Ford re-boots Falcon in safety recall

FORD Australia has recalled a batch of Falcon large cars because they somehow ended up fitted with the wrong-sized tyres on the production line.

Instead of 225/55 R16 rubber on their 16-inch alloy wheels, narrower and more basic 215/60 R16 tyres were fitted to 372 LPG-powered FG Falcon XT EcoLPI sedans sold between September 2011 and February 2012.

Ford has only recently discovered the mistake, which it says might affect the handling of the vehicle and increase the risk of an accident.

It says owners should not switch off the electronic stability control (ESC) until the tyres have been replaced by their Ford dealer.

Ford brand communications manager Neil McDonald said it was not yet known how the tyre mix-up happened at the company assembly plant in Broadmeadows, Victoria.

However, he said the company had zeroed in on the defective cars, and letters were being sent to all owners.

The fault was discovered in a routine service check, and no incidents have been reported.

According to Ford’s Falcon technical specifications, the petrol 4.0-litre Falcon XT – the base model of the local large-car range – gets 215/60 tyres on 16-inch wheels.

While the brochure does not specifically say the EcoLPI version of the Falcon XT gets different tyres, Ford’s recall notice on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) website makes it clear the gas cars – which are slightly more powerful than the petrol model – need the bigger rubber.