford vehicles.

In a warning to consumers, government safety officials said leaking fluid can overheat and potentially cause fires, even when the ignition is off.

There have been fires reported over the years and some minor injuries, Ford said.

"I urge consumers to pay attention to this warning and bring the affected models in to have them repaired as soon as possible," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

Ford said in its letter to NHTSA that it had noticed a rising number of leaking switches on Ford Windstar minivans and a small number of switch fires had been reported.

Ford decided to recall the 1.1 million Windstars made between 1995-2003. It included remaining models not covered in previous recalls, even though there was no finding that the switches in those vehicles were unsafe.

"Ford is taking this action on all of these vehicles to address possible ongoing customer lack of confidence in vehicles with the affected switch," the company said in the letter.

It was the second major recall in as many weeks for the auto industry. On September 30, Toyota Motor said it would recall approximately 3.8 million vehicles in the US because of floor mats that can come loose and force down the accelerator.

Ford and Toyota have been two of the stronger performers during the industry's severe sales slump since last year.

US and foreign carmakers are emphasizing quality more than ever as consumers seek economy and reliability with fuel prices high and recession and tight credit eroding the pool of potential buyers.

Reuters

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