Ford had to recall a small number of Lincoln Aviator luxury sport utility vehicles to fix a faulty transmission part in the new model’s first month on sale, Reuters reported.
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Reuters said the action affects only 25 vehicles in the United States but adds to a record of recalls on newly launched vehicles that Ford has worked hard to erase.
According to Reuters, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the recall involved a transmission shift cable that could come loose from its bracket, causing the shifter to show the wrong gear.
Ford spokesman Glenn Ray told Reuters on Tuesday the company was aware of only one Aviator with the problem that was delivered to a customer. The rest were still at dealers when the problem was discovered.
Reuters said Ford has been using a “batch-and-hold” system for its new vehicle launches, where it runs extended tests on new vehicles to ensure there are no problems before sending them to dealers. It switched to the system after the Escape SUV and the Focus suffered recalls shortly after they went on sale.
Ray told Reuters that unsold Aviators have already been repaired.
Reuters noted that Ford executives have said improving quality was an essential part of their turnaround plan, aimed at producing $US7 billion in annual pre-tax profits by mid-decade.
Lincoln sold 690 Aviators in November, Reuters said, adding that the new SUV is based on the popular Ford Explorer, but uses several different components.
