Ford suspends production of its full-sized commercial vehicles in China
By Andrew C., 30 Aug, 2010. 0 Comments
Ford Motor Co. decided to halt the production of its full-sized commercial vehicles in China because the gas pedals used in the vehicles were made by the same supplier involved in Toyota Motor Corp.‚ recall.
The affected vehicles are diesel versions of the full-sized Transit Classic van, which started production only last December. Ford spokesman Said Deep asserted that 1,663 vehicles are affected. In a conference call, Ford CEO Alan Mulally said that the matter is ‚Äúpretty isolated.‚Äù Mulally added that its protocol would be to ‚Äúcheck everything about Ford design worldwide‚Äù if there‚ an issue in the industry. Continued after the jump!
The Transit Classic pedals are a product of CTS Corp., of Elkhart, Ind., the notorious supplier involved in Toyota's recall of 2.3 million vehicles in the US announced last week.
These gas pedals run the risk of getting stuck, causing unintended acceleration. According to Ford partner Jiangling Motors Co., there are no reports of any issues of sticking pedals with the Transit Classic in China.
Deep said it wasn’t clear how many Transit Classics had been delivered to customers or dealers.
He also said the pedal's design and engineering are unique to Ford but appear to be similar to Toyota's pedal. No decision had been made on a possible recall.
[via autonews - sub. required]
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