Revision: Aug / 06:
Bad Welds in the Auto / Truck Industry:
Manufacturing Management,
Product Recalls and Accountability.
|
Welding
out of control:
ROBOT
WELDS THAT ALWAYS SEEM TO REQUIRE
MANUAL WELD REWORK IS AN INDICATION OF WHAT?
AT THE GLOBAL MANUFACTURING LEVEL: The latest ISO, Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing practices and standards have been successfully implemented. The company has never had more black belts walking the factory floors, yet from a manufacturing perspective it did not matter which direction you looked, the evidence of lack of manufacturing process controls was overwhelming. For the first time in this corporation's history, it's global auto / truck recall costs in 2005 would exceed three billion dollars.
AT THE LOCAL LEVEL: In production plant "B" in the old Detroit facility, the daily robot weld production efficiency was typically less than 60%, and the manual weld rework was in the 40 to 70% range. Apart from buying more robots or bringing in workers on the weekends to do the repairs, what else could the production manager do?
The consumer's manufacturing ignorance can
provide relief for many auto / truck manufacturers:
If auto / truck customers truly understood the requirements for weld integrity and the role vehicle designers intend welds to play both in the vehicle life and more importantly when a vehicle is in a collision, we would have more people crawling under that car or truck before they put their money down.
In manufacturing and "welding" steel components for cars and trucks, their is little evidence from North American, Japanese or European manufacturers of the establishment of effective
"Robot Weld Process Controls" and absolutely no sign of any multi-plant, international corporations establishing "Global Robot Weld Best Practices".
I have been in numerous auto / truck facilities in ten different countries and rarely found a manufacturing manager that understood the real robot weld production efficiency from his robots and more importantly how to control weld cost / quality and keep the daily robot weld rework to less than 2%.
2004 robot frame welds:
WELD LIABILITY, FUTURE CONSEQUENCES:
Many of the poor welds witnessed for decades in auto / truck plants, along with the overwhelming evidence of corporate / manufacturing management process control apathy will one day provide the ammunition lawyers require.
It will not take rocket science to prove that a critical structural component failure of a car / truck in a crash, was partially a result of MIG welds on the vehicle that lacked weld integrity. Lawyers will readily find evidence of poor quality welds due to "manufacturing management / engineering negligence".
Each day persons die in vehicle collisions, yet how many may have lived if the vehicle welds were built in the manner the designer and manufacturing instructions required?
You will rarely see a car or truck recall for "defective welds," as they would have to replace almost every vehicle. Lets face it, an auto or truck manufacturer will take great care in it's product failure descriptions and for good reason. For example if a company discloses that the frame has defective welds, it's an indication of a major manufacturing process control break down. This type of defect would point to the inability of highly paid manufacturing management and highly qualified engineers to regulate and optimize a simple, two control, 50 year old manufacturing process, a process that an 11 year old could learn in a few hours.
Weld Failures initiate from "Bad Weld Practices" and
a management's ability to establish "Weld Process Controls"
When a weld issue is discovered on a vehicle, you are likely to see the weld issue recall announced something like this;
[] this recall is due to a "design suspension, axle or body issue"
[] this recall is due an "integrity issue in the suspension",
[] this recall is due to a "component issue near the rear axle",
[] this recall is due to a "defective, door, latch, lug, bracket, bolt nut etc.".
It was a brand new $26,000 LEMON
MOST AUTO / TRUCK CUSTOMERS WILL NOT KNOW THEY HAVE A WELD OR VEHICLE WELD FABRICATION PROBLEM TILL THEY END UP IN HOSPITAL OR FACE UP IN A COFFIN. Ed Craig. DEC 2005:
WHEN YOU GAIN PROCESS CONTROL KNOWLEDGE
(PROCESS CONTROL BOOKS)
YOU DON'T MAKE WELDS LIKE THIS
As with many auto / truck plants you will find
numerous weld defects in combination
with tremendous waste.
The fact that this robot truck weld has 200% more weld
than it required simply meant the robot weld speed
was at least 70 % slower than it could have
been and look at the weld result.
