DEARBORN, MICH. (July 25, 12:50 p.m. ET) -- Ford Motor Co. has identified faulty fuel lines manufactured by Auburn Hills-based TI Automotive Inc. as the source of the problem in the 11,500 2013 Escape sport utility vehicles recalled last week.
The faulty fuel lines were scored by machinery, causing them to split open and leak, according to documents Ford filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
TI manufactured the lines at its plant in Ashley, Ind. The affected Escape models were assembled at Ford’s assembly plant in Louisville, Ky., from Oct. 8, 2011, to July 11, according to the documents filed with NHTSA.
TI has repaired the machinery and is continuing production of the fuel lines, according to reports. Frank Buscemi, marketing and communications director for TI, said the fuel lines were not related to alternative resins to nylon 12 — which caused industry panic in April after the German plant that manufactures chemicals for the nylon 12 exploded, causing a shortage of material.
Nylon 12 was used to manufacture many plastic products in the automotive industry.
After announcing the recall, Ford instructed dealerships to stop selling the 2013 Escape until the problem was rectified. The recall only affected models with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine.
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