Ford F150 1992 News

About 1.2 million Ford F-150 pickups are being recalled after at least 269 incidents of what is being called "inadvertent airbag deployment". The airbag incident began when Ford recalled 144,000 pickups earlier this year, saying the unexpected airbag explosions had only affected vehicles built in 2005 and 2006. Now the net is being cast much wider with vehicles built from 2004 to 2006 involved, as well as the Lincoln Mark LT truck. The Ford action comes as Toyota - already hit with a long string of recalls in the USA - is investigated over a report that airbags failed to trigger in a collision at 88km/h. The owner of a Camry, Fred Maynard, has reported that there was no deployment when his vehicle hit a deer in Pennsylvania. The incident is now the subject of an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Toyota has already recalled 13.7 million vehicles as a result of safety complaints in the USA as part of a global total that now stands at 19.2 million. On the Ford front, there are reports of at least 98 injuries including two drivers who suffered vision damage. The recall is likely to cost more than $180 million as the company rectifies a wiring problem. It says a wire located in the steering wheel could have been improperly positioned so it could chafe, creating a potential short-circuit. The F-150 is not officially sold by Ford in Australia, although a number have been imported privately and converted to right-hand drive for local use.

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If you are on the hunt for a load-lugging large Ford F-Series, don't hold your breath. Ford Australia brought the last of its big pick-ups into the country late last year and will not be replacing the behemoth so beloved of the rural industry, mining companies and tradespeople. Unfortunately for Ford Australia, the new-generation truck is only available in left-hand-drive out of the United States. Ford previously sourced right-hand-drive F-Series models out of Brazil and made a tidy little earner with the range, selling 842 last year, with most buyers opting for the F250 4x4, which started at $65,950 for the XL V8 cab-chassis model. Despite crunching the numbers, Ford Australia could not support a business case for a right-hand-drive conversion of the new truck. But Ford Australia president Tom Gorman says that, despite imports officially ceasing, there is still a desire for large pick-up trucks. He believes some low-volume importers could now make a business for right-hand-drive F-Series conversions but these would be quite expensive. Gorman says the previous model F-Series has been a great brand for Ford “but couldn't get the economics to work” for the new truck. He has left room for a replacement but says there is little hope one will be available in the short term. The previous model F-Series had a 194kW 5.4-litre V8 or 175kW 7.3-litre turbo-diesel and was available in a range of body styles, as well as rear or four-wheel-drive. On sale since late 2001, the line-up consisted of F250 and F350, 4x2 and 4x4, single cab, super cab and crew cab, pick-up and cab chassis. At its peak, Ford sold 2480 F-Series trucks in 2002. Today, such is the level of interest from rural and tradespeople, dealers are holding names as people wait for trade-ins to pop up.