Ford Escape recall affects 10,000 cars. Is yours on the list?
Ford is conducting a voluntary safety recall of certain 2013 model-year Escape compact crossovers over concerns that carpet padding mispositioned during installation may interfere with braking.
on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) site lists the number of vehicles potentially affected in the U.S. at 8,266. Affected vehicles were built at the Louisville Assembly Plant from March 8, 2012 through June 7, 2012.
The problem
According to , carpet padding may have been incorrectly positioned during installation on some 2013 . This mispositioning of the padding may result in the center console trim panel being pushed outboard of the intended position, thus reducing clearance relative to the pedal package.
A possible consequence is that the driver鈥檚 foot could contact the side of the brake pedal while transferring the foot from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal. This increases stopping distance and the risk of a crash.
said that the accelerator pedal function is not affected by this condition. 聽The automaker said it has not received any field reports of increased stopping distance for this issue.
What Ford will do
Ford will notify owners by mail, instructing them to bring their vehicles to a Ford or dealer to have the carpet padding removed and the left-side console trim panel replaced with a new panel that has a revised surface contour. The service will be at no charge to owners. The safety recall is expected to begin July 23, 2012.
In the meantime, owners of affected Escape crossovers with any questions or concerns may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. 聽Reference the Ford recall campaign number 12S34.
Alternatively, owners of vehicles involved in the campaign may contact the NHTSA鈥檚 Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to .聽 Reference the NHTSA campaign ID No. 12V319000.
