Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Ford Pickups: Corroding Gas Tank

Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 1 million pickup trucks, including the popular F-150, in the United States because corrosion problems can cause the vehicles to catch fire.
Straps that hold the fuel tanks to the truck can corrode after heavy use, potentially leading to fires if the tank drops and leaks, Ford said Monday. The problem has caused one injury and three vehicle fires that Ford is aware of, the company said.
The recall affects 1.22 million older trucks sold or registered in 21 states, Washington D.C. and Canada. The vehicles are in cold regions where corrosion from road salt occurs more frequently. Trucks sold or registered in California are not part of the recall.

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-autos-ford-recall-20110802,0,1015290.story

This is an interesting problem: The recall does not cover California? I will tell you why. In order to pass the tougher California emissions requirements the tanks either need to be lined, or made out of a different material.

So, the company well knew there was a better way to make gas tanks but saved X dollars per vehicle and only included the fix in the vehicles that went to California.