Ford sold 2 models knowing that they went to neutral on the road



[ad_1]

(Newser)

An investigation revealed and Ford continued to sell its Focus and Fiesta models, insisting they were safe even when their transmissions would become neutral on the highway themselves. As long as everything else works, drivers should be able to park on the side of the road without incident, said the builder. the Detroit Free Press reviewed internal documents, e-mails and court documents indicating that engineers and Ford officials were trying to limit damage for years to the dual-clutch transmission and high mileage of cars. The company ignored the early warnings and refused once the problems were resolved to costly change the transmission. At least 1.5 million cars, which were launched for the 2010-2011 models, are still on the road. The 2019 model is the latest Fiesta; Focus has ended with the 2018 model year.

Ford now faces thousands of disgruntled customers, is paying hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs, government investigations and consumer disputes "increasing in all regions." Besides litigation, the "total expense related to quality" for manual transmission until 2020 could reach $ 3 billion, said a 2016 internal report Free Press. The owners told the newspaper their horror stories: "My car would speed up in my garage, and when I left the gas on the highway, I would go faster than 10 mph on a flat road. traffic lights. "" I literally escaped from the road when the car went by and suddenly lost equipment. " Ford told the paper Wednesday in a statement that discussions during development on "common challenges to new innovative technologies" were "normal trade". He said that many owners were not used to the transmission and that there were other problems when cars were on the road. The solutions took longer than expected, Ford said, adding, "We regret the inconvenience and frustration that caused some consumers." (Read more Ford Focus stories.)

[ad_2]

Source link