IT'S 2006. JOE. ARE WE MANUFACTURING FOR
PROFITS OR MANUFACTURING FOR RECALLS?
In a world where too many MANAGERS shy away from
manufacturing ownership, this web site is dedicated to
"MANUFACTURING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY"
As many auto part suppliers slowly sink towards chapter 11 and the North American auto executives and management bathe in their own design / manufacturing mediocrity, the corporate executives of this industry will sit back in their ivory towers and place the responsibility for their poor profit quagmire on the unions, medical / pension costs and competitive third world labor costs. How often will you hear these same executives discuss the billions they loose annually on auto / truck recall and warranty costs associated with poor plant manufacturing practices?
Manufacturing Managers have you visited the robot
process control management section?
Disgusted with Detroit.
E-Mail Feb 2007: Hi Ed: I was aghast at some of the information I read on your website, and I would like to add yet another anecdote for your displeasure.
I used to perform ASTM calibrations of industrial test and measurement equipment, and one of the locations I traveled to was a large stamping and welding plant, who catered to multiple automotive industry manufacturers. I'm sure you know the type; a company who doesn't even have a name sign out in front of their 300,000 square foot building... they don't want their competing customers to know for certain who all else they work for. They turned out products from complete floor pans to small components I could recognize as belonging to automotive instrument clusters.Well, to get to the meat of the story, the Quality Control management personnel told me they were experiencing erratic results from their welded studs tests. The test equipment they showed me was pretty decrepit, with gouges on the visibly misaligned platens, hydraulic fluid leaks, and oily debris all over and under the contact surfaces. The geometry of the test they were performing was visibly improper, the flow controls which controlled the test machine's rate of travel didn't work properly, and the machine was definitely out of calibration - the needles in the gauge were sticking and not returning to a uniform zero. Now the fact is that this type of test equipment is typically only calibrated once a year, so they had been performing test with faulty results for at least some portion of a year.
I observed several Techs running the test machine, and the results spoke for themselves; no attention to details results in no useable details. The Techs were trying to kick out a certain number of test samples in far too short of a length of time, and were running the test equipment's flow controls at nearly wide open; which in addition to not even remotely complying with the ASTM procedures, actually gave provably
and wildly erratic results. After having them replace the damaged surfaces on the machine, and my
performing a lengthy repair and calibration, I showed the Q.C. personnel and Technicians how to run the test per ASTM procedures, and I explained to them the great importance of the rate of motion of the
test, and I then demonstrated the highly consistent results I could achieve by following ASTM procedures, and I further demonstrated the incredibly erratic and imprecise results which occurred when the
procedures were not followed. To be sure that the message sunk in, I had one of the Techs perform the test correctly several times. Everyone seemed quite happy with the resolution of their issue.As I was packing my equipment up to leave, I heard a sound I didn't much like, and sure enough, the Tech I just had demonstrate the correct test procedure had already spun the flow controls wide open and was
snapping the welded studs off in an uncontrolled manner again. I walked over and asked why he was doing that, and he said he'd never be able to test all of the samples with all the more time he was given if he ran the machine as slow as I indicated. I asked if he understood that the test I showed them was the official industry standard, and that his test results would be worthless the way he was performing them, so why even test? He just gave me the cow-eyes look and went back to performing his despicably and now obviously willfully faulty tests. I went over to the Quality Control management personnel and explained to them what I just encountered, and it appeared to me that all of my efforts died on the
vine right then, when it was necessary for someone in management to finally take responsibility for getting the test program straightened out. I was pretty thoroughly disgusted!!Worse yet, (-you ask "how can that even be possible"?) -on the way back to my office from the site, on a bumpy portion of the interstate highway, the steering wheel in my truck suddenly shifted position,
giving me a heck of a start. I could suddenly flex it a substantial distance, in a short arc. What do think I found? Yep, you guessed it; a badly welded support stud under the dash had sheared off!!! My blood was
boiling... - it looked identical to the studs this automotive supply company had been attempting to test.
