Ford Motor Company ("Ford"), in the continuing saga of the defective cruise control deactivation switches on its, issued the single largest recall in the history of the United States Tuesday, October 13, 2009, because of a potential safety defect in certain models of its vehicles. The faulty cruise control deactivation switches can create a fire hazard, even when the vehicle is parked and has no keys in it and is unattended.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") stated that this was the eigth recall by Ford, involving a total of 16 million Ford vehicles, regarding the cruise control deactivation switch. Sixteen Million Vehicles. (Why were these vehicles not recalled earlier? What took Ford so long to issue these recalls?)
A Ford spokesman indicated that the "risk was elevated" for 1.1 million Windstars that were subject to a government investiation. The spokesman further indicated the risk was "low", and that Ford always goes beyond recalling the cars that present a risk. (Why were the recalls strung out over a period of years?)
Ford has stated that it has not used the defective switches in models AFTER 2003. Ford further has instructed its customers to bring the offending vehicles to a dealer to have a "complimentary installation of a fused wiring harness that will eliminate the risk".
There should be no mistake about this: this is a potentially dangerous fire hazard, putting property, and possibly life, in harm’s way.
For further information, contact Ford at: 1 (800) 392-3673; or NHTSA at : 1 (888) 327-4236; or visit: www.safecar.gove
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