Although this particular recall hasn't resulted in any actual incidents but arose out of manufacturer durability testing, recalls like this continue to impact the general public's perception of domestic manufacturers quality. :notnice:

Find the text of the article here:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/11/16/ford_r...ex.html?cnn=yes

 

I wonder how it would affect their preception if they ignored to problem completely.... now that would be trouble.

They should have caught this on a long-term test of the current car... ah well

 

My wife and I will be waiting to see if we get the recall letter.

The Five Hundred has seen it's fair share of TSB's (including ours) and now this recall. I wonder if she'll be as open about buying another Ford?

I do hope the Fusion can get through the first year without any quality control issues.

 

I'm not thrilled about the recall, but at least the issue is being address. It's better to address it rather to ignore it like some companies do. Honda for example had to recall 25,000 of their brand new Civics just recently for a safety issue, but in their defense they did it quickly and adjusted the problem. Thats one of the reasons my father likes Subaru, sure he's had safety recalls on them but they are always quickly addressed. This is the positive end of this. Thats why I like Ford's way of doing things. They are quick to fix the problem for the customer instead of letting it fester until the govt. gets involved.

There have been a lot of snafu's with other car companies this year involving govt. investigations.

Steve (Mustangfanatic) you are absolutely correct. A recall is a free upgrade to an issue of your car. Unfortunatley people associate recall as always a bad thing, which its not always. Though not having any is better.

Alas Dookie happens.

 

I agree completely that it is much better to be proactive about the issue rather than waiting for the media or the government to get involved. I applaud Ford for realizing there is a problem and quickly moving to remedy it.

As Andy stated, however, the general public associates recalls with poor or reduced quality regardless of whether that is true. A modern car is very complex and no manufacturer is immune to having difficulties. I do believe the American media is slanted against domestic manufacturers and is quick to blow issues or perceived issues out of proportion yet they don't do the same with the Asian manufacturers. As you said dookie happens.

 

 

Well said Steve. I don't think I could have put that more to the point.

 

Well . . .if there is a recall poor quality should be associated with the supplier and/or the manufacturer. While it's nice that Ford is being proactive they don't need any other "odds" stacked against them in their 'turn-around'. And while the modern car is very complex, when a person spends ~$30K on a car (or even $18K-$100K) there should be some preceived quality inherent in the vehicle.

I had a service rep say to me, after I had the Five Hundred in on the last TSB, "Well you know it's never good to purchase a vehicle in the first year of production." To that I stated . . "We're not living in the darn '50s, 60's or 70's. And it's not like the Five Hundred rides on a brand new chassis . . it's based on a Volvo!"

 

There may not necessarily be a media bias against domestic manufacturers per se, but, generally the perception may stem from the number of vehicles affected by recalls - the Domestics usually have huge numbers of vehicles affected versus the numbers for the Asian manufacturers. If anything, the media doesn't seem to focus as much on the problems of the European manufacturers (Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, in particular).

 

I would rather hear about it now from Ford, than later on when the media picks up a lawsuit and broadcasts it to the general public. Always better to be proactive than reactive.

 

Ford...YOU ARE KILLING ME. I am out there defending you everyday of the week, shouting your praises, convincing people to believe in your products. There is only so much more of this recall stuff I can take. Build a car/truck/SUV, make sure it works, use quality materials, and assembly it properly. This is NOT rocket science (close, it could be arugued), but seriously, this is starting to get ridiculous. It's embarassing, in fact. I am really dissapointed.

 

Recalls happen to every vehicle. For instance, if you look up the Camry (a design that should be VERY mature by now) in the NHTSA database, it's had something like 9 recalls in the last five years.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not Toyota bashing. I chose the Camry because it's a very high volume car with a quality reputation.

 

Total number of recalls 1990-2005

 

Not a good thing . . .

 

Zoran, I found the source of that chart and it only tells part of the story. Notice the time span on that chart (1990-2005). If you start digging into the actual recalls on each vehicle, you'll find that most of Ford's recalls were in the 1990's. You'll also find that as you get to 2000 and beyond, the recall counts are trending downward for Ford vehicles. I don't dispute that Ford's quality was pretty bad in the late 80s and 90s but it's far better now.

 

I agree and I'm certainly not going to defend Ford or any other manufacturer, they should be able to build vehicles free of defects. If they are having issues with their supplier, then get a new supplier!!

I just saw today where Ford issued another recall, this time for a Wiper Motor issue on 2006 E-series Vans and F-series trucks. Seems some moron forgot to lubricate the gears in the wiper motors!#?! As others have stated, this is getting ridiculous. C'mon Ford, get your stuff together.

On a side note, based on Zoran's data, I can further justify my case for a Lambo!!

 

They also don't tell you if the seriousness of the recall or whether or not it was a voluntary or federal one. Makes a big difference.

 

If you have to justify the purchase of a Lambo based on recalls, perhaps you need professional help....

 

I most certainly do!!

 

Well Andy, neither does J.D. Power and Associates. Remember, that's why I disagreed with their ratings, because they don't tell how serious those problems are. For example, Lexus had 139 problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln had 151 problems per 100 vehicles, but we never knew how serious those problems were. Could be something simple as flat tire to something serious as transmission problems.