Ford Recalls 360,000 Pickup Trucks for Defective Door Handles
Ford Motor (F) is recalling about 360,000 of its popular F-150 pickup trucks in North America to repair faulty interior door handles that may allow the doors to pop open during a crash.
The recall involves F-150 pickups from the 2009-10 model years equipped with chrome interior door handles. Of the total, 280,946 were sold in the U.S., 68,000 in Canada and 14,000 in Mexico, The Detroit News reported.
A defective spring may prevent the interior door handle from fully returning to its stowed position and allow the doors to pop open during a side-impact crash, Ford said in documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and posted at the agency's website. The handle may be loose, causing a rattle or other noise.
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The car company has been reviewing the issue since late August, when it became aware of an increase in the number of warranty claims for loose or noisy door handles. As of Jan. 21, Ford said there were no reports of accidents or injuries related to the defect.
The recalled vehicles were built at Ford's Kansas City Assembly plant and its Dearborn Truck plant from Jan. 18, 2008 through Nov. 30, 2009, the company said. Owners of affected vehicles will be notified beginning Feb. 14. Repairs are expected to begin in April, when parts become available, according to the News.
This latest recall brings the total number of vehicles Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford has recalled this year to nearly 900,000. Last month, the automaker recalled 525,000 Windstar minivans from the 1999-2003 model years because of suspension parts that may corrode.
In the U.S., the Windstar recall involves 425,000 vehicles that were sold or are registered in 22 cold-weather states where road salt is used extensively.
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