In fact I considered myself fortunate that my blood wasn't all over the road; vehicles are very nearly life support equipment, and you simply can't have willfully or negligently faulty components in them without
expecting casualties as the eventual end result.The quality of the welds these outfits produce will never be adequate as long as their impotent Quality Control programs refuse to correct the faulty processes which lead to such utterly disgraceful misconduct of their quality test programs! I'm still curious as to what sort of massaging of the faulty test data
the Q.C. personnel performed to make it appear reasonable to their
customers...Regards. CE - Disgusted with Detroit.
Answer From Ed. CE no surprises here. It does not matter if the weld problems are with resistance welds, MIG welds or laser welds, when it comes to the Big Three and their tier one suppliers there is minimal management accountability in the attainment of quality welds, it's been that way for decades and the errosion of Detroit manufacturing is like a cancer, there is only one outcome, meanwhile for future opportunities I suggest you learn to speak Japanese. Ed
Do these welds look sound?
Do you think this plant has management or
engineers with weld process expertise?
WANT TO KNOW WHAT FORD THINKS YOUR LIFE IS WORTH?
2000. The US Senate , after a "rolling block" passed a watered down version of a consumer protection bill addressing the issues of tires and auto manufacturers withholding safety information from the government and the public. Apparently, a few of the more cretinish senators didn't want to impose criminal penalties on corporate CEOs who, with intent, withheld public safety information. This is the result of your auto manufacturer's lobby and money at work -- for them, not for you. Shouldn't every tire and auto manufacturer be able to make unsafe or defective products with impunity? Apparently, your government believes so. It may have been Ford that calculated the value of a human life to be approximately $200,000 when it once decided not to replace or re-engineer a potentially defective part, because it would have cost the company more money to do. For more visit, http://www.autobuyology.org/car6.html, or click here for the classic auto executive management decisions involved in Ford Pinto story
Remember this web site is not about the latest car or truck recalls, I would have to hire a team just to keep up with that demand. The random recall information provided here barely touches the surface of the real recall issues.
The recall data presented here is simply to show the reader that global manufacturing management chaos and mediocrity is today the norm and few auto / truck executives appear CONCERNED or accountable for their manufacturing end results.
To view all the programs at this site.
For Ed's Process Controls and Best Weld Practices Books / Video / Training Resources.
It's a sad statement that once your warranty is up, too often you are on your own, even though the vehicle manufacture may have been aware that the defects you report thirty days after the warranty has expired were there the day the vehicle left the plant. It's also a reality in 2005 that many of the major global auto manufacturers are experts in defect denial, defect cover ups and keeping major problems isolated from the public in a cocoon of secret warranties and technical service bulletins.
The defects you will find at this site are not unusual and in many cases look similar to the manufacturing issues this industry had in the nineteen sixties, (see Ford Pinto and Mustang). The majority of defects noted at this site also have much in common with the other auto / truck manufacturers and the amount of defects are almost overwhelming to keep up with.
2006: At this time in the history of vehicle manufacturing,
recalls and warranty work is at levels in which the associated costs are pushing many of the major auto / truck companies and their suppliers towards eventual bankruptcy.
These welds look more like glue or a sealer has been applied.
ONE OF THE MANY GREAT VEHICLE COVER UPS.
Mitsubishi recalls over a million of its vehicles self-admittedly stating they are poorly built vehicles. Mitsubishi also reportedly acknowledges that it hid consumer safety complaints for the past ten years.
Mitsubishi Motors and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus had recalls, that combined to 2,869,366 vehicles, or 38 percent of the tally for the entire country. Last year, Mitsubishi Motors disclosed that it failed to come clean five years ago and had more hidden defects. Both companies have seen sales plunge in recent years over the scandal.
Kude said a recent cover-up of auto defects at Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and its truck making affiliate Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp have had led motorists to be more vigilant about notifying authorities of possible defects or safety concerns.Note from Ed: Many people are in prison today for less lesser crimes than those committed by this corporate management.
266,000 CAR FIRES IN USA, 520 DEATHS AND 1300 FIRE VICTIMS DUE TO CAR FIRES
AND WE IN AMERICA ARE WORRIED ABOUT WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
Is it possible the fires are a reflection of possible design and manufacturing
engineering issues found in so many cars and trucks? Is anyone responsible?
