maybe we should have kept the recalls/defects area b/c i'm sure there is more to come

January 15, 2003

BY RIP WATSON
BLOOMBERG NEWS

Washington -- Ford Motor Co.'s 2000 Taurus and Sable sedans are being investigated by a U.S. agency for air-bag failures blamed in a fatal accident and cited in 14 other complaints.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration inquiry covers 480,000 of the sedans and may lead to a recall. The fatality, in which an air bag didn't inflate in a 43 mile-an-hour crash into a bridge railing, was the only report of an accident or injury related to the problem, the agency said. NHTSA spokeswoman Liz Neblett couldn't provide other details of the accident.

Ford, the world's second-largest automaker, didn't immediately return calls requesting comment.

The 2000 Taurus has been the subject of six recalls, including three for lights, and one each for brakes, windshield wipers and safety labels. The Taurus is Ford's best-selling car in the U.S., with 332,690 sold last year. The automaker sold 98,988 of the Sable, a similar car from its Mercury division.

The U.S. agency updates its list of defect investigations every week. The inquiries can lead to a recall or a finding of no defect.