Ford Motor Corp. is recalling over 10,000 of its 2013 Escape SUV’s because the carpet padding may interfere with the driver’s feet when changing from gas to brake.
Roughly 8,300 of the recalled vehicles were sold to U.S. customers, while around 2,000 were sold in Canada and several hundred in Mexico. Affected vehicles were manufactured from March 6 to June 7 of this year in the assembly factory of Ford in Louisville, KY.
“Due to mis-positioned carpet padding the center console trim panel may be pushed outboard of the intended position, reducing clearance relative to the pedal package,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wrote in this recalling interrelated report.
“Reduced clearance may result in the driver's foot contacting the side of the brake pedal while transferring the foot from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal, increasing stopping distances and the risk of a crash.”
Ford spokeswoman Marcey Zwiebel said the automaker found out this problem “through internal evaluations” instead of owners complaints. The NHTSA, on the other hand, received two complaints from customers in July, according to blog of the New York Times.
“The gas pedal is too close to the brake. When I wear big shoes the back left side edge of my shoe catches the back side of the brake when I lift it off the gas. Serious problem that should be corrected,” the blog quoted one owner’s complaint.
The recall is settled to start from July 23, and dealers are supposed to take off the carpet padding and set a console trim panel for free.
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