Ford spent years arguing with NHTSA against a related revised roof crush standard and lost.
Ford Motor Company is recalling 2013 model C-Max hybrid vehicles without panoramic roofs because the headliner in the roof does not meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 201 – Occupant Protection in Interior Impact.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration forced the safety defect recall after an independent test conducted for it revealed the violation of the regulations. More than 33,000 of the European designed, Magna-converted C-Max small vans are affected.
In a related safety standard covering fatalities and injuries occurring in roof-involved rollover crashes, NHTSA in 2009 said it was extending FMVSS 216 to vehicles with a GVWR of up 10,000 pounds (including Ford F-Series pickups). It also strengthened the requirements of FMVSS 216 by mandating that the vehicle roof structures withstand a force equivalent to 2.5 times the unloaded vehicle weight. NHTSA also eliminated the 5,000-pound force limit for passenger cars. A new direct limit on headroom reduction forbids any roof component from contacting a seated 50th percentile male dummy under the application of a force equivalent to 2.5 times the unloaded vehicle weight. (See also Small Cars Improve in Latest Crash Tests. Size Still Matters)
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install energy absorbers between the headliner and the roof. The recall will begin 19 August 2013. Owners may contact the Ford customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s recall number is 13C02. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to www.safercar.gov. The NHTSA recall number is 13V-303.
