By Angelo Young - Ford Motor Co. NYSE:F is recalling 191,770 Ford Focus compact cars in China after the country’s product quality regulator said it found a fuel-leak risk in the company’s bestselling car in the country. This is Ford’s largest recall in China since 2010 when its Chinese joint venture, Changan Ford, called back more than 200,000 Focus cars to fix an ignition problem.
After reviewing consumer complaints, China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said refueling hoses could crack, causing leaks that pose a fire risk. No injuries have been reported, but the agency warned it could demand a wider recall. In 2012, Changan Ford launched a campaign to fix about 161,000 Ford Focus cars that had the same problem.
“We are now extending this to being a safety recall in order to ensure we cover off all vehicles and alleviate any potential customer concern relating to this issue,” Ford spokeswoman Claire Li told Bloomberg in an emailed statement. The affected cars were made as far back as 2009.
Ford is a relative latecomer to the Chinese market. It first entered the market in 2001 as Changan Ford Automobile Co., Ltd. In 2006 Mazda Motor Corp. bought a 15 percent stake and the company was renamed Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Co., Ltd. In 2012 Chinese authorities approved a split that created Changan Mazda Automobile Co., Ltd. (Changan Mazda) and Changan Ford Automobile Co., Ltd.