Ford recalls 390,000 cars to fix doors that may fly open while driving
The recall covers the 2012-14 Ford Fiesta, 2013-14 Ford Fusion and 2013-14 Lincoln MKZ, all of which were built in Mexico.
It comes 10 days after documents show that Ford officials had a virtual meeting with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has been investigating more than 600 complaints and 1,000 warranty claims on the cars’ latches. Regulators started looking into the matter in September and upgraded their inquiry in February.
Ford said it knows of two minor injuries caused by a door bouncing back when someone tried to close it and one incident in which a door opened and struck another vehicle as the driver was pulling into a parking space. It has received 69 complaints of doors opening while the vehicle is in motion, according to NHTSA documents.
A 2013 Fiesta owner wrote in a complaint to NHTSA that the problem occurred on two occasions last summer. “When I made a turn, one of the doors came flying open," the customer wrote. “I had to use a cargo strap to keep the door shut both times while taking it to the dealership for repair."
The problem is related to the potential for a “pawl spring tab" to break in the latch. Ford said dealers will be instructed to replace all four of the cars’ door latches for free.
The issue affects 336,873 cars in the U.S., 30,198 in Canada and 22,514 in Mexico. autonews.com