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- February 7, 1999
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- City, State
- Sherwood Park, Alberta eh?
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1992 XLT
Funny thing is that I had this problem on my '98 within the first couple of months of driving it.
Ford recalls some Explorers
By The Associated Press
Last Update: 7:33 PM ET Nov 30, 2000
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ford Motor Co. is recalling 876,413 Explorers
and Mercury Mountaineers to replace faulty parts on the suspension
system. Thousands of the Explorers, the world's best-selling sport utility
vehicle, already are under recall in connection with the Firestone tire
problem.
The recall affects 1995 through 1997 models of the Explorer and the
1997 Mountaineer, which have sway bar links that can break off,
especially in cold climates. The sway bar connects the left and right front
wheel control arms and helps control the pitch of the vehicle in turns.
The recall covers 846,591 Explorers and 29,822 Mountaineers.
Ford (F: news, msgs) will notify owners by mail and its dealers will
provide free replacement links that are wider. The recall ends an
investigation by the government's auto safety agency.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary
investigation into the problem on Sept. 20 after an agency employee
having handling problems discovered a broken link on his vehicle. The
employee's dealer told him that he had sold many replacement links for
other drivers with similar problems.
NHTSA investigators went to their parking garage at the Transportation
Department and examined 28 Explorers. Seven of the SUVs, all either
1995 or 1996 models, had repaired or broken links, so the agency
opened an investigation to assess the scope of the problem.
At the time, a Ford spokesman said the company did not believe it was a
safety problem, but further testing showed it could affect handling and
safety, Ford spokesman Mike Vaughn said Thursday.
"We went back and we decided that, yes, there is a small risk at the
extreme limits," Vaughn said. "We felt the right thing to do is administer it
as a safety recall."
NHTSA has collected 13 complaints from owners who said that stability
was reduced during a lane change or turn, especially at speeds above 40
mph. Ford received 262 owner and field reports of the problem, including
two reports of minor accidents that may be related, Vaughn said.
He said most of the reports came from New England and Canada.
NHTSA officials say the sway bar problem did not cause tread
separations on Firestone tires that were used on the Explorer.
Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. has recalled 6.5 million of its ATX, ATX II
and Wilderness AT tires, which reportedly have been involved in
accidents that have killed at least 119 people and injured more than 500.
Most of the accidents involved the Explorer.
Some observers point out that the broken links had the potential to
increase the severity of an accident during a tire tread loss.
"Any situation where a driver is going to have to make an emergency
maneuver after a tire failure, a broken sway bar is only going to make
handling more difficult," said Sean Kane, president of Strategic Safety, an
Arlington, Va.-based firm involved in litigation against Ford and
Bridgestone/Firestone.
Ford shares fell $1.69 Thursday to close at $22.75
Ford recalls some Explorers
By The Associated Press
Last Update: 7:33 PM ET Nov 30, 2000
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ford Motor Co. is recalling 876,413 Explorers
and Mercury Mountaineers to replace faulty parts on the suspension
system. Thousands of the Explorers, the world's best-selling sport utility
vehicle, already are under recall in connection with the Firestone tire
problem.
The recall affects 1995 through 1997 models of the Explorer and the
1997 Mountaineer, which have sway bar links that can break off,
especially in cold climates. The sway bar connects the left and right front
wheel control arms and helps control the pitch of the vehicle in turns.
The recall covers 846,591 Explorers and 29,822 Mountaineers.
Ford (F: news, msgs) will notify owners by mail and its dealers will
provide free replacement links that are wider. The recall ends an
investigation by the government's auto safety agency.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary
investigation into the problem on Sept. 20 after an agency employee
having handling problems discovered a broken link on his vehicle. The
employee's dealer told him that he had sold many replacement links for
other drivers with similar problems.
NHTSA investigators went to their parking garage at the Transportation
Department and examined 28 Explorers. Seven of the SUVs, all either
1995 or 1996 models, had repaired or broken links, so the agency
opened an investigation to assess the scope of the problem.
At the time, a Ford spokesman said the company did not believe it was a
safety problem, but further testing showed it could affect handling and
safety, Ford spokesman Mike Vaughn said Thursday.
"We went back and we decided that, yes, there is a small risk at the
extreme limits," Vaughn said. "We felt the right thing to do is administer it
as a safety recall."
NHTSA has collected 13 complaints from owners who said that stability
was reduced during a lane change or turn, especially at speeds above 40
mph. Ford received 262 owner and field reports of the problem, including
two reports of minor accidents that may be related, Vaughn said.
He said most of the reports came from New England and Canada.
NHTSA officials say the sway bar problem did not cause tread
separations on Firestone tires that were used on the Explorer.
Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. has recalled 6.5 million of its ATX, ATX II
and Wilderness AT tires, which reportedly have been involved in
accidents that have killed at least 119 people and injured more than 500.
Most of the accidents involved the Explorer.
Some observers point out that the broken links had the potential to
increase the severity of an accident during a tire tread loss.
"Any situation where a driver is going to have to make an emergency
maneuver after a tire failure, a broken sway bar is only going to make
handling more difficult," said Sean Kane, president of Strategic Safety, an
Arlington, Va.-based firm involved in litigation against Ford and
Bridgestone/Firestone.
Ford shares fell $1.69 Thursday to close at $22.75