Ford recalls its $140,000 GT supercar for safety defect

[NFS4]

Yep, it's a Ford alright

Ford Motor Co. is recalling its $140,000 Ford GT supercar to repair a defect that could cause loss of control, the automaker confirmed today.

Nearly 450 vehicles - all Ford GTs built to date - are affected by a suspension component problem that originated with a supplier, said spokeswoman Kristen Kinley. The component is subject to cracking because of a casting process error.

"If it cracks, it could cause the wheel to become unstable," said Kinley, who would not identify the supplier. "And if the wheel becomes unstable at high speed, that's a safety issue.

The defect was discovered during a pre-delivery inspection of a single car. Of 448 vehicles affected by the reall, 111 are in the hands of private owners. Ford has contacted these owners and warned them not to drive their cars until the automaker determines how to fix the problem, Kinley said.

Ford will pick up those vehicles that are in private hands, she added.

The remaining cars are at dealerships or the assembly site in Wixom.

Ford has also told dealers not to allow test drives until their vehicles have been repaired, Blue Oval News reported Sunday.

The Ford GT was rushed into production to mark the automaker's centennial in 2003. It went from the drawing board to the street in less than 18 months - about half the time of a normal vehicle development program.

Three cars were hand-built for Ford's 100-year anniversary. Engineers then went back to work on the production car.

The 550-hp two-seater, which has a certified top speed of 205 mph, went into full production earlier this year as a 2005 model.

 

[pookguy88]

lol, and they want to be in the same class as Ferrari. they should ask themselves "would Ferrari have such a defect/recall?"

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: pookguy88
lol, and they want to be in the same class as Ferrari. they should ask themselves "would Ferrari have such a defect/recall?"

Ferraris are known for thier unreliability.

 

[Excelsior]

hmm..

 

[Schadenfreude]

The kicker is, they won't reveal who the supplier is!

Wow folks, this is Ford at its finest . . ..

 

[JackBurton]

Yeah, what's defective is the price tag. That car should be around the $50,000-$60,000 price range. No way would I pay $140,000 for that car.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: pookguy88
lol, and they want to be in the same class as Ferrari. they should ask themselves "would Ferrari have such a defect/recall?"

Ferraris are known for thier unreliability.

0wn3d.

Ferrari would just sweep it under the rug anyway. If it "breaks" it's the owner's fault.

 

[PoPPeR]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: pookguy88
lol, and they want to be in the same class as Ferrari. they should ask themselves "would Ferrari have such a defect/recall?"

Ferraris are known for thier unreliability.

but losing control at high speeds without any user error?

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: pookguy88
lol, and they want to be in the same class as Ferrari. they should ask themselves "would Ferrari have such a defect/recall?"

Ferraris are known for thier unreliability.

Yes, pwned badly.

I'd be surprised to find a Ferrari owner who drive their cars on a semi regular basis who don't take it to the shop every 2 weeks.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Jehovah
The kicker is, they won't reveal who the supplier is!

Wow folks, this is Ford at its finest . . ..

Do you know why? Because the supplier did it exactly to Ford specs, I would bet.

<--- works for a supplier, but not THE supplier.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: PoPPeR

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: pookguy88
lol, and they want to be in the same class as Ferrari. they should ask themselves "would Ferrari have such a defect/recall?"

Ferraris are known for thier unreliability.

but losing control at high speeds without any user error?

I thought that is how you define unreliability when it comes to cars, when its not the user's error. Obviously if you shift to 1st while going 80 theres going to be some "unreliability" issues with any car.

 

[Koing]

There is a difference between a 'defect' and unreliability. Rich guys buying a Ferarri don't care they more often then not have at least one other car and most a fleet of cars : P

Clarkson WILL not be happy about this!

Koing

 

[SuperTool]

Originally posted by: JackBurton
Yeah, what's defective is the price tag. That car should be around the $50,000-$60,000 price range. No way would I pay $140,000 for that car.

What's defective is your reasoning. It's a small production supercar, and they'll have no problem selling every one they make at the price they want. So why would they cut the price?

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: pookguy88
lol, and they want to be in the same class as Ferrari. they should ask themselves "would Ferrari have such a defect/recall?"

No...they would just call it a feature.

 

[batmang]

if you have money for a supercar, your not going to not have money to get it fixed. they are supercars, that are made to be driven to the limits, and thats why they break all the time.... rich people with money to blow.....whats $500 an hour to them when they just paid $250,000 for a car. lol

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Ford says no accidents or injuries have been reported. Engineers discovered the cracked control arm in one GT during a routine field inspection.

