Ford Customers Still Waiting for Recalled Parts

Miami, FLFord customers who have vehicles affected by the recent recall of cruise control parts are upset that the company has still not provided the necessary replacement parts. These customers, who took their vehicle in a few months ago to have their cruise control deactivated and a recalled switch unplugged, are still waiting for a new switch to be provided.

Until the new parts are provided, they are left without use of their cruise control, a feature they paid for and expected to be able to use.

These customers note that they have been inconvenienced by the recall and frustrated with Ford's lack of action and failure to provide proper parts for their vehicles. When they call Ford to find out when their vehicles will be repaired, they are simply told that their parts are on back order. As of October, Ford still did not have enough fused wiring harnesses for 1.25 million passenger cars.

When Ford announced the recall in August, it promised customers that parts for passenger cars would be available in early October. The company has said that demand for the part exceeded supply, leaving some people wondering why Ford would not have enough parts for the vehicles when it had access to information about how many vehicles with the recalled parts were sold. After all, the recall involves a risk of fire so it was foreseeable that a high number of people would want to have their vehicles repaired.

Furthermore, Ford has repeatedly announced recalls of vehicles that contain the recalled switch, so why was the company not properly prepared for yet another recall involving the exact same part. For that matter, why has the company not yet solved the problem?

Meanwhile, some Ford customers report that their vehicles have caught on fire, likely caused by the recalled cruise control deactivation switch. Some say that they did not receive a recall notice from Ford while others say their fire happened before they received the letter. In most cases the vehicle is a complete write-off. However, some of the fires have caused damage to personal property, including garages and homes. Victims report that their beloved pets have died as a result of vehicle fires. Furthermore, in a few cases, human deaths have also been reported.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass) has weighed in on the subject of Ford recalls (as found online at Consumer Affairs), noting, "It's unacceptable that these dangerous cars remain on the road and it's obvious that NHTSA needs to do more and work with Ford to fully fix this problem." Kerry, and other critics of Ford, are upset that despite repeated recalls over the past eight years, involving 10.5 million vehicles, Ford vehicles are still catching on fire. Customers are also upset that Ford is not responding to their phone calls and seems to be ignoring their concerns.

With the announcement of yet another recall, Ford may be congratulating itself on taking action to prevent further damage to consumer's vehicles, but most of the consumers are just getting upset. When they purchased their Ford vehicle, they had no idea that they were getting a potential fire hazard as well.