Last year was a relatively rough one for Ford Motor Co., as the company issued recalls for a variety of popular vehicles, including the increasingly popular Fusion midsize sedan. However, the company’s biggest culprit in recall news for 2012 was the popular sports utility vehicle, the Escape, which was involved in four recalls last year alone. Three of those recalls, which featured model years sold as far back as 2002, were spurred by defects that could have potentially caused engine fires.
As for 2013, Ford hadn’t been without bad news, as the American manufacturer recalled approximately 5,675 2013 C-Max Hybrid, Escape and Focus vehicles earlier this month because of a manufacturing defect involving child locks that could allow kids to open their doors when they shouldn’t. This week, the Ford recall news is once again related to fire dangers, though, as approximately 3,500 Ford Taurus, Explorer and Lincoln MKS vehicles are being recalled because of at least six reports of tanks with either fuel odors or leaks.
The Taurus and MKS vehicles in question were manufactured in Chicago between July 2011 and January 2012, according to the Chicago Tribune, while the Explorers were built in March 2012. The defect in question involves an improperly molded seam that, in the case of an accident, could break and allow fuel to leak, which would lead to an obvious fire hazard. Ford officials claim that no accidents or injuries have been associated with this fuel tank issue as of yet.
While Ford has stated that it will inspect recalled vehicles’ fuels tanks and replace any faulty ones for free, it has not yet announced a schedule for doing so. In the meantime, Ford owners can contact the company at (866) 436-7332 for additional information.