In March, Ford Motor Co. announced the recall of 3,500 vehicles due to the possibility of a dangerous fuel tank leak. The recall involved certain Ford Taurus, Ford Explorer, and Lincoln MKS models. An improperly molded seam could break and cause a fuel leak, which may lead to a fire. At the time of the recall, Ford had received at least six reports of tanks with fuel odors or leaks.
Now Ford has issued a recall of approximately 465,000 vehicles due to fuel tank leaks that can potentially lead to a fire. The recall affects several 2013 models, including the Ford Fusion, Flex, Explorer, Taurus, Interceptor Sedan, Interceptor Utility, in addition to the Lincoln MKZ, MKS, and MKT. According to USA Today, “[a]bout 390,000 of the vehicles are in the U.S., with another 23,000 in Canada and 7,600 in Mexico. The rest are in Europe, South America, Asia and other areas.”
A fuel delivery module in the tank may leak and can result in a fire. As of March 31, Ford had received 600 complaints associated with the issue, although there have not been reports of fires. Unfortunately, Reuters has reported that “[t]he automaker won’t have enough replacement parts for all owners until September.”
In addition to the fuel tank recall, the company also issued another recall of 23 2013 Ford Fusions due to a steering gear problem that may lead to impaired steering or cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The sedans, which may have been manufactured without an internal retaining clip, may increase the driver’s risk of a crash.