Ford is recalling 2012-2104 Fiestas for door latch problems. The maker has recalled 1.4 million vehicles due to latch issues.
Ford continues to battle problems with door latches recalling 390,000 late model Fiestas, Fusions and MKZs.
Door latch problems have been a running dilemma for the automaker and the latest action raises the total number of vehicles recalled for them to 1.4 million.
Ford’s latest recall covers 389,585 2012-14 Ford Fiesta and 2013-14 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ cars with 337,000 of those vehicles in the U.S., 30,000 in Canada and the remainder in Mexico.
Ford says the door latch in these vehicles may experience a broken pawl spring tab, which prevents the door from latching. If a user latches the door, there is potential the door may unlatch and open while driving.
There are two allegations of soreness resulting from an unlatched door bouncing back when the customer attempted to close it, and one accident allegation when an unlatched door swung open and struck an adjacent vehicle as the driver was pulling into a parking space.
Initially, Ford informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration it would institute a regional recall, but after discussing it with NHTSA officials, Ford expanded it to a national action, according to the Detroit News.
“In response to a thorough NHTSA investigation that demonstrated a clear risk to safety, Ford is taking important action to protect its customers. We are pleased that Ford is taking this proactive step for safety,” NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said in a statement.
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Ford said it has received 451 reports about the problem, and the automaker has been struggling with a variety of door latch issues in recent months. All of them are unrelated, according to Ford.
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In March, Ford recalled 213,000 2011-2013 Ford Explorer SUVs and Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicles in North America because the spring that controls the interior door handles may prevent the door from latching completely. Ford recalled 204,945 2010-13 Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS and Police Interceptor vehicles for the same issue in January.
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In May 2014, Ford recalled 692,744 2013-2014 Escapes for a different door handle issue. Last month, NHTSA upgraded an investigation into hundred of complaints of doors failing to latch or flying open into nearly 486,000 2011-2013 Ford Fiesta cars — as well as the 2013 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ.