Ford recalls 1.1M pickup for gas tank problem

Isn't this the "new" American way?

 

I imagine the fuel tank separating and spilling fuel all over is an issue with the warranty on the emissions system. That's my best guess anyway.

 

Looks like it's because the tank mounting design has a bad failure mode. You can read the NHTSA info on the campaign by searching for NHTSA Campaign ID Number: 11V385000 at this link .

Interestingly this isn't nationwide. It's localized to the states alot of you have spoken up for on this thread.

 

Too bad it can't blow up my 5.4 so I can get a new one. That's the Putter American Way!

 

You happened to be in Chicago from Jan 13-21, 1994, which is, by far, the coldest stretch ever recorded there. I'm surprised the car washes were open. It is pretty rare for Chicago to have highs below zero. There are other places where it's common. Even Minneapolis is significantly colder than Chicago.

Anybody who doesn't rinse off the salt (when they can) is asking for rust.

Toyota had a huge problem with this with the first generation Tacomas. Salt would get into the frame, where you couldn't wash it out, and turn the frame into swiss cheese.

 

It was mainly a design flaw with the mounting, not helped by corrosion and and fuel tank compression.