Fire Escape: It's the Supplier's Fault

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Ford is pointing fingers at supplier TI Automotive who is to blame for last week’s surprise recall of about 11,500 Escape SUVs. The trucks were deemed a fire risk because of a flaw in its fuel lines. Ford told the NHTSA that some of the fuel lines were “mechanically scored” at TI Automotive’s plant in Ashley, Indiana.

The documents say that a fuel line with a cut on the surface could split open and leak. Ford took the extreme step of telling its customers to stop driving the 2013 Escape with the 1.6 liter engine, and to contact their local Ford dealer, whereupon a loaner vehicle would be delivered and the Escape brought to the dealership for repairs.

Ford spokeswoman Marcey Zwiebel told Reuters that the affected vehicles were made at Ford’s Louisville Assembly Plant from October 8, 2011 to July 11. TI Automotive has repaired the manufacturing flaw and is still making fuel lines for the 2013 Escape, Reuters says. Production of the Escape was not halted as a result of the recall.

The documents name three engine fires, two experienced by Ford employees. The supplier is, well, hosed.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • El scotto El scotto on Jul 24, 2012

    I used to inspect auto parts for a living. I would speculate Ford either ordered TI Automotive to set up an inspection plan or TI Automotive set the inspection plan up themselves. Metrics will be confirmed and the fuel lines will be inspected for a set number of days. Little plants like this in little towns exist all over the Midwest/rustbelt. Then there are semis hauling these parts around everywhere. No, the plant is probably not union. Ford is probably not TI's only customer.

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    • Alfabert Alfabert on Jul 26, 2012

      @el scotto +1 to tonycd's article, worth the re-read: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2007/08/bye-american/

  • C170guy C170guy on Jul 24, 2012

    Okay, well that was predictable. Ford throws the supplier under the bus. Here is another predictable question, you can turn this around and ask: Why is Ford buying faulty parts from a manufacturer with ineffective quality control? When you order the replacement parts from the Ford counter they are Ford parts, you don't go and order from Acme Fuel Line And Doughnut Shop. This is a little simple dumb thing to score a fuel line, and protecting the integrity of the product - I mean.. Were they asleep?

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    • C170guy C170guy on Jul 24, 2012

      @Silvy_nonsense I wasn't commenting on weather they should be protecting anyone or not.

  • Nikita Nikita on Jul 24, 2012

    I once worked for a small Ford supplier. Our primary business was aircraft fasteners. There is no way Ford could pay for aerospace quality control. We still gave them a level of testing and inspection far beyond minimum requirements set out in the contract. We won the bid by subcontracting much of the fabrication to Mexican shops, but did final inspection ourselves.

  • Greg Locock Greg Locock on Jul 26, 2012

    There seems to be an assumption that there is some quality control on parts once they arrive at the assembly plant. Since you are all astute observers of assembly lines you'll notice the parts come off the trucks in stillages or pallets, and are then fork lifted to the side of the assembly line. There an assembly line worker selects the part and fits it to the vehicle. As such there is no formal inspection process after the part has been loaded onto the truck at the supplier. He is responsible for final inspection. Sure, in the olden days we had incoming inspection, and I suppose if parts are known to be problematic it might still happen, but that is very much the exception. So now you can discuss what happens in today's world, as opposed to 30 years ago.

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