Automotive professionals work to ensure the absolute safety of their clients. When vehicles are recalled for safety issues or design flaws, it falls to these skilled industry experts to bring them back to peak operating condition.
In one of the biggest vehicle recall rounds in recent history, Ford has recalled nearly 400,000 vehicles in North America for both mechanical and electrical errors. If you’re interested in an automotive career, you can receive comprehensive training that will let you step in and help fix issues like these, protecting the safety of drivers in your community.
Read on for a breakdown of Ford’s massive recalls, and how they impact today’s auto industry.
Automotive Career Pros Called to Fix 350,000+ Cracked Axles
As mechanics know, the combination of corrosion and stress can sometimes cause cracks in a vehicle’s rear axle, which (if left untreated) can eventually lead the part to snap and fail. If this happens while the car is on the road, it spells danger for both the driver and the other drivers around him or her.
In 2010, Ford recalled its 1998-2003 Windstars for cracks found consistently in the axles of these models. They were brought back to dealerships and automotive garages to be reinforced with specialized brackets, designed to hold the axle in place in case it did crack open; preventing it from falling from the undercarriage altogether.
Ford is now recalling these same vehicles for the very same problem. A Ford spokesperson says the “brackets added to mitigate axle crack problems may have been installed incorrectly.”
Among these re-recalled Windstars, 283,413 are in the US and 58,858 are in Canada. The company reports a small number of accidents might be connected to the axle problems, but there are no injuries so far.
Ford dealers are now being called to inspect the vans and— if automotive career professionals detect that the brackets were indeed wrongly installed—replace the axles all together. Customers will be offered a discounted price for these axle replacements.
Ford Also Recalls 2015 F-150s for Safety Compliance Problems
Along with the more than 350,000 recalled Windstars, Ford is recalling 36,857 2015 F-150 models. These new pickups have been flagged for a problem with their adaptive cruise control.
According to Ford, “when passing a large, highly reflective truck,” the collision warning system spontaneously activates and slows the vehicle down.
There’s one report of this causing an accident, but no injuries. The fix is simply an update to the cruise control module software. Ford is asking drivers to return F-150s to their dealerships, passing their clients’ safety into their dealers’ and affiliated mechanics’ hands.
That’s because mechanic courses teach professionals how to comply with national and international vehicle safety standards, through both mechanical and electronic expertise. They can teach you how to use state-of-the-art computerized diagnostic equipment to meet manufacturer specifications like this one.
If you’re good with your hands and interested in building and maintaining complex machines, you can even specialize in a particular automotive system (like drive axles and shafts), further raising your earning potential and becoming viable to safety-conscious companies like Ford.
Strikes Narrowly Avoided by Ford and its Automotive Career Union
A Missouri factory that builds the profitable F-150 pickups has been threatening a strike through Ford’s workers’ union (United Auto Workers) for several weeks since the recalls.
Their complaints were resolved with contract renegotiations on October 3rd, when workers and union representatives met with a Ford VP. Now Ford says the work of stabilizing the F-150s and Windstars can continue “with minimum disruption.”
With the right training, you can be a part of the fast-paced and essential work of making cars like these road-ready again.
Would you like to gain certification to become a mechanic? Visit ATC for more information or to speak with an advisor.
