According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), automakers recall almost one third or 22 million or more cars every year. The most recent recall this year was issued by Ford Motor Company and involves some 268,000 cars sold and registered in 16 US States and Mexico. The issue involves faulty door latches on some of its vehicles that will not close properly or could open unexpectedly while the car is in operation.
NBC in Los Angeles reports that the U.S. automaker is recalling its Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, and Fiesta models for years 2014 through 2016.
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Ford said in a public statement that high temperatures could possibly exacerbate the problem and cause a lever within the door latch to crack and fail. Customers may not be able to latch the door when closing it or the door may come open unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion.
So far, no crashes, injuries or deaths have been caused by the faulty latches.
Cars affected in the recall have been registered in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington.
Ford said that it will begin sending out notices to consumers about the voluntary recall on May 4th. Customers can then take their cars to their Ford dealership to have the part replaced without charge.
For consumers who wish to determine whether their vehicle may be under recall, the NHTSA has a tool on its website that consumers may use to search by entering their Vehicle Identification Number or VIN.
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