福特慎重处理新款SUV召回事件

    2013款翼虎（Escape）SUV是福特汽车公司（Ford Motor Co.）产品线里的新丁，不过它刚一推出就遇到了麻烦。福特公司要求购买了这款新车的顾客立即停止驾驶该车型，以避免自燃风险。

    需要召回的这一批次共有11,500辆，这批车辆产自肯塔基州路易斯威尔市的福特工厂。我们尚不清楚该设计缺陷到底导致多少辆新翼虎受到了影响。不过受影响的车型仅限于搭载了1.6升Ecoboost发动机的新翼虎。

    这已经不是新翼虎的第一次召回了。新翼虎基于2000年推出的一个马自达（Mazda）平台，对老款翼虎进行了全盘的重新设计。不过之前就有车主表示，由于新翼虎的中控台左侧面板存在设计缺陷，因此车主在踩油门时很容易误触刹车踏板。美国国家公路交通安全局（US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration）和福特公司对这个问题进行了调查，并于几周前下令对涉事车辆进行召回。现在福特正在更换中控面板。

    虽然福特目前尚未收到由于新翼虎的设计缺陷而导致伤亡的报告，但这两次召回无疑都给此次新车型的发布抹上了污点，同时也削弱了消费者对新翼虎的需求，况且消费者的购车需求本来就还没有恢复到2008年经济崩溃以前的水平。

    不过福特也正在耐心地做解释工作，并且尽可能地向车主提供各种支持服务，比如在召回期间为车主租赁代步车辆等等，以使福特公司和经销商避免遭遇2010年到2011年丰田（Toyota）召回危机期间那样惨痛的灾难。丰田后来承认，在对突然加速等问题进行调查的过程中，没有即时、适当地向媒体、监管机构和公众发布信息。

    福特公司发言人玛尔西•茨韦贝尔称：“我们真的是在努力地消费者做正确的事。这次我们采取的举措是非常规的。一般来说，我们只是给客户寄一封信，告诉他们把车子开过来接受服务或更换缺陷零部件。”

    汽车网站Edmunds.com的高级分析师米歇尔•克雷布斯称：“对于福特来说，翼虎的这些问题迟早会平息下去。不过福特必须保证即将上市的新款福星（Fusion）顺利发布。因为中型家轿是一个竞争很激烈的市场，绝对不能出任何岔子。”

    新翼虎第一次起火是在7月4号，发生在福特的装配工厂。后来又发生了两起自燃事故，福特认定它们之间是有关联的，这才在7月19日做出召回决定。

    根据福特公司的解释，这三起自燃事故的根本原因是由于一家供应商生产的燃油线路存在“刮伤”或划痕，不过福特并未披露这家供应商的名字。这根连接在发动机上的破损管线可能会发生破裂，进而导致燃油泄露并起火燃烧。有两次自燃都发生在向顾客交车之前，也就是说当时是福特的员工在驾驶汽车。另一起火车辆当时则正在由顾客驾驶，我们还不清楚这名顾客的身份。不过福特表示没有人受伤。

    茨韦贝尔表示，更换受损的燃油线路只需不到一个小时就能完成，所有召回车辆“在一周内”就会修理好。

    新翼虎与新款福克斯依托于同一平台，起价为22,500美元，它的竞争对手是本田（Honda）CR-V、丰田RAV4、马自达CX-5和起亚智跑（Kia Sportage）等紧凑型SUV。它的造型则借鉴了欧版的福特Kuga。

    显然，福特希望通过开放和透明的处理方式来平息新款SUV的技术缺陷和自燃风险所带来的任何负面影响。

    译者：朴成奎

    The 2013 Escape sport-utility vehicle, a rookie in Ford Motor Co.'s product lineup, stumbled in the starting blocks last week as the automaker ordered owners of the model to park their new cars immediately to avert the danger of a fire.

    The design flaw leading to the fire danger affected an unknown number of vehicles in a group of 11,500 Escapes that were built at Ford's Louisville, Kentucky manufacturing plant. Only Escapes equipped with a 1.6-liter Ecoboost engines were affected.

    It wasn't the first glitch. The new model, a comprehensive redesign of the Escape SUV based on a Mazda platform introduced in 2000, was a few weeks earlier recalled after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Ford opened an investigation into reports by drivers that their right foot might improperly move from accelerator to brake due to faulty design of a panel in the center console. Ford is replacing the panel.

    Though Ford has no reports of injuries or deaths the two safety recalls mar its new-model launch at a time when automakers are contending against each other and weak consumer demand, which hasn't yet recovered to the level prior to the 2008 economic collapse.

    But Ford it taking pains to be accommodating to requests for information as well as providing support such as loaner cars so the automaker and dealers may avoid a debacle such as the one that engulfed Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) in 2010-2011. Toyota admitted that its investigation into spectacular claims of unintended acceleration failed to provide adequate and timely information to media, regulators and the public.

    "We are really trying to do what's right on behalf of the consumer," said Marcey Zweibel, a Ford (F) spokesperson. "The steps we have taken aren't routine. Normally we send a letter and tell people to bring the vehicle in" for service or replacement of defective parts.

    Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst for Edmunds.com, said "these Escape problems will die down for Ford. But it has to get the impending launch of its new Fusion midsize family sedan right. That's such a competitive segment, no one can afford to have any slipps."

    The first fire took place at Ford's assembly plant on July 4. Two more blazes were detected before the automaker concluded the three were related and ordered the return of the affected vehicles on July 19.

    As Ford explained, the root of problem that caused three fires was a "scored" or scratched fuel line manufactured by a Ford supplier whose identity wasn't disclosed. The scored line that attached to the engine can split, thereby causing a fuel leak and combustion. Two of the three fires occurred when Ford employees were driving the car prior to their delivery to customers. One unidentified customer was driving an Escape that caught fire. Ford said no one was injured.

    Zweibel said the replacement of the fuel line takes less than an hour and all recalled vehicles will be repaired "within a few weeks."

    The new Escape, based on the same architecture as the new Ford Focus, starts at $22,500 and competes against the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5 and Kia Sportage. The styling borrows cues for the Ford Kuga sold in Europe.

    Ford clearly is counting on openness and transparency to overcome whatever negatives the technical glitches and shocking threat of fire have caused its new SUV.