Ford Announces Two More Recalls Involving Focus Subcompact
DEARBORN, Mich. --
Ford Motor Co. announced two voluntary safety recalls on the Ford Focus
that affect about 572,795 vehicles from the 2000 and 2001 model years.
The subcompact has been recalled eight previous times since its debut
two years ago, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
has six different ongoing investigations regarding the Focus.
One of the recalls
announced Monday involves a bolt in the front-suspension assembly that
may be loose and cause noise, vibration or -- in a small number of cases
-- separation of the ball joint, Ford said in a statement.
The other recall
involves Focus vehicles with Zetec engines in which potential problems
with battery-cable routing could result in smoke, wire melting or an
underhood fire.
Ford will notify
customers through the mail to bring their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln
Mercury dealer for no-cost repairs.
"We are serious
about improving not just the quality of the new Focus, but also the
reliability of Focus cars from prior model years," said Sue Cischke,
vice president for environmental and safety engineering, in a statement.
" Although these two concerns are rare occurrences, they could
have safety consequences and we want to ensure our customers' peace-of-mind."
A Ford spokesman
said regarding the front-suspension assembly, there were 36 claims potentially
related to this issue. As for the Zetec engines, there were 334 reports
of some kind of battery-check engine light or heat-related damage issue.
It hasn't been determined if the incidences are related, the spokesman
said, adding there were no reports of injuries or accidents.
For the front-suspension
problem, technicians will inspect the lower-control- arm hardware and
tighten, or replace, the affected bolt as necessary. The battery-cable
repair involves inspecting and re-routing of cables and replacement
of the cables, if necessary.
Ford added it that
owners of 2000 and 2001 Focuses that weren't part of an earlier recall
involving 21 states in the northern U.S. and Canada should get their
rear-wheel bearing seal replaced. The original recall involved areas
where corrosion could be an issue.
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