ABC News: ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 12, 2005 — AAA and the National Fire Protection Association will issue a warning tomorrow about car fires, ABC News has learned. Last year, 266,000 car fires resulted in 520 deaths, the organizations say.
"It was a horrible explosion," said car fire victim Bob Aymar, who, in less than a minute, suffered third degree burns on his face, hand and arm. He was sprayed by a gasoline fireball during a violent traffic accident on a Southern California freeway.
Heat Under the Hood. "The Bronco behind me was hit so hard that it ruptured the gas tank," said Aymar, who, after seven surgeries, was finally able to play the piano again. He is just one of more than 1,300 car fire victims every year. According to the NFPA, cars catch fire on American highways once every two minutes.
"The risk of a car or vehicle fire is even greater than the risk of an apartment fire. More people die in vehicle fires than in apartment fires each year in the United States," said AAA President Robert Darblenet.
Ford and Manufacturing.
Are these "Management Issues?"
AFTER BUILDING THEM FOR 100 YEARS YOU THINK THEY COULD GET IT RIGHT.
Warning for those that have just purchased that new car or truck and are unfortunate to end up in a vehicle crash, please remember as the sound of tearing metal invades your senses;
[] the seat belt brackets may not hold,
[] the seats may collapse,
[] the frame or body may collapse when it should have held,
[] the air bags may get stuck,
[] the axles may collapse,
[] the wheels may come off,
and if you survive the crash a fire could mysteriously start and cremation is a good possibility.
When you see the fireman in the following recalls you know why when you buy a new car or truck your first accessory should be a fire extinguisher.
An Oxy Moron Weld:
A weld with lack of weld fusion
a weld with excess weld metal.
In this frame weld, no weld fusion is found on the weld base.
Consumers should be a little more concerned about the underside
and structural integrity of that brand new vehicle.
Ford Manufacturing Management Issue:
Recall is in addition to 4.6 million recalled last year for potential fire hazard.August 4 2006: 10:45 AM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Ford Motor Co. is recalling 1.2 million large pick-up trucks, SUVs and vans because of a problem with the vehicles' cruise control system that could lead to a fire.This recall is in addition to a total of 4.6 million Ford vehicles that were recalled for the same problem last year.
The vehicles being recalled are: certain model year 1994 to 2002 F-250 through F-550 Super Duty trucks; 2000-2002 Excursion SUVs; 1994 to 1996 Econoline vans; 1996 to 2002 E-450 vans and 1998 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer SUVs. Diesel-powered vehicles are not affected.
In rare cases, the company said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, brake fluid can leak through the cruise control deactivation switch causing corrosion in the switch. This can cause the switch to overheat and possibly burn.
The switch shuts off the cruise control when the driver firmly steps on the brakes. The switch is located under the hood of the vehicle and is attached to the brake master cylinder on one end and wired to the cruise control on the other.
On most of its models, Ford designed the switch to be powered -- or "hot" -- at all times, even when the vehicle is off. Inside the switch, a thin film barrier separates brake fluid from the switch's electrical components.
In January, 2005, Ford recalled approximately 800,000 F-150 pick-ups for the problem.
Later that year, after numerous Ford owners complained that their vehicles caught fire when their engines were off and the keys weren't in the ignition, CNN launched an investigation into fires in Ford vehicles that had not been recalled .
In September, 2005, Ford recalled certain Bronco, Expedition, Lincoln Blackwood and Lincoln Navigator SUVs as well well as some Ford Ford F-150 and F-250 pick-ups for the same problem. A total of 3.8 million vehicles were recalled at that time.
Ford stopped using the switch in 2002.
Associated Press:
WASHINGTON:
TRUCKS:2005: Ford and Toyota, two of the world's largest auto manufacturers, today recalled nearly 5 million pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles in separate moves to respond to concerns of engine fires and problems with the power-steering system. The recall by Ford Motor Co., the fifth-largest auto industry recall in US history, involved 3.8 million pickups and SUVs from the 1994-2002 model years, including the top-selling F-150 pickup.
