FORD has announced it will suspend production in two Canadian plants this week in order to sort out some glitches in its vehicle airbag systems. The factories, in Oakville and St. Thomas, southern Ontario, need the extra time to replace airbags already installed in vehicles that are already in car dealerships and company fleets.

This stoppage was sparked
by concern about the safety of the devices on the passenger side in the 2001
Windstar people carrier, which in a number of
cases,
have inflated without being triggered by an accident. The vehicle is manufactured
at Oakville, while St Thomas makes the sedans, the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury
Grand Marquis, both of which use the air bags.