NHTSA Goes To The Mat With Ford

by Cammy Corrigan

Published: June 2nd, 2010

Everyone loves an underdog story and none are greater than Ford’s. Their stock price went from $1 per share to nearly $12, they’re churning out good cars. their quality & reliability are increasing by the award. Yes, Ford is currently the golden boy of the car world. But what comes after pride?

The NHTSA. Reuters reports that Ford is being probed by the NHTSA for floormat entrapment. NHTSA says there is the possibility that the accelerator pedals could be trapped by floormats on the Ford Fusion and the Mercury Milan. The NHTSA has verified 3 complaints that accelerator pedals were caught by the unsecured floormats in the current production Fusion.

Floormats? Didn’t floormats start the Toyota disaster that veered out of control faster than a … ? Are they sure it’s not tin whiskers? At least, so far, Ray LaHood didn’t say “Stop driving your Fords!”

Anyway, the problem could affect up to 249,301 Fusions and Milans. Ford spokesperson, Said Deep (I checked, that really is his name, poor man) said that the instructions on the all weather floormats state that owners should not place them on top of existing floormats. “We do not recommend stacking floormats in any vehicle” Deep said. “We will co-operated fully with NHTSA as we always do.”

The Reuters article also mentions that Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing at Edmunds.com, described a incident like the one described above, in mid-April in a 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid. The accelerator pedal got stuck on some stacked floormats. He reported the incident to the NHTSA. I hope he included the VIN, after all, any yahoo can file a complaint on the NHTSA database. If fact, maybe Ford might want to point that out to the NHTSA?

Though the real question I have is this: do people REALLY have to be told NOT to stack floormats around the pedals? I guess, they do. WARNING: Objects in your mirror may be larger than they appear!

#CammyCorrigan #Floormats #Ford

Cammy Corrigan

More by Cammy Corrigan

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 29 comments

Sinistermisterman on Jun 02, 2010

Anyone dumb enough to stack their floormats deserves to unintentionally accelerate into a tree. It'll help clean up the gene pool.

Like Reply
73hal2001 on Jun 02, 2010

Floor Mats recalled as Windstar Axles breaking ignored. http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local-beat/Alleged_Minivan_Axle_Problem_Leads_to_Class-Action_Lawsuit_Philadelphia.html

Like Reply

Recent Comments

AZFelix UCHOTD (Used Corporate Headquarters of the Day):Loaded 1977 model with all the options including tinted glass windows, People [s]Mugger[/s] Mover stop, and a rotating restaurant. A/C blows cold and it has an aftermarket Muzak stereo system. Current company ran okay when it was parked here. Minor dents and scrapes but no known major structural or accident damage. Used for street track racing in the 80s and 90s. Needs some cosmetic work and atrium plants need weeding & watering – I have the tools and fertilizer but haven’t gotten around to doing the work myself. Rare one of a kind design. No trades or low ball offers – I know what I got.
El scotto UH, more parking and a building that was designed for CAT 5 cable at the new place?
Ajla Maybe drag radials? 🤔
FreedMike Apparently this car, which doesn't comply to U.S. regs, is in Nogales, Mexico. What could possibly go wrong with this transaction?
El scotto Under NAFTA II or the USMCA basically the US and Canada do all the designing, planning, and high tech work and high skilled work. Mexico does all the medium-skilled work.Your favorite vehicle that has an Assembled in Mexico label may actually cross the border several times. High tech stuff is installed in the US, medium tech stuff gets done in Mexico, then the vehicle goes back across the border for more high tech stuff the back to Mexico for some nuts n bolts stuff.All of the vehicle manufacturers pass parts and vehicles between factories and countries. It's thought out, it's planned, it's coordinated and they all do it.Northern Mexico consists of a few big towns controlled by a few families. Those families already have deals with Texan and American companies that can truck their products back and forth over the border. The Chinese are the last to show up at the party. They're getting the worst land, the worst factories, and the worst employees. All the good stuff and people have been taken care of in the above paragraph.Lastly, the Chinese will have to make their parts in Mexico or the US or Canada. If not, they have to pay tariffs. High tariffs. It's all for one and one for all under the USMCA.Now evil El Scotto is thinking of the fusion of Chinese and Mexican cuisine and some darn good beer.