After the humiliating announcement of two recalls last week, Ford has been working hard to investigate the origins of the fire risk defect that has affected approximately 11,500 Escape crossovers.
According to Reuters, a Ford report was filed on Friday with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), pointing out a manufacturing flaw in the fuel lines supplied by part maker TI Automotive's plant in Ashley, Indiana.
The document discussed the defect in detail, identifying that fuel lines with a cut on the surface could potentially split wide open and leak, causing consequences so severe that all owners are urged to cease operation of their 2013 1.6 liter Ecoboost Ford Escape crossover.
Though Reuters reached out to TI Automotive to learn their side of the story, TI has yet to respond to the request.
All 11,500 Ford Escape vehicles were assembled at Ford's Louisville Assembly Plant from Oct 8, 2011 to July 11, 2012. Impressively, Ford's quick discovery of the issue allowed production to continue on without any halts. Since July 11, all Escape crossovers built received the revised IT Automotive fuel lines and will not pose risks of leak and fire.
However, the negative publicity from the Escape recalls can potentially cause Ford's July sales numbers to drop to a lower figure than expected. End-of-month reports will tell the full story.
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