Ford recalling 605,000 full-size trucks
Posted May 14th 2008 2:57PM by Dan Roth
Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, Recalls/TSBs, Safety, Ford, Lincoln
Ford Motor Company is recalling a whole herd of trucks to see the team doctors over concerns about a hose in the braking system that could adversely effect the vehicles' braking power. According to the NHTSA, about 605,000 2005 and 2006 model year Ford F150 and Lincoln Mark LT trucks equipped with the 3-valve 5.4-liter V8 will receive a hose replacement free of charge. The problem hose supplies the brake booster with engine vacuum, and could swell over time and eventually become disconnected. While the hydraulic braking system will function without the power assist, pedal effort will be significantly increased, and if drivers are taken off-guard by the problem an accident could occur. Ford will start notifying owners in June, and the recall campaign will kick off in July. According to FoMoCo, there have been 11 minor accidents related to the issue. Check out more details from the NHTSA after the jump.
[Source:
Detroit Free Press]
| Make / Models : |
|
Model/Build Years: |
| FORD / F-150 |
|
2005-2006
|
| LINCOLN / MARK LT |
|
2005-2006
|
| Manufacturer : FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
Mfr's Report Date : MAY 05, 2008 |
| NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 08V208000 |
PE08001
NHTSA Action Number: PE08001 |
|
| Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS |
| Potential Number Of Units Affected : 605684 |
Summary:
 FORD IS RECALLING 605,684 MY 2005-2006 F-150 AND LINCOLN MARK LT VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 5.4L 3-VALVE ENGINES. THE BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM SUPPLY HOSE ATTACHED TO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD FITTING MAY SWELL OVER TIME AND LOSE RETENTION FORCE. THIS CONDITION COULD ALLOW THE HOSE TO BECOME DETACHED FROM THE FITTING DURING AN INTAKE MANIFOLD BACKFIRE. SHOULD THE HOSE DETACH FROM THE INTAKE MANIFOLD, SEVERAL BRAKE APPLICATIONS WITH POWER ASSIST WILL BE AVAILABLE BEFORE THE VACUUM RESERVE IS DEPLETED. |
Consequence:
ONCE THE BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM RESERVE IS DEPLETED, THE DRIVER WILL HAVE FOUNDATION BRAKE FUNCTION, BUT WITH INCREASED BRAKE PEDAL EFFORT. REDUCED VEHICLE BRAKING COULD LEAD TO A CRASH. |
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE A RUBBER HOSE ON THE BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM SUPPLY TUBE ASSEMBLY. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT JULY 7, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673. |
Notes:
FORD RECALL NO. 08S05. CUSTOMERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV. |
Tags: 2005, 2005 f150, 2005 mark lt, 2005F150, 2005MarkLt, 2006, 2006 f150, 2006 mark lt, 2006F150, 2006MarkLt, brake booster, BrakeBooster, ford brake booster recall, ford f-150, ford f150 recall, ford pickup, ford recall, ford recalls, ford truck, FordBrakeBoosterRecall, FordF-150, FordF150Recall, FordPickup, FordRecall, FordRecalls, FordTruck, lincoln mark lt, lincoln pickup, lincoln truck, LincolnMarkLt, LincolnPickup, LincolnTruck, mark lt, mark lt recall, MarkLt, MarkLtRecall, nhtsa, recall
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
dejal @ May 14th 2008 3:28PM
At least it's not about engine sludge!!!
Just joking.
Shipey @ May 14th 2008 3:32PM
Ford's suppliers should be beaten to within an inch of their lives for allowing something as low-tech as a vacuum hose to cause a massive recall.
Michael @ May 14th 2008 3:54PM
If the vacuum hose becomes disconnected the engine braking performance will be greatly reduced!... but if it becomes disconnected you'd be 'lucky' if the engine were running at all!
Shipey @ May 14th 2008 4:09PM
The braking performance remains the same, it just takes a lot more pedal effort. The hydraulic lines are still operating normally.
Also, the engine might surge a little, but it will still run with a vacuum leak. It's not like the old days when spark advance was controlled by manifold vacuum.
Guenther @ May 14th 2008 4:23PM
depends on a lot of things- you don't know what the buyer specified. There are many different ways to get the wrong hose.
Michael- usually, you get extra-high idle on a fuel injected vehicle when you open up a vac line.
Dave @ May 15th 2008 8:21AM
That sounds like something Toyota would say. It was the supplier fault.
Shipey @ May 15th 2008 9:02AM
You really think the manufacturers are making their own hoses?
Koko @ May 14th 2008 3:37PM
Looks like I'm getting a recall notice soon. LOL
Jack Bryant @ May 14th 2008 3:39PM
A good site to keep informed of these recalls is http://www.eRecalled.com.
