Ford Issues Recall for Child Safety Lock Malfunction | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

What happened:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced that Ford Motor Company is recalling 5,675 2013-model year Focus, C-Max and Escape models because of problems with their child locks. The recall involves 2013 Focus and C-Max vehicles built Nov. 16-21 in 2012, as well as 2013 Escape vehicles built Nov. 14-21 in 2012.

The problem is the rear-door child safety locks on the left rear door, which may not function properly when the driver tries to activate the function. The driver may assume the child locks are working correctly when they are not.  A child who is unrestrained could still open the door from the inside.

Ford says it will begin the recall later this month. Ford dealers will inspect the affected rear-door latches and replace them if necessary. There will be no charge for this service.

The NHTSA also announced that Ford is also recalling almost 200,000 Freestar and Mercury vehicles equipped with a third-row seat, which can experience corrosion and structural degradation at the seat anchor mechanism mounted to the rear wheel wells. The corrosion may cause the third seat to not latch into a position, greatly increasing the chance of injury if the vehicle is hit in the rear. The models affected were manufactured between 2004 through 2007. A new third-row seat latch striker mounting brackets will be installed free of charge.

 

The Virginia Injury Lawyer Perspective:   

It seems that several times a week, our personal injury law firm is reporting on vehicle recalls, many where there have already been fatalities or serious injuries involved.  And too often, lawsuits filed by victims who have been injured by a defective product reveal that companies many times are aware of negligent designs, but sell them anyway.

Our firm has successfully recovered damages for many victims for the pain and losses they suffered caused by defective products.

 

2013 Ford Escape

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helpful Info:

Defective and dangerous products come in all shapes and sizes, from cars to cribs and everything in between. If you or a family member has been injured, sickened or killed by an unsafe product, you can begin to learn about your legal rights and options by reading this article.

 

Have Questions? Check out our FAQs

For those who have been injured by a dangerous or defective product, there are likely many questions that need to be answered. Our firm has a library of attorneys’ answers to frequently asked questions regarding recalled products which can help provide some much needed background information on what is a very complicated subject.