Toyota Motor Corp., meanwhile, recalled 978,000 sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks over complaints that a rod linking the steering wheel and the wheels could fracture when the steering wheel is turned while the vehicle is stopped. The affected Toyota vehicles include the 1990-1995 4 Runner SUV, 1989-1995 truck 4WD and 1993-1998 T-100 pickup.
In the Ford case, NHTSA said Wednesday it was reviewing 1,170 allegations of engine fires related to the vehicles and would continue a probe launched earlier this year. There have been allegations of three deaths in cases cited in news reports or lawsuits in Iowa, Georgia and Arkansas.
Ford's recall includes the 1994-2002 F-150, 1997-2002 Ford Expedition, 1998-2002 Lincoln Navigator and 1994-1996 Ford Bronco equipped with factory-installed speed control. It covers most of the vehicles being evaluated by NHTSA. Ford said its inquiry found brake fluid could leak through the cruise control's deactivation switch into the system's electrical components, leading to potential corrosion. That could lead to a buildup of electrical current that could cause overheating and a fire.
CARS OR TRUCKS, MECHANICAL OR ELECTRICAL,
THE END RESULTS CAN BE DEADLY
2005: Filed under:
Automotive News
CARS:Ford recalling over 225,000 cars over fire risks
At the end of the day Joe, manufacturing defects are not a result of our robots or people on the shop floors, the defects are a result of inadequate design, poor engineering, poor manufacturing practices and inadequate quality control.
Vehicle fire data has some experts fuming.
Posted in the Sun, Dec. 11, 2005
By PAUL WENSKE.
ColumnistPartial Column.
520 persons died in highway vehicle fires in 2004 — more than the number who died in apartment fires.
The automobile association said there were more than 266,500 vehicle fires, resulting in 1,300 injuries and nearly $1 billion in property damage.But Clarence Ditlow, head of the Center for Auto Safety, a Washington-based consumer advocacy group, said AAA’s fire figures were “just the tip of the iceberg.” An estimated 500 to 1,000 fatal accidents involving fires never get reported as fire-related deaths, said Kennerly Digges, president of the Motor Vehicle Fire Research Institute, an independent nonprofit group based in Charlottesville, Va., specializing in automobile fire safety research.
In September, Ford recalled cruise control switches on 3.8 million 1994-2002 Ford pickups and SUVs that can overheat. But critics think the system can be made better by digging deeper into the causes of vehicle fires. They say the government’s two main databases suffer from serious information gaps and miss many non-crash fires.
“If the police don’t list a fire in their report, the death does not
get reported as a "fire-related death” Fell said.
But the reporting codes used by firefighters to report vehicle fires are the same ones used for fires in apartment complexes, homes and even skyscrapers. A country wide coding system specifically for car fires does not exist. Fires that start in cars but spread to houses, where they sometimes cause deaths, are reported as structural fires.A local case illustrates just how easy it is for a car fire to go unreported.
A note from Ed: If you are unfortunate enough to own one of the thousands of vehicles that could catch on fire due to the numerous issues that seem to occur mostly from manufacturing defects with the electrical system, fuel lines or fuel tanks, when the vehicle starts to burn there is only one logical thing that I would do. If my vehicle catches on fire, I will exit promptly, mutter some expletives about useless, f- - - - - g North American Manufacturing Managers and then let the vehicle burn to the ground. With the insurance proceeds I would likely buy a Toyota or Honda.
Common auto / truck frame weld,
please don't drop the part.
If you tried to create a weld like this with almost
no weld fusion it would be a difficult task
According to Reuters:
Ford Quietly Fixing Expedition Weld Faults:
Ford, plagued by early quality problems with redesigned vehicles over the last two years, has been quietly fixing a defect on hundreds of new Expedition sport utility vehicles that could have led to an embarrassing recall. The problem involved faulty welding in the rear suspension area of early production models of the full-size SUV, which Ford began building in April at its Michigan Truck assembly plant outside Detroit. Ford held back the first month's production of 2003 Expedition and the similar Lincoln Navigator for extra quality checks and caught the problem before any vehicles were shipped to dealers. The work was being carried out in a hangar of the Willow Run airport near Ann Arbor, Michigan, which sits alongside a tightly secured parking field where Ford has held many of its new trucks, clad in white plastic sheeting, since April. Ford wanted to avoid the negative publicity that would have come with a recall after the recalls of the new Explorer in 2002 and the Escape in 2000.