Here is their information about this recall:
http://www.erecalled.com/commonConsole/recallalert.asp?alert=867
In addition to this they reported four other recalls for the day.
Kevin @ May 14th 2008 4:00PM
Wait, what? FORD recalling vehicles? But, but... That's almost unheard of! The end of the world must be nigh... Who next? Volkswagen?
Matt @ May 14th 2008 4:14PM
Too bad Ford couldn't pay for a study that would have seen this coming.
psarhjinian @ May 14th 2008 5:03PM
Ok, before this turns into a flamefest:
*** Recalls do not relate directly to Quality ***
A product can be recalled for any number of reasons, many of which have more to do with engineering issues that show up in the field but not in testing. If a manufacturer quickly and competently handles them, without undue hardship to the customer, then they're an indication of a responsible manufacturer.
A huge recall count is also not really important: Ford sells a lot of F-150s, so any recall, even for something minor, will be in the hundreds of thousands. The same applies to, say, a recall on the GM 3800 series V6 or a fundamental component of Nissan's FF-L (Altima/Maxima/Murano/Quest) or Toyota's XV30/40 platform (Camry/Sienna/Avalon/Highlander/ES/RX); the numbers are huge because platform and powertrain sharing ensures that a basic component will be used in a large number of vehicles.
Recalls are a problem when:
* They become endemic (like the first-generation BMW X5 or Mercedes ML; these were recalled incredi
* A manufacturer is forced to issue a recall after much pressure (Toyota's sludging issue, VW coilpacks)
* They aren't issued, despite the obvious need (GM's plastic intake manifold issue and Dexcool-related failures)
There. Hope that clears things up.
John @ May 14th 2008 6:05PM
I think you're onto something. In addition to engineering issues, recalls have a lot to do with a lack of real world long term testing.
Automakers have started to become too dependent on accelerated component testing and CAE. It does not replace real world driving. They want to build less and less prototypes to save money and these recall items will always fall through the cracks as a result.
Guenther @ May 14th 2008 6:10PM
I must say, while I often disagree with your opinion, here you've stated fact. Nicely played.
why not the LS2LS7? @ May 15th 2008 2:33AM
What an interesting comment.
Recalls don't correspond to quality when (Ford issue).
But they do when it's recalled a lot (M-B, BMW).
When it is due to pressure (Toyota, VW)
When it isn't done when it should (GM, GM).
What an odd pattern. A lot of people might have mentioned the Ford GT or Focus when talking about recalls, as both were recalled a lot (the X5 barely beating out the Focus).
When due to pressure, Ford's Powerstrokes might have come to mind and the video of one spitting fire showed up on YouTube (it's a minor thing, Ford says).
What a weird coincidence how your comments came out this way.
simianspeedster @ May 15th 2008 3:53AM
Counteropinion:
*** Recalls DO relate directly to Quality ***
A consumer who receives a recall notice does not care why they have to be inconvenienced to fix the problem, they're simply bothered that they have one more thing to deal with. Excuses, justification and defensive positions don't make it any easier to accept.
I had to deal with a recall on an VW GTI -- the dreaded coilpack issue. VW's written notice advised me not to drive my car in its current condition (at the risk of violating my warranty and/or having an engine failure that could cause an accident), then they proceeded to tell me that the parts would take 3-5 months for the dealer to source. Do I think I cared that VW didn't manufacture the part or that they used it in 7 other models? No chance. It was just stupid and infuriating, and it was one more reason why I view VWs as having poor quality.
And to this comment -- "A huge recall count is also not really important" -- I say, hahaha!
Answer #1 -- Tell that to the 605,000 people who will be told that they need to schedule a repair.
Answer #2 -- Tell that to Ford's shareholders. I'm sure the number means a LOT to them!
Sorry to break it to you, but a recall of 605,000 cars is worse than 60,500 and not as bad as 6,050,000. To argue otherwise is insanity.
To most of us, cars are products, not engineering experiments whereby some level of design or manufacturing error is acceptable. Common sense and consideration of the customer experience are worth more than every technical explanation in the world.
-SiimianSpeedster
psarhjinian @ May 15th 2008 7:48AM
I said "Recalls do not _directly_ relate to quality" and gave circumstances as to when they might and why, and why size isn't really a factor . Here's an example:
* On circumstance:
Here's a personal anecdote. My Fit saw a recall for the passenger side airbag wiring. Honda sent a letter about the fix (which I received two days before it hit Autoblog); the dealership had the parts and I was in an out in less than an hour. As far as I'm concerned, it was a non-issue, much like this Ford recall. Most recalls work this way; a quick in-and-out that isn't much noticed by the owner
My Saab had a recall noting a required reflash of the ECU. No notification from Saab and I only heard about it from the dealer after months of rough idling. It eventually resulted in a fouled throttle body and DI cassette. GM absolutely will not cover any of the trouble excepting the reflash, didn't notify owners proactively and has been really unpleasant in general. VW's handling of the coilpack issue was pretty similar; deny, stall and screw.
