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Ford Recalls Nearly 700,000 Vehicles To Fix Safety Problems

A Ford Motor assembly employee works on a 2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid vehicle at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., on Nov. 8, 2012.
Rebecca Cook
/
Reuters /Landov
A Ford Motor assembly employee works on a 2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid vehicle at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., on Nov. 8, 2012.

Ford has issued two recalls, each covering about 700,000 vehicles in North America.

The Associated Press reports:

"The first case covers 692,500 Escape SUVs and C-Max hybrids from the 2013 and 2014 model years.

"Ford says a software glitch can stop the side curtain air bags from inflating in some rollover crashes.

"The company says it has no reports of crashes or injuries. Dealers will reprogram the air bag control computer at no cost to owners.

"The second case covers 692,700 Escapes from 2013 and 2014. Exterior door handles can bind and stop the door from latching properly. This could allow doors to open while in motion."

The recalls affect mostly the same vehicles. (This paragraph was added at 4:37 p.m.)

The automaker said it wasn't aware of any injuries or accidents because of the defects.

Separately, automaker GM said it was recalling 8,590 Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Malibu sedans from the 2014 model year. The reason: The rear brakes may have been put on the front wheels. It said it wasn't aware of any crashes related to the issue.

This is the latest recall by the automaker. Starting in February, GM has recalled more than 2 million vehicles with faulty ignition switches. The company has linked that defect to 12 deaths and more than 30 crashes in the U.S.

Updated at 4:56 p.m. ET Chrysler Joins Recalls List

Chrysler said it was recalling 780,000 minivans because the window switches can short-circuit and overheat when exposed to moisture.

The recalls covers some Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivans from 2010-2014.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Krishnadev Calamur is NPR's deputy Washington editor. In this role, he helps oversee planning of the Washington desk's news coverage. He also edits NPR's Supreme Court coverage. Previously, Calamur was an editor and staff writer at The Atlantic. This is his second stint at NPR, having previously worked on NPR's website from 2008-15. Calamur received an M.A. in journalism from the University of Missouri.