The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into Ford Motor’s Freestyle crossover SUV after receiving almost 240 complaints of unintended lunging. Reports filed with the NHTSA say that the vehicles lunged forward at low speeds when the driver’s foot was not on the accelerator pedal. 18 of the reports claimed to have resulted in an accident, including one with minor injuries. Owner said that the problem seemed to have worsened when the vehicles’ air conditioning was turned on or the steering was turned sharply. Spokesperson for the Michigan based automaker said that, Ford will fully cooperate with the NHTSA in an attempt to rectify the problem. The investigation will include about 170,000 Ford Freestyle SUV’s, of the 2005 to 2007 model years.
Tag Archives: NHTSA
Ford F150 Investigation Into Fuel Tanks
An investigation into fuel tank problems could have the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recalling Ford F-150 pickup trucks. The investigation was started a year ago after 32 complaints of fuel tanks falling off. Today over 240 complaints have been received, with 95% of the reported incidents resulting in fuel spillage. If the investigation leads to a recall, almost three million 1997-2001 F-150 trucks could be recalled. Ford is cooperating with the NHTSA and encourages owners to contact their local dealer if they have any questions about the investigation.
Shattering Windows In Ford SUVs
A preliminary investigation into shattering rear windows for 2010-2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner sport utility vehicles (SUV) has been opened after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received 18 complaints that the rear lift-gate window shattered while opening or closing the lift-gate. Many of the incidents were reported to have happened during cold weather conditions and one alleged cut injuries to a 10 year old boy.
In 2004, Ford issued a recall for certain 2001-2005 SUV’s because the rear lift-gate latching system did not meet the inertia load requirements of the federal motor vehicle safety standards. There were over 150 reports of minor injuries when the door hinges failed allowing the glass to break.
Owners wanting more information about Ford vehicle recalls can contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
2011 MV Agusta F4 Motorcycles Recalled
Italian motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta (MVA) is recalling over two hundred 2010 F4 Motorcycles. According to a report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the upper fixture points of the sub frame may not be strong enough and could lead to frame cracks and instability of the vehicle. A reinforcement support kit will be installed by dealers free of charge.
This is the second recall for this motorcycle in the past year. Last June MVA recalled almost seventy 2010 MV Agusta F4 super bikes for a faulty air filter frame that may become loose, allowing material to enter the system. This debris could damage the assembly causing the motor to seize.
Owners wanting more information on either recall can contact MV Agusta at 1-215-830-3300, or the NHTSA’s vehicle safety hot line at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).
California Automobile Rental Recall Bill
California lawmakers are one step closer to passing a bill that will force automobile rental companies to immediately pull recalled vehicles from their fleet until the problem has been fixed. Carol Houck has been fighting for this bill since 2004 when her two daughters died in a rented PT Cruiser accident caused by a recall. Assemblyman Bill Monning, who presented the bill said, “Consumers need to know that when they rent these cars, that the cars are safe. Auto dealers can’t sell or lease cars that have been recalled, and this bill would close the loophole that allows rental car companies to continue doing so.”
Rental company representatives argue that 90 percent of vehicles are repaired withing 30 days of receiving a recall notice, making the bill unnecessary. They feel that the bill targets their industry unfairly and ignores other vehicle fleets, like taxi, limousine and shuttle bus services, private companies and governments.
TSB Copyrights Hurt The Consumer
A Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) is a bulletin issued by an automobile manufacturer to an auto dealer notifying them about warranty extensions and fixes for known repeated problems. Because it is not a recall, the dealer is under no obligation to make the repair or to even notify customers of the problem. The publication of these TSB’s gives information that could save consumers large amounts of money on repairs, but still the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has declined to post these reports on their web site. The reason: The NHTSA has been warned that the TSB’s are copyrighted.
According to NHTSA spokeswoman, Karen Aldana, “Many manufacturers say that technical service bulletin information is copyrighted, and therefore the NHTSA has a legal obligation to leave them “off” their site.” These manufacturers believe that the bulletins should not be published because they show how to make repairs that “should not be performed by do-it-yourselfers. These bulletins, however, can be obtained through commercial services which sell the information to repair shops as well as individuals.
But not all automakers copyright their bulletins. Automakers like BMW, Chrysler, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Subaru and Volvo all say they would not object to publication by the agency. Some say that failing to do so could be seen as the agency being more concerned about catering to the auto industry instead of helping consumers.
Investigation Leads To Ford F150 Recall
Investigations started by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) last September has lead the government agency to urge a recall that could affect almost 140,000 F-150 trucks in the United States. The recall is over concerns that the air bags could deploy without warning. The NHTSA said that they have received almost 240 complaints of unwanted airbag deployment on 2004-2006 F-150 vehicles with almost 80 leading to injuries.
According to Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood, an improperly installed wire in the steering wheel may chaff, causing a short and an illuminated seat belt warning lamp. If it is not serviced, it could lead to deployment of the airbag. The recall will cover 2004-2006 Ford F-150 trucks, built in their Norfolk, Virginia assembly plant, for a relatively low risk of inadvertent air bag deployment. The NHTSA said they will review the recall and determine if it is sufficient.
Toyota Highlander HEV Investigated For Stalling
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have opened up a defect investigation into 2006 Toyota Highlander hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) after receiving 32 complaints of stalling engines. None of the incidents resulted in an accident, but many complained that the vehicle could not be restarted and had to be towed to the dealership. The NHTSA have carried out several investigations into stalling engines of different vehicles and manufacturers over the years, many of which have led to recalls.
