April 11, 2001
Ford is recalling 56,000 of its newly-redesigned 2002 Explorers and Mercury Mountaineers. It seems the rear liftgate glass tends to shatter or fall out. The company says a supploier failed to properly paint and apply adhesive to the glass.
Ford says it has instructed dealers not only to contact owners of the recalled models but also to deliver a loaner car to their homes and pick up the SUVs. When the repairs are completed, the trucks will be washed and vacuumed and returned with a full tank of gas, the company said.
While relatively minor, the recall shatters Ford's hopes of "repositioning" the popular Explorer after a disastrous series of rollovers loed to a recall of Firestone tires. Among other changes, the new Explorer is built lower to the ground to make it more stable.
Ford delayed the introduction of the 2002 model for two months to make sure there were no glitches.
The Explorer's not the only new Ford SUV on the recall list. The new Escape, a smaller model, has been recalled five times since it was introduced last August. The most serious problems included a steering wheel that could come off, throttle controls that could stick and fuel lines that could break.