Ford GM and Chrysler executive management could ask themselves a few simple questions.
What's happened to the more than a billion dollars your organizations have spent on ISO, LEAN MFG DYNAMIC CONTROL PLANS. SIX SIGMA. TOPS. DOE. FMEA. KAIZEN. KANBAN. MRP. J.I.T. T.Q.M. SPC. POKE. YOKE. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST THE BIG JOKE.
While your companies embraced the many available lean / manufacturing control programs or crutches that seem to be a requirement by organizations and individuals who lack manufacturing expertise, where were the;
[] professional managers that provided the required leadership. Managers that stated "the buck stops here". Managers that actually took ownership of the key manufacturing equipment in their facilities?
[] professional managers who had the ability to nurture their engineers and technicians to establish global, uniform Best Manufacturing and Quality Practices?[] professional managers who could instruct their engineers to implement Process Controls that would guarantee the desired daily quality and productivity?
[] professional mangers who knew what was required for an effective training program?
[] designers who took an interest in weld processes used on their parts and followed through on the components they designed and did not enable design dimensional deviations or inferior products to replace the products they specified?
[] manufacturing engineers that rolled up their sleeves and built the parts as specified?
[] the corporate executives who had the leadership and vision to build a safe, stylish, quality vehicle that required low fuel consumption and was good value for a consumers buck.
As these corporate guys pick up their annual bonus, someone should write on the back of there bonus checks that "responsibility for design, engineering and manufacturing always starts with the leadership in the corporate office"
For more than two decades the Big
Three has built Wall-Mart cars?
Corporate Questions for Auto / Truck Executives:
[] Why do the majority of North American cars you build all look the same and look like they are in the right place when parked outside a Wall-mart store?
[] Why have your auto / truck product recall / warranty costs now surpassed the medical insurance benefits you pay your employee's?
[] When looking for across the board cost reductions, why do you focus on employee benefit costs or lower overseas labor costs and never focus on the dramatic cost savings that could be attained from manufacturing recall or warranty cost reductions?
[] Why do you continue to award your manufacturing management and supervision with obscene bonuses at a time when their manufacturing production efficiency is rarely attained without overtime premiums?
[] Why do so many of the managers and engineers you hire lack the ability or resources to build parts without extensive rework, parts that actually comply to the engineering design standards provided?[] Why do we keep letting your bean counters influence design, engineering and quality?
[] Why do so many of your plants lack the fundamental ability to establish Global Best Manufacturing Practices and implement effective shop floor Process Controls?
[] When did you stop valuing the opinions of your engineers, technicians and customers.
The following are typical examples of auto / truck MANUFACTURING MANAGEMENT problems that typically occur. If you wish to contribute your quality / productivity stories to this section or any of the data provided you believe is incorrect, contact Ed at ecraig@weldreality.com.
June 2006.
Ford looks to invest 9.2
Billion in "Mexico"
When he started Ford Motor company, Henry Ford's philosophy was to pay workers above the norm, and rely on efficient assembly of the affordable cars he built. The high pay to the workers would then enable the employees to buy their own vehicles and so began the great American Dream.
In 2006 as Ford shuts down American plants, Ford Motor company announces approx 9.2 billion dollar investment in Mexican plants.
How long left for the
American Dream?
Boys when you come home you will find
great jobs available at new
companies like Wallmart and McDonalds.
Ford Manufacturing Management Issue:
Ford recalls Escape SUVs because of brake trouble
By Associated Press
Wednesday, April 11, 2007 - Updated: 01:50 PM EST.
