***Ford Recalls Previously Fixed Vehicles***

Portfolio Media, New York (February 6, 2008)--In another of many recent setbacks for Ford Motor Co., the auto giant said Friday it was voluntarily recalling about 225,000 vehicles that had already been recalled once to fix a cruise-control deactivation switch. The wiring used to fix the defective mechanisms in some of those cars may itself be faulty, the company said.

The company said it planned to notify the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration this week about the recall. As of press time on Wednesday, the NHTSA's Web site did not contain any notice of the recall.

Ford has put the brakes on approximately 10 million vehicles over cruise control switch issues since 1999. The faulty switch could cause a vehicle to erupt in flames even when it was turned off and parked, Ford said. To fix the problem, Ford installed new wiring harnesses in the recalled vehicles.

According to the company, though, some of those harnesses may contain an improperly placed fuse that does not offer sufficient protection if there is a short circuit.

The vehicles covered by the new recall include the gasoline-powered 1992 to 2003 Econoline, 1992 to 1998 Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis, 1993 Bronco, 1995 to 1997 F series pickup, 1993 F series pickup, 1993 to 1995 Taurus SHO and 1992 to 1995 Town Car.

Not all vehicles in those model years had the faulty wiring harness installed, Ford said. Once the company notifies the NHTSA, it will contact affected owners by mail. Meanwhile, it is advising owners to have the cruise control system disconnected by a dealer.

The repair involves installing a new wiring harness, according to the Ford Web site. “If the harnesses are not available, an electrical component will be replaced until a wiring harness is available. These are quick repairs and will be done at no charge to customers,” the site says.

Ford started recalling vehicles in 1999 after several fires related to the switch were reported. By June 2005, the NHTSA had confirmed that 65 fires were caused by the SCD switch.

The switch, manufactured by Texas Instruments Inc., was installed in every Ford vehicle with cruise control, according to Samuel Sero, a professional forensic engineer who has investigated the switch and testified in lawsuits against Ford.

The purpose of the switch is to stop the cruise control when the brake is pushed, in case the car accelerates suddenly.

The switch, which is always energized and can leak over time, allowing brake fluid to get into the electrical components, was designed poorly, Sero said in court documents. When brake fluid meets electricity flowing to the switch, a fire can start, even when the car is turned off.

Ford asked owners of vehicles included in the recalls to return their cars to the dealership for service, either to install a new part or, if the part is not in stock, to have the cruise control deactivated until it becomes available.

Ford’s first SCD switch recall in 1999 advised the drivers of 250,000 1992 and 1993 model town cars to have the switch replaced. For the next two recalls, in January and September 2005, Ford did not have a replacement switch available, so drivers had their cruise control deactivated.

The second recall affected more than 740,000 model year 2000 and 2001 Ford pickups and SUVs, including Expeditions and Navigators. The third recall affected more than 4 million pickup trucks and SUVs from various model years going back as far as 1994.

The fourth and fifth recalls in 2006 and 2007 consisted of adding a fused wiring harness to the speed control, which reduced the risk of fire by cutting power if there was a power surge to the SCD switch. The two recalls combined affected more than 1.3 million trucks and SUVs from various model years.

The most recent recall last August pulled 3.6 million cars, trucks and SUVs in order to address ongoing concerns over the switch, bringing the total number of vehicles recalled over SCD switch issues to almost 10 million.

As a result of the recalls, Ford has been targeted by hundreds of lawsuits alleging that the company knowingly installed the faulty part in its vehicles. Some suits claim that Ford’s negligence caused some vehicles to burn while parked with the ignition off, and others allege that they were forced to live without cruise control for months after the recalls.

The claims have been consolidated into multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

The plaintiffs in the MDL are hoping to represent a class of more than 2 million members, including the original owners of Ford vehicles involved in the recalls, present owners and lessees.

News of the latest recall came as the second blow to Ford in less than a week.

Ford-owned Volvo Cars said Monday it was recalling 82,000 cars because of a faulty seal that could affect the fuel pump.

The recall affects 23,000 of Volvo's 2004-to-2006 model year S40 sedans and V50 sport wagons in the United States. According to the NHTSA Web site, the fuel pump may corrode under wet and salty conditions, causing the pump to fail and the vehicle to stall or fail to start.

No accidents have been reported in connection with the problem, the Swedish car maker said.

If you have experienced problems with your Ford, Lincoln or Mercury car, SUV or truck or have experienced a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury car, SUV or truck fire contact the lawyers of Ennis & Ennis, P.A. about a Ford fire recall lawsuit. Ennis & Ennis, P.A. specializes personal injury and product liability cases. With offices throughout Florida and in Washington DC we are taking cases nationwide. Fill out our free case evaluation form today to find out if you are eligible for compensation