Again, they're both recalls, but how the manufacturer handled the circumstances made all the difference in my perception of quality.
To address the point about the X5: the vehicle was recalled over fifteen times in it's first year. Five or so recalls in the vehicle's lifetime is acceptable and something you might accept from what engineers have learned as service reports come in. Ten-plus in such a short time crosses the line into "shoddy engineering" territory and indicated a vehicle either rushed to market or a total failure in the quality assurance process.
* On scope:
Let's say that Jaguar has a recall on the X-Type that affects 100% of X-Types sold. The total number of cars affected doesn't even come close to the number F-150s or Camrys sold in a month. Now, let's say Toyota recalls all XV40-based cars and SUVs made in the first two weeks of January 2008. It's a small percentage (let's say 2.5% of the total sales of the Camry, ES, Highlander, RX and Sienna), but a large number of cars.
Which is the more "severe" recall? Even in pure cost terms, the Jag recall probably costs the manufacturer near the same percentage
simianspeedster @ May 15th 2008 12:52PM
I don't understand your description of cost as a percentage of the vehicle as it relates to the real world.
If a car has been on the road for 3 years and sold 300,000 copies during that period, and all 300,000 cars have to be recalled at a cost of $250/car (including notification costs, parts and labor), that's a REAL cost of $75,000,000 to the manufacturer -- $75,000,000 of *unplanned* cost that will have to hit the manufacturer likely in one or two quarters of earnings.
Management and shareholders aren't any happier if a recall only affects a small percentage of mass produced cars than they are when a recall affects a high percentage of rare cars -- the cost is the cost is the cost. The primary copnsideration is simply "how much is this going to cost us in absolute terms?"
With regards to the quality question, I understand what you're saying, but the simple fact remains: if my car experiences 1 recall over the 5 years I own it and my neighbour's car experiences 5 recalls, the peception of relative quality is cemented in our minds, regardless of how well or poorly the dealers handle the repairs.
-SimianSpeedster
psarhjinian @ May 15th 2008 1:13PM
"I don't understand your description of cost as a percentage of the vehicle as it relates to the real world."
It's a matter of scale. The absolute cost of this recall might be very high, but it needs to be put in perspective with the margins made on F150 sales. When this ends up on a profit and loss statement, I'd expect the cost of the recall to be charged against net profit, much as marketing or incentives would. Since Ford sells a lot of F150s, the percent of net profit this recall affects might not be as high as the aforementioned X-Type scenario.
I'm not trying to say this isn't costing Ford, but that it needs to be put into perspective: there's a lot of F-150s, any recall, no matter how minor or cheap, is going to generate a really large count, even if the percentage of vehicles affected, severity of the issue or cost of the recall isn't that high.
And yes, recalls suck, but circumstances make all the difference. Maybe it's just me, but I don't see "painless" recalls as a quality problem, mostly because:
a) You don't see truly awful cars that much
b) How you handle the recall and the issues it presents is far more important than just the act of a recall. Customers will tolerate bringing their car in, especially if they're treated well. They won't respond well to someone dicking them around when it comes to warranty claims or parts availability.
Quality is an interesting issue: people think that absolute product quality makes all the difference, and to a degree, it does. But since you're not going to get an absolutely reliable product, and since the gap between above and below average is pretty narrow, what really matters is customer service. VW (and other Europeans) and GM's problems with quality stem as much (or, in VW's case, mostly) from their abysmal warranty performance.
Toyota and Honda, conversely, have generally been very good in this respect (with a few notable exceptions) and a large part of their perceived quality is that, if there is a problem, they've been good at managing customer relationships in such a way that the customer goes away happy (Lexus, notably, is a _master_ at this). Ford, the Koreans and the other Japanese makes fall somewhere in the middle; Ford's warranty performance, notably, has improved greatly in the last few years.
Recalls are like warranty work. They're inconvenient, but if they're handled well (and you don't have Focus or X5 levels of recalls), the customer can actually walk away with a better opinion of the manufacturer because they've been given the impression that someone is actually standing behind the product.
Everyone would prefer to not have recalls, but since that's not guarantee-able, good recall performance is probably a more important goal.
Thedevil @ May 14th 2008 7:17PM
Turd motor company, nothing new here.this is pretty good news though,atleast no one died ,YET!this is truely out of character for these craptastic American trucks.they usually kill afew people along the way as they self-destruct.i guess ford is right ,they are improving.nice work ,Tu-mo-co.