Ford said the recall involved 444,880 Escapes from the 2001-2004 model years in the United States, and about 75,000 Escapes in Canada, Mexico and Europe. The recall does not affect hybrid versions of the SUV, the automaker said. Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford said there have been about 50 engine fires connected to the problems, which had been under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Ford Land Rover drive shafts, axles are investigated
By Greg Bensinger
Bloomberg News
Apr. 9, 2007 10:02 AMApril 9 2007- Ford Motor Co.'s Land Rover sport- utility vehicles are under investigation by U.S. safety regulators because the drive shaft or a front axle part may fail while the SUVs are being driven.
The inquiry covers 2002 through 2004 Range Rover and New Range Rover models, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its Web site. As many as 33,000 vehicles may be affected, the Washington-based agency said. Of 38 complaints received, 17 involved failure of the drive shaft or front-axle differential while the vehicles were traveling faster than 40 miles per hour, the agency said. No accidents or injuries were reported, NHTSA said. The problem may cause the vehicle to come to a halt,
RECALL: 2004 Ford Ranger:
NHTSA Campaign Number: 04V331000 www.nhtsa.dot.gov
Manufacturer FORD MOTOR CO.
Recall Date: 07/14/2004
Potential Number Of Units Affected: 1395Description STRUCTURE: FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS
2000: A judge in Alameda County, California ordered Ford Motor Company to recall millions of its vehicles (various models) made between 1983 and 1995 - due to faulty and potentially hazardous ignition switches (thick, or thin film type) which causes vehicles to stall out when they heat up during use. Ford denies that the switches are defective and promises to appeal the decision.
The affected vehicles include: 1994-2002 model F-150s, 1997-2002 Expeditions, 1998-2002 Navigators and 1994-1996 Broncos equipped with factory-installed speed control.
Ford Recalls 220,000 '05 VehiclesNov 16, 2005 4:18 pm US / Eastern
The company's investigation found that the manufacturer of the strap changed to a weaker grade of steel in December 2004, a grade that could not meet Ford's durability requirements. Ford declined to disclose the supplier's identity.
Note from Ed. So much for manufacturing management standards and the millions
Ford and its suppliers spent on ISO.
IF I OWNED A FORD VAN, RATHER THAN PARK IT IN THE GARAGE I WOULD LIKELY PARK IT NEAR A FIRE HYDRANT:
Ford Motor Co. issues a pair of safety recalls on certain '03-'04 E-Series full size vans and is asking dealers to ensure that some of the vehicles not be parked in enclosed structures due to fears of unattended engine fires. The auto maker is calling back E-Series Econoline work vans and Club Wagon passenger vans built between April 23, 2002, and April 30, 2004. The recalls regard two different safety problems, both of which could potentially lead to vehicle fires, according to two recall notices provided to
The paper is unable to prevent the filter from igniting when hot particles in the engine air system contact it, therefore leading to potential engine fires.
THE CANADIANS
ARE NO BETTER THAN THE YANKS
We purchased a brand new Canadian made Ford Windstar in 1999. When we drove it off the lot we noticed mechanical problems already occurring.
[a] The cruise control was not hooked up properly, we should of known then we were in for trouble.
[b] We have had a continual ping in the engine that the Ford motor company has told us we basically have to live with. "We can't seem to find the problem".
[c] When the car was two years old we noticed a leak coming from the back window. We took it in to Ford and they said not to worry it was just a bad weld and they fixed it. Little did we know that the moisture had already got into the wiring.
[d] We now are experiencing severe problems with the electrical system.
[e] The automatic sliding door works sparingly.
[f] The key faub no longer works for the driver side door.
[g] The lights and fans sporadically turn on and off, and the worst problem is that there is a constant drain on our battery because of shorts in the wiring that Ford could not (would not?) diagnose.
[h] We continually have to charge our battery nightly so we can make it through the day without getting stranded.
As we gave up on Ford, we took the Windstar to a reputable car mechanic and within two hours he was able to diagnose the problem and how we should go about fixing it. The mechanics advice, trade the Windstar in on a none Ford product. Ford will no longer be getting our business or our friends. Thanks for a lousy product Ford!