Props to Ford for at least recognizing the defect and replacing it before anybody was injured.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Originally posted by: pookguy88
lol, and they want to be in the same class as Ferrari. they should ask themselves "would Ferrari have such a defect/recall?"

Could happen to anyone. When you have thousands of suppliers, one can easily have a manufacturing error.

Did you know one of htesuspension bridges in NYC has a defect in the cables. ALL OF THE CABLES are defect! It's overbuilt by a factor of like 2 though, so it's not an issue.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Originally posted by: SuperTool

Originally posted by: JackBurton
Yeah, what's defective is the price tag. That car should be around the $50,000-$60,000 price range. No way would I pay $140,000 for that car.

What's defective is your reasoning. It's a small production supercar, and they'll have no problem selling every one they make at the price they want. So why would they cut the price?

Tell you what. if I had the money to throw around, I would seriously consider it myself! I'd take the GT over a Corvette ANY DAY!

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Jehovah
The kicker is, they won't reveal who the supplier is!

Wow folks, this is Ford at its finest . . ..

Do you know why? Because the supplier did it exactly to Ford specs, I would bet.

<--- works for a supplier, but not THE supplier.

a casting process error doesn't sound like an engineering problem

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Jehovah
The kicker is, they won't reveal who the supplier is!

Wow folks, this is Ford at its finest . . ..

Do you know why? Because the supplier did it exactly to Ford specs, I would bet.

<--- works for a supplier, but not THE supplier.

a casting process error doesn't sound like an engineering problem

Ford may have spec'ed the wrong material, the wrong design, a cost-saving moment could have led to this. You wouldn't believe how excited they get when you mention to them that drilling a 1" hole in a piece of metal will save them $500,000 in materials.

 

[ElFenix]

again, casting process sounds more like it wasn't done at the right temp or something

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
again, casting process sounds more like it wasn't done at the right temp or something

LIke I said, material would play a huge role in that. Different materials require different temps, pressure, time to cool, time to flow, etc.

 

[SuperTool]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Jehovah
The kicker is, they won't reveal who the supplier is!

Wow folks, this is Ford at its finest . . ..

Do you know why? Because the supplier did it exactly to Ford specs, I would bet.

<--- works for a supplier, but not THE supplier.

a casting process error doesn't sound like an engineering problem

Ford may have spec'ed the wrong material, the wrong design, a cost-saving moment could have led to this. You wouldn't believe how excited they get when you mention to them that drilling a 1" hole in a piece of metal will save them $500,000 in materials.

It's a low volume product that they can pretty much charge what they want for. I doubt cost saving was the reason. Certain things only manifest themselves after some time in the field, and it's hard to get that kind of long term test time on a low volume product.

 

[Chadder007]

Ford = PWNED!!!
Jeremy Clarkson =
Here is another link..
http://www.blueovalnews.com/20...ll.ford.gt.19dec04.htm
More info.. They won't have the parts in to fix some things until Feb of next year!!! HAHA!

Ford will quietly notify dealers who have 2005 GT models in their inventory that they may not drive, demonstrate or sell the vehicles until two recalls are performed. According to a Ford memo, representatives from Ford will contact GT owners individually and instruct them "not to drive their vehicle under any circumstances."

In the first of two recalls, Ford will inspect the fuel system of all GTs made from 13 October 2004 through 19 November 2004. Some of the Ford GTs may require the installation of a new fuel tank.

The second recall to be issued will be safety related due to defective suspension control arms. The safety recall will include all GTs made from JOB1 (30 June 2004) through 11 December 2004. According to a Ford memo, "Ford has identified a quality issue with the suspension control arms on the affected vehicles which may adversely affect vehicle handling in the event of a control arm fracture. In the event a customer does not seek service for the diminished handling concern, a crash potentially could occur." Replacement parts should be available to dealers by 01 February 2005.

According to sources, Ford may issue a future recall to replace the rear engine exterior cowl cover due to alleged cracking issues. A BlueOvalNews article published on 07 September 2004 alleged that the cylinder heads on the GT may be defective, however, no such defects have been reported.

These recalls may garner (either fairly or unfairly) more negative media attention toward Ford for several reasons. First, the GT is supposed to represent Ford's best build and quality efforts - this is Ford's total image product and, second; Ford (like all domestic brands) is already under immense scrutiny for their product quality.

Ford has manufactured 470 GTs from 30 June 2004 to 11 December 2004 at the Wixom, Michigan Special Vehicle Center.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: Koing
There is a difference between a 'defect' and unreliability. Rich guys buying a Ferarri don't care they more often then not have at least one other car and most a fleet of cars : P

Clarkson WILL not be happy about this!

Koing

Hahha. That was exactly who I was thinking about when I clicked on this thread.