Ford Motor Co., the world’s second-
largest automaker by sales, recalled more than 1.68 million sport-
utility vehicles including its top-selling Explorer to fix speed-
control cables and seat-frame bolts.
The moves include 1.68 million Explorer, Explorer Sport,
Explorer Sport Trac and Mercury Mountaineer models from 1998
through 2002 because a driver-seat bolt may fracture, causing the
seat to recline unexpectedly, Ford said in a statement. They also
include 499,988 of the same models from 1999 through 2001 because
speed-control cables may wear out early and fail to disengage.
Some of the vehicles may be in both recalls, the Dearborn,
Michigan-based company said. No accidents or injuries have been
reported from either problem, Ford said.
The two recalls, as well as a third for wheel cracks in
police and taxi versions of the automaker’s Crown Victoria sedan
reported today by U.S. regulators, are “wear-and-tear” issues,
Ford spokesman Glenn Ray said. Ford, which has had net losses
totaling $6.4 billion in the past two years, has sought to
improve quality after recalls and other problems involving
vehicles including the 2002 Explorer. The Explorer leads U.S.
sport-utility sales, with 433,847 sold last year.
“Ouch,” said Dennis Virag, president of Automotive
Consulting Group Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “Having such a
large number of vehicles recalled at once is not the message to
send to consumers.”
