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But Ford’s reputation has taken a severe beating thanks to the Focus.
By 2002 the Focus had recorded nine safety recalls and five defective investigations. The Focus was fast shaping up to be one of Ford’s major embarrassments. According to the Center for Auto Safety, it had registered the highest number of recalls since General Motors’ infamous X cars, which tracked 13 recalls in their initial two years of release.
One of the investigations conducted by the NHTSA, or National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, related to the rear wheels falling off the 2000 models. This resulted in a major recall of 203,000 vehicles.
Earlier, some 350,000 cars had been recalled because of possibility of head damage from the roof pillars. Other problems were associated with inadvertent deployment of airbags, engine stalling and fires in the engine compartment.
Other problems of note were:
- Ignition
- Faulty brakes
- Stalling and sputtering
- Transmission problems
- Water leaks
- Back doors flying open
- Fuel modules requiring replacement
William Clay Ford, the founder’s great-grandson and Chairman at the time, took the heat for the fiasco.
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