Louisiana is included among 16 states that are the focus of a Ford recall of roughly 830,000 vehicles in the U.S. and Mexico because parts in the side door latches can break and cause the doors to sing open while the vehicles are moving.
The Associated Press reports the recall announced today covers certain 2013 to 2015 Ford Escape SUVs and C-Max cars, and 2012 to 2015 Focus cars. Also included are 2014 to 2016 Ford Transit Connect vans, as well as Ford Mustang sports cars and Lincoln MKC SUVs from 2015.
The company says the rate of problems is higher in states with high temperatures and sunlight exposure, so the recall is focused on all of Mexico and U.S. states mainly in the south and west.
The states included are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Oregon and Washington.
Dealers will replace all latches in the recall states and Mexico. In other states they will replace the latches only if they break. The company says it knows of one crash and one injury that could have been caused by the problem.
The recall will cost Ford about $270 million, and that figure will be included in the company’s third-quarter pretax results, Ford says in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
