Following the terribly embarrassing announcement of not one, but two recalls affecting the 2013 Ford Escape crossover, the company is scrambling to manage some damage limitation.
According to Ford via Autoblog, the latest recall was first discovered on June 9 when an employee transporting an Escape from the assembly plant to a holding lot experienced a fire in the engine bay. Only a week after the first incident, another 2013 Escape sold in Canada had caught fire in the engine bay, making it the first and only incident reported by a customer. Finally, the third Escape incident occured during factory transport merely two weeks later, prompting Ford to issue a recall before the issue escalates.
As the latest recall concerns a fuel line fire risk, Ford is urging 1.6 liter Ecoboost Escape owners to refrain from driving the vehicles until the fix has been made, which causes quite an inconvenience for the affected customers. In order to ensure that Ford's customers are looked after, the automaker is offering a "special handling" service.
According to documents that are released by NHTSA, Ford is prepared to go to great lengths to appease dissatisfaction among the owners. From a Ford letter sent to dealers, the recall procedure dictates for dealers to provide Escape transport while in the meantime, each affected 2013 Escape owner receives a fully tanked rental vehicle sent to the customer's preferred address. The rental car will then remain with the customer until the time the 2013 Escape is finally repaired. Upon returning the Escape, Dealers have been ordered to fill Escapes with gas, and to wash and vacuum the car.
A total of 11,500 units of the 1.6 liter Ecoboost Ford Escape crossover built from April through July 11 are involved in the recall. Ford said the goal is to complete all recalls in two week's time.
Yesterday, 2013 Ford Escape owner and editor for AutoNews Gregory Skwira shared his 'Special Treatment' experience in one of his recent articles. Summing up his overall feelings toward the recall, Gregory reflects, "So my new flawed 2013 Escape, with 281 miles on the odometer, is at this moment rolling down the freeway on a flatbed. But I feel pretty good about Ford and about the dealership that sold it to me -- and that says a lot about how the company is handling this."
Find out more about Gregory Skwira and his 2013 Ford Escape by clicking here: http://www.autonews.com/article/20120723/BLOG06/120729966#ixzz21ZQhYLbB
