Ford Recall: 1.1 Million Ford Trucks Have Fuel Tank Defect

Brett Emison

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Ford is recalling 1.1 million pickup trucks because of corrosion problems that could cause straps holding the gas tanks to break and allow the the gas tank to drag the ground or fall off complete, causing a fire.

Vehicles affected include:

• 1997 - 2003 F-150 pickup trucks
• 2004 F-150 Heritage pickup trucks
• 1997 - 1999 F-250 pickup trucks
• 2002 - 2003 Lincoln Blackwood pickup trucks

According to WSJ, Ford says that prolonged exposure to ice melting road salt in colder weather states may cause the metal straps holding the fuel tank to corrode and break allowing the tank to fall. This corrosion could also cause the fuel lines to separate from the gas tank. Leaking fuel under circumstance would result in fire.

Recall service is set to begin around September 12, 2011 and owners may contact Ford at (866) 436-7332.

My readers may recall that I wrote about Ford's fuel tank strap problem back in May 2011. In May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stepped up its investigation of more than 2.7 million Ford F-150 trucks because of the tank strap corrosion problem. So far, Ford has recalled less than half of the vehicles subject to the NHTSA investigation. This recall may just be the tip of the iceberg.

Many different fuel system defects can lead to fuel fed fires. Car and truck fires can happen for a large number of reasons, including failure to include fuel filler tube check valves, misrouting of fuel lines, failure to protect the fuel lines or improper placement of the fuel tank inside the vehicle's crush zone. Something as simple as failing to turn a bolt so that the rounded "head" end faces the fuel tank rather than the sharper "threaded" end can lead to a fatal fuel fed fire in an accident.

Ford has faced some challenges of late following a scathing, 51-page judicial opinion documenting Ford's conduct in concealing evidence, destroying documents, and misleading safety experts at NHTSA. Nevertheless, just last week Ford reported a $2.4 billion profit during just the last 3 months. Let's hope Ford uses all this cash to put its safety program back on track. Profits shouldn't come before safety and human life.

Read More:

• Ford To Recall 1.1 Million Trucks Whose Gas Tanks Could Fall Off [Jonathan Welsh at WSJ]
• Ford Recalls 1 Million F-150 Trucks for Strap [Angela Greiling Keane at Bloomberg]
• Ford to recall 1 million older pickups because of fire danger [Andrew Khouri at LA Times]
• Ford recalls 1 million trucks for faulty gas tanks [Peter Valdes-Dapena at CNN Money]
• Ford to Recall 1.1M Pickups [Robert Gray at Fox Business]

[More on Ford Motor Company]

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(c) Copyright 2011 Brett A. Emison