Recalls are a constant problem in the automotive industry. While most manufacturers do their best to produce an excellent product, from time to time mistakes happen during the process resulting in customers needing mandatory repairs on their vehicles for their own safety. I am reminded of the line from Fight Club:
A new car built by my company leaves somewhere traveling at 60 mph. The rear differential locks up. The car crashes and burns with everyone trapped inside. Now, should we initiate a recall? Take the number of vehicles in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the average out-of-court settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one.
In the last few years, recalls have become a major part of the news cycle, and as such it seems that every manufacturer is recalling mass amounts of previously sold vehicles. Recent headlines read:
Every General Motors recall in 2014
566,000 Dodges and Jeeps Recalled
Ford recalls 850,000 cars for air bag flaw
As these recalls circle the news, the news recently has been: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration probe into Ford’s recent 200,000 recalled Super Duty trucks.
The "query" involves the 2011-'12 Ford F-250, F-350, F-450 pickups equipped with the 6.7-liter turbodiesel engines. An exhaust-gas sensor located behind the diesel particulate filter in the truck's exhaust system could malfunction while a vehicle is being used, according to an NHTSA statement.
If a malfunction occurs, it could result in "power reduction (limp) model and a vehicle-commanded engine shutdown (engine stall) with no immediate restart capability," NHTSA said in its problem summary.
So far, 30 consumer complaints have been linked to this issue.
All in all, we’ll be watching this develop. We’re not skeptical of Ford’s response, we are curious to see the impact this will have on Ford Super Duty owners this year.
Unrelated Fun
The new F-150 that has been turning heads in the industry features a new all-aluminum body, moving away from traditional steel. This had lead to concerns regarding hull integrity, maintenance, and repair costs. For those curious, here is Edmunds.com testing the F-150 with crushing sledgehammer blows: