Ford to recall 8.7 million vehicles
2nd largest recall blamed on faulty ignition
April 25, 1996
Web posted at: 11:15 a.m. EDTDETROIT, Michigan (CNN) -- Ford Motor Company said Thursday it is recalling about 8.7 million cars and trucks in the United States and Canada to fix a problem with faulty ignition switches.
Ford said it was acting in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Transport Canada.
The recall will cover Ford and Lincoln-Mercury vehicles built between 1988 and early 1993, the No. 2 U.S. automaker said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the recall is the second largest ever issued. Only the recall last year of 8.8 million vehicles of various brands with Takada seatbelts was larger, NHTSA spokesman Tim Heard said.
The ignition switch problem was under close scrutiny from the NHTSA because consumers had reported about 820 fires from the switches. The first Canadian recall followed 260 reports of smoke or fire from ignition switches.
"In a very small number of vehicles, the ignition switch could experience an internal short circuit, creating the potential for overheating, smoke and possibly fire in the steering column area of the vehicle," said a statement from Ford.
The company said owners of the affected cars will be notified by mail and can have the switches replaced at no charge.
Each repair will cost Ford between $50 and $90, a company source speaking on condition of anonymity told the Detroit Free Press. Repairs should be made quickly because replacement parts already are in stock, the source said.
Analysts said the recall could result in a loss of between $300 million and $350 million in after-tax earnings.
In Canada, 611,000 vehicles are being added to an earlier recall. The vehicles added are the same as listed above.
Related sites:
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
FeedbackSend us your comments.Selected responses are posted daily. |
|
![[Imagemap]](/US/images/9601/navbar.gif){kind=small}
Copyright © 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
