ORIGINAL: Patrick

you do know that the DSM plant was in the United States, right?

Ford Recalls Nearly 800,000 Pickups, SUVs

DEARBORN, Mich. - Ford Motor Co. is recalling nearly 800,000 pickups and sport utility vehicles because the cruise control switch could short circuit and cause a fire under the hood, the nation's second biggest automaker said Thursday.

The recall affects approximately 792,000 Ford F-150 pickups, Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators from the 2000 model year. Also affected are 2001 F-Series Supercrew trucks that were made at the same time.

Ford will notify owners of the recall in February, and dealers will deactivate the cruise control switch for free. Once the company has an adequate supply of replacement switches, it will send another letter notifying owners that they can get their switches replaced.

Ford said cruise control will be disabled once the switch is deactivated.

"We recognize this may be an inconvenience, but we believe this preventive action is in the best interest of our customers' safety," the company said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (news - web sites) opened an investigation into the defect in November after receiving 36 reports of fires. All of the incidents occurred when the vehicle was parked and the ignition was turned off. No injuries were reported.

Ford said it worked closely with NHTSA throughout the investigation.

SERVICE ACTION
04E14 DEMONSTRATION/DELIVERY HOLD:
All 2005 Ford GT Vehicles - Suspension Control Arm Replacement

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frank M. Ligon
Director
Service Engineering Operations
Ford Customer Service Division

Ford Motor Company
P.O. Box 1904
Dearborn, Michigan 48121

December 22, 2004

TO: Certain U.S. Ford Dealers (who have received/sold a Ford GT)

SUBJECT: DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD / DO NOT DRIVE: Safety Recall 04S26 and Emission Recall 04E14 - Status Update

RE: DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD / DO NOT DRIVE: Safety Recall 04S26
All 2005 Ford GT Vehicles
Suspension Control Arm Replacement

DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD: Emission Recall 04E14
Certain 2005 Ford GT Vehicles
Fuel Tank Date Code Inspection

STATUS UPDATE:

Please be advised that this Demonstration / Delivery Hold / Do Not Drive restriction will remain in effect until the full Dealer Bulletin and service parts are available, which is anticipated to be in mid-January. Ford SVT is in the process of communicating this information to the affected vehicle owners. SVT will also make arrangements for the transportation of affected vehicles to dealers in January to have this service performed.

AFFECTED VEHICLES

Safety Recall 04S26: All 2005 Ford GT vehicles built at the Wixom Special Vehicle Center from Job #1 through December 9, 2004.

Emission Recall 04E14: Certain 2005 Ford GT vehicles built at the Wixom Special Vehicle Center from October 13, 2004 through November 19, 2004.

Affected vehicles are identified in OASIS. In addition, for a list of vehicles assigned to your dealership, visit https://web.fsavinlists.dealerconnection.com. This information will be available on December 16, 2004.

REASON FOR THESE RECALLS

SAFETY RECALL 04S26: Ford has identified a quality issue with the suspension control arms on the affected vehicles which may adversely affect vehicle handling in the event of control arm fracture. In the event a customer does not seek service for the diminished handling concern, a crash potentially could occur.

EMISSION RECALL 04E14: In some of the affected vehicles, the fuel tank may not pass applicable state and Federal evaporative emission standards.

SERVICE ACTION

DO NOT DEMONSTRATE, DELIVER, OR DRIVE any of the affected vehicles involved in these recalls. A dealer bulletin with additional instructions will be posted when parts and technical instructions are available in January 2005.

CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION

Owners of 2005 Ford GT vehicles will be contacted directly by a Ford representative beginning December 16, 2004; owners will be advised to not drive their vehicle under any circumstances.

OASIS ACTIVATED?

Yes. OASIS will be activated by December 16, 2004.

FSA VIN LIST ACTIVATED?

Yes

Available through FMCDealer.com or at https://web.fsavinlists.dealerconnection.com by December 16, 2004. FSA VIN listings for unsold vehicles will be available December 16, 2004.

NOTE: Your FSA VIN list may contain owner names and addresses obtained from motor vehicle registration records. The use of such motor vehicle registration data for any purpose other than in connection with this recall is a violation of law in several states, provinces, and countries. Accordingly, you must limit the use of this listing to the follow-up necessary to complete this recall action.

PLEASE NOTE

Federal law requires dealers to complete any outstanding safety recall service before a new vehicle is delivered to the buyer or lessee. Violation of this requirement by a dealer could result in a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per vehicle. Correct all vehicles in your new vehicle inventory prior to delivery

U.S. second-largest automaker says some Taurus and Mercury Sable sedans have defective springs.
July 16, 2004: 11:32 AM EDT



DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. has recalled 899,060 Taurus and Mercury Sable sedans registered in cold-weather states due to defective front springs that can break and puncture a tire, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall affects 1999, 2000 and 2001 model-year Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable sedans, NHTSA said.

The cars, sold in 22 states, have defective springs that could break when used in high-corrosion areas, especially areas where salt is used on roads, and puncture a front tire.

Ford dealers have been asked to install protective spring shields, according to NHTSA.

The second-largest U.S. automaker recently recalled 25,000 2004 model-year Taurus, Mercury Sable and Thunderbird cars due to problems with the front seats, which could rattle or come loose.

Ford also recalled 145,500 F-Series Super Duty pickup trucks, Excursion sport utility vehicles, Crown Victoria police vehicles, and Lincoln Town cars for a variety of defects, including defective axles that could cause wheels to squeak.

All three of Detroit's automakers have claimed dramatic quality improvements in recent years, but they continue to be hit by a disproportionately high number of vehicle recalls.

Shares of Ford (F: Research, Estimates) were down 5 cents at $14.98 on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday morning.