Ford temporarily halted shipments of Fiestas from its Mexico factory earlier this week due to a faulty part, adding to an inventory shortage for the new small car and further complicating the vehicle’s introduction in the US.
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Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas, said there had been a quality issue with a single part that has been identified and fixed.
He added that shipping had been resumed and that no vehicles with potential defects had been sold to consumers. Fields declined to name the part but sources told US media it involved a seat lever.
A company spokesman said Ford is checking several thousand Fiestas built over the past month before they will be released to dealers for sale to customers.
This is a further setback for the Fiesta in the US. Earlier in the summer, storms damaged railroad tracks north of the plant in Mexico where the Fiesta is built, delaying shipments.
Ford has already apologised to customers still waiting to take delivery of their new car and offered them US$50 gift cards, while acknowledging that shipments are weeks behind schedule.
The Fiesta is targeted at younger consumers and has been marketed through social media to reach drivers who had not been looking at Ford vehicles. Ford also has been training dealers accustomed to selling pickups and SUVs to sell the Fiesta.
The new car got a boost this week with a top safety rating by an insurance group.
Ford started North American production of the Fiesta in mid-May and has reported US sales totaling 4,400 to the end of July.
