US safety officials said on Monday they had opened a defect investigation into 101,000 Ford heavy-duty diesel pickups and sport utility vehicles after six reports of power loss due to an apparent electrical glitch, Reuters reported.
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The investigation by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) covers 2002 and 2003 Ford F-Series Super Duty pickups and derived SUVs sold with 7.3 litre diesel engines and adjustable pedals, the report added.
Reuters said the trucks use a sensor that measures how far the accelerator pedal is pressed down to control how much fuel flows to the engine and, according to NHTSA, the sensor doesn’t always work with adjustable pedals, causing the engine to idle or slow down even as a driver presses the accelerator down.
The six complaints reported to NHTSA include one reported crash or fire and no injuries have been reported, the report added.
Reuters said that, under the investigation, NHTSA will request data from Ford about owner complaints and warranty repairs from the problem and, if NHTSA decides the data suggest a defect, it will upgrade the investigation to an engineering analysis.
