Ford recall was first issued in Canada
Last November Ford recalled almost a quarter million vehicles in Canada (ITV News, Canada) because of reports of ignition switches that catch fire. But it wasn't until after the company was hit with numerous class action lawsuits (The Auto Channel) that it decided to issue a recall in the United States. Meanwhile some Ford owners got angry and formed "The Association of Flaming Ford Owners," a group dedicated to focusing public attention on the problem.
Company has brief history of playing hardball
Ford
fights more court battles
[Dead Link]
The National Law Journal: In 1994, Ford made
a sweeping change in the way it handles product liability cases.
The essence of its strategy is that it is now ready to and
willing to try any case, no matter how small or no matter how
great the risk of a mammoth jury verdict.
One
of those battles [Dead Link]
Public Citizen: Ralph Nader's Public Citizen
group shares documents in its class action case involving Ford
Broncos.
Company information
Ford
dominates U.S. auto market [Dead Link]
CNNfn: For the 14th straight year Ford Motor
Company led the way in U.S. car and truck sales.
Profile
of the World's No. 2 automaker [Dead Link]
Hoover's Online: A comprehensive profile of
the automaker including a brief history, salaries of its top
executives, and financial data.
Ford's World Wide Connection
Ford Home Page: A showroom, career center
and more information about Ford cars from the source.
Other recalls
Chrysler
sets recall for ABS flaw [Dead Link]
USA Today: Earlier this month it was
reported that Chrysler would soon recall 350,000 vehicles. Other
recalls reported in USA Today this month include:
Mazda
to fix Navajos, pickups [Dead Link]
Ford
recalls Explorers, Rangers for brake problem [Dead Link]
Ford
recalls four '96 models [Dead Link]
BMW
has problems with cars, motorcycles [Dead Link]
Mercedes-Benz
recalls sedans for hood latch flaw [Dead Link]
Recall
and defect information
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
News releases and other information pertaining to auto recalls.
Recent jury awards against automakers
$57
million awarded in fiery crash suit [Dead Link]
The National Law Journal: A jury found GM at
fault in a crash that killed a 22-year-old Coca-Cola salesman and
an 18-year-old high school honor student.
Jury
finds brakes were faulty [Dead Link]
The National Law Journal: Chrysler pays
for
allegedly faulty brakes in minivan.
Sport utility vehicles under attack
Insurance
group not happy with tests [Dead Link]
USA Today: None of the six vehicles
tested
won a "good" rating in crash tests, prompting criticism
from the insurance industry.
TV
report angers automakers [Dead Link]
USA Today: Car makers accuse Dateline NBC of
being a mouthpiece for the insurance industry when they find out
the television news show plans on airing a controversial report
ranking sport utility vehicles for safety.
Other recent safety concerns
Air
bags and children [Dead Link]
Philadelphia Inquirer: The government's
auto
safety agency says the 15 children who were killed by airbags
were not wearing seat belts or used them improperly.
Air
bags and drivers' hands [Dead Link]
Philadelphia Inquirer: After finding out
that more drivers were receiving facial injuries from air bags
knocking their hands into their faces, the American Automobile
Association changed its position on the position of drivers'
hands. The AAA is now recommending that drivers hold their hands
at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock, rather than 10 and 2.
Seat
belt use up, but not high enough
San Francisco Chronicle: In California
seat belt
use is up but still many traffic deaths are occurring when people
fail to buckle up.
Want to talk cars?
Talk
to Tom and Ray
Magliozzi
Car Talk.com: The Magliozzi brothers field
questions about car repair and maintenance as well as provide
other useful information including test-drive reports.
