Ford and Chrysler start out 2011 with recalls

At Chrysler, nearly 145,000 trucks and crossover vehicles are being recalled for three different issues; Airbags, steering issues and noisy rear axles. A CNN report initially calls the axle problem a stalling issue then states it is an axle bearing problem that may cause the vehicle noise or failure. Another report at DailyFinance states that the axle may seize causing a crash. A very different view of the reported potential outcomes.
The Ford body control module (BCM) installed in the Super Duty Trucks, Edge, and Lincoln MKX were found to be defective when two F-150 trucks caught fire
at an assembly plant. CNN reported a statement from Ford saying that a “new hire failed to properly clean a soldering machine over six days in October, raising the possibility that modules manufactured then could have contaminants that could cause internal shorts.”
It is interesting that a new hire would be solely responsible for cleaning the machines and how they might have identified six days from 3 months ago and did not catch the defects before then. The failures and fires occurring a Ford assembly plant indicates that the defects were serious and even assuming that 6 days of production is an extended timeframe to safely remove potential defective BCMs, why were the defects not identified in factory sample testing at the manufacturer?
Faulty training, faulty production procedures, lack of proper testing, lack of attention, or just finger pointing? As the American auto industry rebounds, it is a shame that a single new hire is responsible for the recall of 14,737 vehicles. At a rough average retail cost of $36,000 per vehicle (lacking actual model quantities) the value of those vehicles represents more than 20% of Ford’s Q2010 profits. Of course those beans are of two different flavors and the BCM along with the labor to replace it is at stake and not the entire vehicle. However, it gives it some perspective for the actions of an alleged single individual.
Blogger Labels: Ford,Chrysler,failure,production,manufacturer