The Center for Auto Safety claims that the repair procedure for a 2005 recall of the Ford Escape could have caused damage to the cruise control cable in about 320,000 vehicles, resulting in the potential for unintended acceleration. The 2005 recall, which covered a total of 470,000 Escapes from the 2002-04 model year, was due to an accelerator cable that could snag on the accelerator pedal.
At the time of the TSB Ford had already performed recall work on 320,000 of the 470,000 recalled Escapes. Ford never informed those 320,000 owners that their vehicles could have a new safety risk as the result of the recall work.
Sadly, Ford's decision not to immediately issue a new recall for the cruise control cable problem has apparently resulted in at least one death. Seventeen-year-old Saige Bloom was killed earlier this year when the 2002 Escape she was riding in accelerated out of control. The Bloom family hired an expert to examine the wreckage, with the investigation revealing a snagged cruise control cable under the hood. The Bloom's Escape was repaired for the 2005 recall before the issue of the October TSB.
"Ford knew there was a problem. Ford knew the consequences," Clarence Ditlow, the Center for Auto Safety's executive director, told The New York Times.
Ford is holding comment on the situation until it concludes its own investigation.
"We offer our deepest sympathies to the Bloom family for their tragic loss," The Dearborn-based automaker said. "We are in the midst of our investigation, and we have not reached any conclusions. We will work closely with NHTSA to determine the cause of the crash and will take appropriate action if warranted by the outcome of the investigation."
The NHTSA has received 133 complaints from owners of 2002-04 Escapes involving unintended acceleration. Although the Center for Auto Safety's petition focuses on vehicles fixed in the 2005 recall, it should be noted that some of the complaints were lodged prior to 2005, indicate there could be an independent fault causing the cruise control cable to stick.
