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Ford Pays NHTSA Fine to Settle Tardy Recall
Ford Motor Co. has agreed to pay a $17 million fine to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for delaying a recall of 2001-2004 Escape crossover vehicles.
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Ford Motor Co. has agreed to pay a $17 million fine to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for delaying a recall of 2001-2004 Escape crossover vehicles.
Ford agreed to pay the fine but admits no wrongdoing. NHTSA says the deal, which avoids a courtroom battle, does not shield the company from possible civil or criminal liability.
Last August Ford launched a campaign covering 423,000 of the vehicles to fix a cruise control cable that could become pinched and prevent the accelerator from returning to idle when released.
NHTSA says Ford knew of the defect well before announcing the recall. The agency requires companies to report a problem within five business days of its discovery. Under federal law, NHTSA may levy a maximum fine of $17 million per infraction.
Last year Mazda Motor Corp. launched a recall to fix the same problem in its Tribute crossover a rebadged Escape for the 2001-2006 and 2008 model years. Mazda says it was not part of the Ford-NHTSA settlement.
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