Never Again. David Bianchini.
Ford Manufacturing Management Issues:
IT'S 2004. FORD ENGINEERS MAKE STARTLING NEW DISCOVERY THAT SALT CAUSES CORROSION:
From Auto.com,
Jul 16 2004.
Ford launches at least its third Taurus and Sable recall in 2004, following a spate of actions earlier this month. Ford Motor Co. reportedly recalls some 899,060 Taurus and Mercury Sable sedans registered in 22 states that are located in what is considered cold weather regions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Reuters says the recall includes '99, '00 and '01 vehicles with defective springs that potentially could sever due to corrosion, leading to tire punctures. The use of salt on icy roads is a major cause of corrosion and Ford dealers are asked to install protective shields over the springs.The action marks at least the third Taurus / Sable recall this year and Ford's fifth separate action this month, which include eight different models.
It's been going on for decades:
[] 1991. Ford Explorer NHTSA Recall ID Number: 91V026000
STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS Potential Units Affected: 220000 Summary:
REAR BUMPER REINFORCEMENT MAY BE SUBJECT TO FATIGUE CRACKING UNDER EXTENDED
TRAILER TOW SERVICE WHEN USING A BUMPER-MOUNTED TRAILER HITCH BALL.
Ford Manufacturing Management Issues:
Note from Ed: For Gods sake Ford you have been having gas tank issues for at least 50 years, could you put a little focus on building a simple, strong metal container. A rubber container inside the fuel tank was an idea presented to Ford in the 1960s. This product was designed to contain the gas if the gas tank was damaged in a collision, it was rejected, considered too costly at approx. $5.
Cars, Trucks and
Mangement Controls:
Monday, November 27, 2000
By JUSTIN HYDE
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DETROIT -
For the fifth time in a little over a year, Ford Motor Co. told it's dealers either to prohibit sales or test-drives of its new Escape sport utility vehicles while they're checked for safety-related problems.
The latest notice to dealers was sent Nov. 18, affecting 51,022 Escapes and about 24,000 Mazda Tributes, which share basic parts with the Escape and are built in the same plant in Claycomo, Mo. Of those, 27,516 Escapes and about 12,500 Tributes have already been sold. Ford spokesman Mike Vaughn said dealers were told to check for damaged windshield wiper link ball sockets and replace them if necessary. If the sockets were improperly built, the
[] steering wheel coming off,
[] leaky fuel lines,
[] incorrect wheel hubs,
[] and a problem with the cruise control that could cause the throttle to stick.
THE BIG THREE INSIST THAT THEIR WELDED
PARTS ARE ONLY WELDED WITH ROBOTS.
WAIT TILL YOU SEE THE MANUAL WELD REPAIRS.It's ironic that on the one hand we have the major auto / truck companies providing a logical mandate which insists that arc welds on cars and trucks will only be made by robots. On the other hand, the majority of the companies that use robots will daily allow "unqualified" robot operators, programmers or maintenance personnel to daily make "unqualified" robot weld parameter changes to "unqualified" robot welded components. And then of course they will allow "unqualified" manual welders to make the "unqualified" manual weld repairs.
Ford Manufacturing Management Issues:
[] 1991 Ford Explorer. NHTSA Recall ID Number: 91V025000
THE HOT PLATE WELD WHICH ATTACHES THE VAPOR VENT VALVE CARRIER TO THE TOP OF THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK MAY PARTIALLY FRACTURE, ALLOWING VAPOR OF FUEL TO ESCAPE FROM THE TOP OF THE TANK. Consequence: THE ESCAPED VAPOR OR LEAKED FUEL COULD CAUSE A FIRE IN THE PRESENCE OF A SOURCE OF IGNITION.
You don't need to visit Iraq to find weapons of mass destruction,
simply visit your nearest American new car showroom?
A report suggests that the placement of the pressurized fuel line and strategic fittings near the exhaust system or high heat features may contribute to the potential for vehicular fires.
Plant and corporate manufacturing management would do well to remember what Harry Truman or Henry Ford once might have said.
