Ford recently issued a safety recall for approximately 250,000 vehicles in the United States to address defective door latches. The affected vehicles are the 2014-2015 Ford Fiesta, 2014-2016 Ford Fusion, and 2014-2016 Lincoln MKZ. Ford says the vehicles have door latch designs that can crack and fail, especially in areas with high ambient temperatures, including Texas. Cars in the following states are affected by the door latch recall: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington.
This defect involves the pawl spring tab in the side door latch. A door latch with a fractured pawl spring tab typically results in a “door-will-not-close” condition. Ford noted that even if the user is able to latch the door, the door is likely to unlatch while driving. A door latch failure can be very dangerous, especially during a car accident and can often lead to passenger ejections, resulting in catastrophic injuries (such as brain and spinal cord injuries) and an increased likelihood of fatalities.
If you or someone you know has been injured as the result of an accident involving a Ford with a defective door latch, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling 713-231-9360 or toll free at 1‑800-594-4884.