Despite being based in Michigan, it appears Ford didn't get the memo that during winter, northern states coat their roadways with salt to melt the snow and ice. If Ford had accounted for this open "secret" of northern culture, they wouldn't need to recall 110,000 2009-2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX cars, which appear to have fuel tank welds that corrode when exposed to salt slush, potentially resulting in a fuel leak that could catch fire.
Put simply, the salty slush of winter snow gets on a weld seam on the gas tank and eats away at it. When enough of it is eaten away, you've got a fuel leak. Should that fuel come into an ignition source, you have a fire. Naturally, salted slush on the roadways is pretty foreseeable in a state (Michigan) that gets almost 4 feet of snow every year.
Who Makes This Product?
Ford Motor Company.
Which Products Are Affected?
The recall affects 110.636 2009-2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKXs manufactured between September 11, 2008 and July 1, 2010. It applies only to vehicles originally sold in, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
How Widespread is the Problem?
Twenty-one states are listed above, suggesting this is a pretty wide ranging problem. While the number of affected vehicles isn't extraordinarily high, the issue seems to affect people over a large portion of the country. With that said, though, there are no current reports of injuries, fatalities, or lawsuits.
What Can Be Done About It?
Ford is in the process of notifying owners who are affected by the recall. If you have questions you can call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Starting December 14th, Ford will be implementing the recall by either cleaning and treating the weld area or replacing the fuel tank.
What This Means
Without beating the "How does a car company headquartered in Michigan not account for winter?" thing to death, this story is pretty wild. Folks in Texas wouldn't believe the lines at car washes in the days after the snow from a big storm has melted. Why? Because everyone is getting the salty sludge off their cars before it corrodes them.
We've all seen pictures of ocean ship wrecks, or even fishing vessels on some show that follows them around. We know intuitively just how nasty salt water is for metal, or nearly any of the components in a modern vehicle. I'd imagine the Ford design team could see the same thing when they turn on their televisions, so it's puzzling how they could overlook the need to make a weld on a gas tank seam resist salt water corrosion.
The silver lining is that there have not been any fires or injuries reported because of this problem. As always, we caution that this does not mean that fires or injuries have not occurred, since if people are unaware that a manufacturing defect exists, it usually takes much longer to connect the dots with potential problems. Hopefully this problem will be fixed before the winter driving season and the danger will pass without incident. Either way, I imagine the folks at Ford may look upon the weather with a new set of eyes this winter, when snow starts to fall and the salt hits the roads.