Fuel Tank Problem with F-150
NHTSA is investigating if there is a problem with the fuel tanks on over 2.7 million Ford F-150 pick up trucks.
he National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday that the steel straps holding up the truck's gas tank can rust and break, possibly causing a fuel spill and fire. (story)
At this time NHTSA has not stated whether it will request that Ford issue a recall.
NHTSA is investigating trucks from model year 1997 through 2001. According to reports NHTSA had received over 32 complaints which prompted the investigation. Currently Ford and NHTSA have received 243 reports of falling fuel tanks.
NHTSA said there was fuel leakage in 95 of the reported incidents. Nine reported sparks when the tank dropped on the road, which would increase the likelihood of a fire.
This follows on the heels of a recall affecting 1.2 million F-150 because of air bag problems.
The F-Series has been the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for more than three decades. It's been the subject of recent sniping between NHTSA and Ford because of air bags that could deploy at the wrong time. Ford announced in February that it would fix 150,000 F-150s for that problem, but under pressure from regulators, it expanded the recall to 1.2 million trucks last month. In that case, there were 98 reported injuries because of the problem. (Story)
If you have suffered a personal injury due to a defect or negligence of another, contact the Law Office of D. Hardison Wood at 919.233.0520 so we may discuss protecting your legal rights.
