Ford revs up recall drive in the UAE
Models manufactured in Mexico and Kentucky plants to be covered by campaign
Dubai: Ford Middle East is recalling around 80 cars in the UAE for inspection of front seat manual recliners, a company spokesperson confirmed to Gulf News Sunday.
This move follows the announcement of Ford Motor Company on Friday to recall more than 33,000 cars worldwide because those recliners "in some of the affected vehicles may have been improperly manufactured".
Injury risk
This could cause the seatback and headrest to move rearward during a crash, posing a risk of injuring passengers.
The affected vehicles are the 2010 Fusion, Explorer, Sport Trac, Mercury Milan and Mountaineer, manufactured between mid-December 2009 and early February 2010 in Ford's plants in Mexico and Kentucky, USA.
Ford Middle East said that vehicle owners will be contacted directly by Al Tayer Motors, the local distributor of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, and its subsidiary in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, Premier Motors. Repairs are free of charge.
Customers can also contact Ford by writing to menacac@ford.com, the company said.
The recall announcement comes a week after Ford released its sales figures for the region. In the first quarter, sales rose 43 per cent across the GCC compared to an average industry growth of 5 per cent, said Hussain Murad, Ford's director of sales in the Middle East.
Rapid pace
"Our customer base is growing at a rapid pace as we continue to gain market share," he added.
"This growth confirms the success of our transformation plan and how it is reflected in our region."
Ford's GCC growth was mainly driven by a nearly 30 per cent increase in passenger cars, led by the Fiesta, Fusion and Taurus models and SUVs, up by nearly 60 per cent across the range, the company said.
In the UAE, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sales saw a 25 per cent increase over the first quarter last year.
Other growth markets in the region included Saudi Arabia and Qatar which experienced a 75 per cent increase.
In Kuwait, trucks and SUVs recorded a 40 per cent growth, the company said.
Engaging reverse gear
- Toyota: In January, Toyota recalled 2.3 million cars worldwide, its second massive recall in four months, to fix potentially faulty accelerator pedals. This followed the recall of 4.2 million vehicles in September 2009. The cars affected include: 2009 and 2010 RAV4, 2009 and 2010 Corolla, 2009 and 2010 Matrix, 2005 to 2010 Avalon, 2007 to 2010 Camry, 2010 Highlander, 2007 to 2010 Tundra, 2008 to 2010 Sequoia. In Canada and the US, Toyota issued a "voluntary recall" of 870,000 Sienna minivans (model years 1998 to 2010) in April. In the UAE, Toyota recalled 3,120 vehicles of the 2005 to 2010 Avalon sedan and the 2009 and 2010 Sequoia. In April, Toyota recalled its Lexus GX 460 model also in the UAE due to stability problems, as well as the 2010 models of Toyota Prado VX and VX-L to investigate possible problems in the Vehicle Stability Control. In its latest move, Toyota announced to recall 100,000 Corolla cars in Brazil over acceleration problems.
- Honda: In January, Honda recalled 646,000 Fit hatchbacks (also known as the Jazz and City) across the world due to a glitch that could let water enter the power window mechanism, causing components to overheat. The recall affected 2007-2008 models of the car in Asia, Latin America, Europe, South Africa and North America.
- In February, Hando recalled 430,000 cars (Accord, Civic and some Acura TL models) because of a fault with airbags. Those models involved are not sold in the UAE or anywhere within the GCC. In March, 2007 and 2008 models of Honda Odysseys were "subject to a service campaign" in the UAE due to an issue concerning a stability module.
- Nissan: Nissan in March recalled 540,000 vehicles across the globe, with more than 32,000 in the Middle East and said the cars are potentially affected by a fuel gauge inaccuracy. Another 15,000 might have faulty brake pedal pins. The automaker said that 2008 to 2010 Nissan Titan, Armada and Infiniti QX56 are affected by the gauge problem and 2008 and 2009 Nissan Quest models by the reduced braking force.
- Chrysler: US car maker Chrysler recalled around 600 Jeeps in the UAE in March due to a potential gearbox defect. The recall covers the 2008 automatic transmission model Jeep Wrangler because of a danger that fluid in the gearbox could overheat.
- General Motors: General Motors (GM) has recalled 1.3 million small cars in North America in March because of a power steering problem that has been linked to 14 crashes.
- Hyundai: Hyundai recalls 47,000 of its new Sonata sedans in February to fix faulty door latches. None of the models in the UAE were affected.
- Suzuki: Suzuki recalled 430,000 of its ‘Minicars' in February after two reported incidents of fire due to a possible defect in air conditioners. These small engined vehicles are only sold in Japan.
- Daihatsu: Daihatsu Motor called back around 60,000 minicar models in Japan in February after discovering wiring problems that could cause airbags to inflate accidentally.
- Mazda: In April, Mazda announced a recall of the 2006 to 2009 Mazda 3 model over an oil hose issue that can lead to leaks in the pipe with 90,000 cars affected. In addition, the recall also affected about 35,000 passenger Mazda cars called Axela in Japan.
