Ford Motor Co
03 August 2006
Contact: Kristen Kinley
313-337-2786
kkinley@ford.com
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FORD SUPPLEMENTS A SAFETY RECALL
DEARBORN, Mich., August 3, 2006 - Ford Motor Company announced today that it is
supplementing the 2005 speed control deactivation system recall to include
certain speed control-equipped gas or natural gas 1994-2002 F-250 through F-550
F-Super Duty trucks, 2000-2002 Excursions, 1994-1996 Econoline vans and
1996-2002 E-450 vans, as well as speed control-equipped 1998 Explorers and
Mountaineers. Ford estimates that there are approximately 1.2 million of these
vehicles currently on U.S. roads.
'Today's action includes those vehicles that were identified as having a
interaction issue between the speed control deactivation switch and the brake
system that could, in rare cases, cause the switch to overheat and ultimately
catch fire,' said Ray Nevi, assistant director, Ford Automotive Safety Office.
Last year, Ford conducted a recall of approximately five million vehicles to add
a fused wiring harness to the speed control deactivation switch to eliminate the
potential risk of fire if the switch leaked. The fused wiring harness cuts off
the electrical current to the switch in the rare event there is increased
current due to a leaking switch. Increased current can result in the switch
overheating.
'Following last year's recall, we indicated further analysis would continue to
determine what vehicle characteristics were contributing to the potential for
switch leakage,' said Nevi. 'After a year of intensive research, including
working with NHTSA's engineers, we have concluded that certain factors on the
affected vehicles may lead to the switch overheating.'
These factors include the specific orientation of the switch on the brake master
cylinder and repeated high vacuum events at the switch due to typical brake
system operation. It is the repeated high vacuum events that may cause some
speed control deactivation switch seals to become more susceptible to failure,
thus allowing brake fluid to pass through the seal to the electrical side of the
switch. Brake fluid leaks into the switch can cause it to corrode and possibly
overheat. The high vacuum events combined with the switch orientation increase
the potential for a fire in these vehicles. Therefore, Ford is recalling these
additional vehicles.
Ford has a sufficient supply of fused wiring harnesses to repair customers'
vehicles. Customers affected by this recall are instructed to take their
vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealership to have fused wiring harness
installed.
Owners of affected vehicles will be notified by mail shortly. Owners who have
not already had their previously recalled vehicles repaired should contact their
dealers to make arrangements for the repair.
Customers may get further information at www.genuineservice.com or they may
contact Ford's Customer Relationship Center at 1-888-222-2751 or view a message
about this recall by visiting www.ford.com under the 'Vehicle and Services'
heading under the 'Owners' and 'Recalls' tabs.
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This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange