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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.

Ford E-Series chassis cabs and cutaways to survive mass Transit onslaught

In March 2013, Ford announced we'd be getting chassis cab and cutaway versions of the Transit. Since incoming Transit vans will soon be rolling over the grave of the E-Series van, it was assumed that all E-Series models would go six feet under as well. According to a report from PickupTrucks.com, however, that's not the case, the report claiming that the highly modifiable E-350 and E-450 chassis cab and cutaway versions will continue being produced in Avon Lake, Ohio "at least until 2020."
Being decades old, the be-cabbed E-Series platform has found its way under an army of heavy-duty shuttle buses, work truck and ambulances. Ford spokeswoman Jessica Enoch verified the production horizon, telling Autoblog that the particular E-Series configuration "are a higher GVWR than the Transit chassis cab and cutaway (available this summer), which is more Class 2 and a new segment for us." So there you have it.

Ford hybrid sales rebound following MPG controversy

Ford hybrid customers apparently have very short memories. With two EPA fuel economy reratings in the last year, sales of the C-Max, Fusion Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ haven't been too terribly dented, Ward's Auto reports.
All three vehicles saw sales dips following the August 2013 rerating, although sales of the MKZ Hybrid had begun to rebound as early as November of that year. C-Max sales, meanwhile, took slightly longer, with sales on a steadily improving course as early as February of this year.
The second rerating, in June of this year, has had an even smaller effect on the Blue Oval's hybrids. The C-Max has actually been subject to a sales increase, while both the MKZ and Fusion saw minor sales drops (less than 400 units between the two in the month following the rerating).