Ford has notified federal transportation officials that the company is recalling certain Ford Escape vehicles to fix misassembled carpet padding that could interfere with braking and increase risk of a crash.
In a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on July 2, Ford Motor Company announced it was recalling 2013 Ford Escape vehicles built at the Louisville Assembly Plant between March 8, 2012 and June 7, 2012 because mispositioning of the carpet padding during installation may move the position of the carpet and center console trim panel outward. This would reduce clearance around the pedal package and may result in the operator's foot contacting the side of the brake pedal while transferring the foot from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal, potentially increasing stopping distances and the risk of a crash.
Ford is unaware of any consumers experiencing accidents or injuries related to the defect.
Ford or Lincoln dealers will remove the carpet padding and left side console trim panel in affected vehicles, installing a new trim panel with a revised surface contour free of charge.
The recall affects about 8,266 Ford Escape vehicles in the United States. Huffington Post reports that another 2,000 Escapes in Canada and a couple hundred Escapes s in Mexico are also affected.
Ford will send a letter to Escape owners on July 23, 2012. They can contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.
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