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Ford recalling 390,000 cars over door latch woes

Ford is recalling certain Fiesta, Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles due to faulty door latches, marking the latest in what seems to be a recurring issue for the Blue Oval. This is the third door latch recall from Ford in 2015, following a 213,000-unit recall in March and a 205,000-unit recall in January. This one, however, is significantly larger. A total of 390,000 units are affected, including Fusions and MKZs from model years 2013 and 2014, as well as Fiestas from model years 2012 to 2014. A "broken pawl spring tab" is the culprit, potentially keeping doors from latching shut. According to Ford, even if the door does shut, it could come open again without warning. The affected Fiestas were built between February 1, 2012 and May 31, 2013 at the Cuautitlan, Mexico factory. The Fusion and MKZ siblings, meanwhile, were screwed together at Hermosillo Assembly in Mexico between July 1, 2012 to May 31, 2013. Ford is aware of three minor reports of door malfunctions. In two cases, the door bounced back open, quite literally hitting drivers on their way out. In the third case, a door swung open of its own accord while a driver was attempting to park, hitting another vehicle. Ford will notify owners, who will need to report into dealers to have all four latches replaced. Scroll down for the official press release. Related Video: APR 24, 2015 | DEARBORN, MICH. FORD MOTOR COMPANY ISSUES SAFETY RECALL IN NORTH AMERICA FOR DOOR LATCH ISSUE ON FORD FIESTA AND FUSION, LINCOLN MKZ Ford Motor Company is issuing a safety recall for approximately 390,000 2012-2014 Ford Fiesta and 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles for a door latch issue. The door latch in these vehicles may experience a broken pawl spring tab, which typically results in a condition where the door will not latch. If a customer is then able to latch the door, there is potential the door may unlatch while driving, increasing the risk of injury. Ford is aware of two allegations of soreness resulting from an unlatched door bouncing back when the customer attempted to close it, and one accident allegation when an unlatched door swung open and struck an adjacent vehicle as the driver was pulling into a parking space. Affected vehicles include certain 2012-2014 Ford Fiesta vehicles built at Cuautitlan Assembly Plant, Feb.

Amid Mulally rumors, Bill Ford praises company's deep bench

Bill Ford went on the offensive to combat the rumors that CEO Alan Mulally would leave Dearborn for Steve Ballmer's vacated position leading Microsoft, adding that even if the 68-year-old, former Boeing exec were to depart, the Ford executive team is in a good place.
"I'm happy [Mulally] is going to stick around. But we also feel really good about where we are in terms of succession," Ford told Bloomberg TV, according to Automotive News. Rumors first cropped up about Mulally leaving Ford when AllThingsD speculated that he was in the running, early last month. In that same report, which you can read here, Ford's board of directors reportedly okayed the CEO stepping down ahead of his planned retirement in 2014.
That opened the floodgates, culminating in a report from a few days ago that the rumors over Ballmer's successor just might be true. The story is especially troubling, as Ford hasn't had Mulally under contract, according to AN. "He's here as long as he and I would like it to happen," Ford said, "We're also cognizant of training the next generation and getting them ready to go as well."

2015 Ford Mustang production to begin on July 14? Not quite, says Ford

Mustang6g.com believes that it has unlocked start date for 2015 Ford Mustang production citing a Ford dealer communiqué. According to the report, job one on the 2015 hardtop will allegedly start in just a few days, on July 14, although units that are known as "OK to Buy" won't enter production until September 9. The cars built between those dates are most likely final pre-production cars for the executive test fleet, and will likely include the cars we'll be driving at the media launch.
Sun worshippers, meanwhile, would seem to have a longer wait. Job one on the droptop supposedly isn't slated to start until September 14, with production models starting on October 27. As is the case with the hardtop, these final pre-pros are for the execs and media to test, while actual dealer orders will come from vehicles made after the October date.
After speaking to Ford, though, we wouldn't put a great deal of stock in those dates as reported. We reached out to Said Deep, Ford's North American Product Communications Manager.