Ford Recalls Vehicles for Safety Issues

Ford Motor Company has announced the recall of approximately 360,000 vehicles in North America for a problem that can be a fire hazard. The problem is that certain vehicles can overheat due to lack of coolant circulation.  Lack of coolant of coolant circulation can be caused by fluid leakage.  Overheating of the engine can cause the engine cylinder head to crack resulting in the release of oil.  Oil coming into contact with hot surfaces such as the exhaust manifold can cause an engine fire to erupt.  The recall applies to 2014 Escape SUVs, 2014-2015 Fiesta ST, 2013-2014 Ford Fusion, and 2013-2015 Transit Connect Vans.  Owners can take their vehicles to their dealers to have them checked.  At this time, Ford has not decided if the company will fix any coolant leaks but will install a coolant level senor to tell the driver when their vehicle needs additional coolant.  For additional information, owners can contact Ford directly by calling 1-800-392-3673 or visiting their website at www.ford.com.

In addition to the coolant issue, Ford has increased its recall of certain vehicles due an on going problem with faulty door latches. In the latest recall, a pawl located inside the door latch can break preventing the door from closing completely.  This means that the door can open while the vehicle is in motion.  To date, the recall covers the following vehicles: 2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and 2013-2015 C-Max.  Owners should take vehicles to their dealers to have them checked and repaired if necessary.  For additional information, owners can contact Ford by calling 1-800-392-3673 or visiting their website at www.ford.com.

 

 

 

What Happened Here?

Recently, we have been investigating an incident that took place almost one year prior to our involvement. A two vehicle accident occurred in which one of the vehicles involved was a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The vehicle was subsequently repaired at a local body shop and returned to the owner. Approximately three to four days later, the engine overheated. According to the owner, the vehicle was returned to the shop where it was determined that the shop’s mechanic had forgotten to add coolant to the radiator before returning the vehicle to the owner. Once the coolant issue had been resolved and the vehicle returned to the owner, the owner began hearing a rumbling noise that turned out to be a damaged catalytic converter. A large crack developed in the expansion joint just below the flange that connects the converter to the exhaust manifold. It was also discovered that the exhaust manifold had cracked in four places (see attached photographs).

Based upon the owner’s description of the vehicle’s performance after the vehicle was initially returned, the rumbling noise was not present and did not occur until after coolant was added and the vehicle was returned for the second time.  It appeard that the damage to the catalytic converter and the exhaust manifold was caused when the engine overheated.