The Ford Motor Company is currently experiencing problem after problem. Recently, the Dearborn based car manufacturer recalled a number of their F-Super Duty trucks due to reported cases of fire as a result of an overheating particulate filter.
More recently, the troubled car maker announced that they will recall 527,000 units of the Ford Escape. The said numbers of sport utility vehicles were manufactured in Ford's assembly plant in Kansas City and in Avon Lake, Ohio. The main concern for the thousands of Escapes is the faulty seal in their anti-lock braking systems. The said fault can cause severe problems and, in the worst case scenario, can lead to engine fires.
Jennifer Moore, a spokeswoman for Ford, announced the recall on Wednesday which fell on April 11 of this year. She stated that the vehicles being recalled were manufactured in Ford's Kansas City plant located in Claycomo and in their Ohio plant in Avon Lake. While the Ford Escape units manufactured from those assembly plants are being recalled, hybrid versions of the Escape are not part of the recall.
The fault discovered are missing or incorrectly installed in the vehicles' anti-lock braking system's wiring. That error could result to problems regarding the vehicle's safety. According to Moore, some of the problems that may arise due to the mistake are illuminated ABS light and an open fuse.
More serious problems like smoking, and melting or burning of the ABS connectors are also possible threats. Fortunately though, there appears to be accidents or injuries have been reported as a result of the error on the assembly of the vehicles. That is why it is necessary for Ford to take the step of recalling the thousands of Ford Escapes to prevent severe injury to consumers.
According to Moore, the recalled vehicles will be inspected by dealers. They will be checking for corrosion on the concerned components. Ford will also replace the ABS connector or the anti-lock braking system module as a whole when needed for free.
The Kansas City plant where the Escapes have been manufactured is also where Ford assembles their F-Series trucks, and the Mazda Tribute sport utility vehicle aside from the Ford Escape SUV. While, thousands of Escapes are being recalled, the F-series trucks and Tributes are not part of the recall. This setback is the last thing that Ford needs since it is steadily losing ground to Asian car manufactures in the US market.
Toyota is now on the heels of the Ford Motor Company in terms of shares in the US market for the month of March. Other Asian brands like Honda and Nissan, with high quality Nissan cars equipped with Nissan steering racks are also making their presence felt in the US auto market.