Dark Horse on fire and burns down (from stuck clutch)

[MaddNomad]

Ford's been spending about $4B a year on recall repairs.

Previously, Ford highlighted the concern and committed to enhance quality while reducing those expenses.

Setting this issue aside, in light of all other active recalls, it would seem they're not doing much better.

I guess the question would be how do you fix the quality and where do you start after the whole strike.

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[Zig]

I guess the question would be how do you fix the quality and where do you start after the whole strike.

Is it a job or is it a statement.

 

[keithwalton]

Loss of clutch fluid would cause the pedal to goto the floor and for the gears to stay engaged as the clutch spring will inherently win if there is no force from the pedal.

Back in the 80's or so there was a problem with brake fluid being flammable and in the event of an accident master cylinders were leaking onto exhausts and burning out cars..

But i thought modern fluid didn't burn that easily. In a rwd car there isn't much need for a clutch to by hydraulic the linkage really isn't that far away.

 

[WGWMustang]

When I was wrenching back in the 80's we had a mechanic accidently leave a rag in the engine compartment, probably on the exhaust manifold. Customer picked it up and drove away. Well, it caught fire and did quite the number on that corvette. I suppose this could be a similar situation. Rag left, started burning, and melted the clutch hose before the driver knew what was happening.

 

[MaddNomad]

Is it a job or is it a statement.

That’s my bad it was a question really. I’m actually curious on how you tackle something like that.

 

[Zig]

That’s my bad it was a question really. I’m actually curious on how you tackle something like that.

But thats how you fix it. Are the employees working a job or making a statement.

 

[Polo08816]

Absolutely disgusting. You have crossed a line none of us would. Please delete this ASAP or I will report this to the mods.

By the way I know what this is.

What part of the Terms of Service are you implying he violated?

Just because YOU felt offended doesn't mean everyone else did as well; you don't need to speak for the rest of us.

If you feel you need to report it, then do so.

 

[Karguy]

I guess the question would be how do you fix the quality and where do you start after the whole strike.

Quality is a culture of pride , loyalty and dedication...Unfortunately today it is replaced by profits at all costs and shareholder mentality...The pendelum has and will swing back when costs for warranties and recalls are greater than the savings created by cutting corners and sourcing the cheapest parts...Ultimately the customer decides ! Of course a climate or hiring and firing , employment of tempworkers and tension between management/labor does not help to create a climate where great quality is archived...But Ford definitely has a problem probably even more so than other manufacturers who also source as cheap as possible to sell as high as possible not to mention the stealerships with their recent markups that thank god are coming down big time !

 

[BreadBurner]

Too soon

context of the photo?

 

[Polo08816]

Just FYI, do you have any idea what that is a photo of? But you’re right about reporting it.

Yes. Sometimes, people make poor life decisions. Allowing other people to see the consequences of those poor life decisions may convince them not to do the same.

 

[509Mike]

That’ll buff out…

is that a md plate?

oh man, that’ll ruin ones day.

hopfully, not a widespread routing issue.

Is that the blue ember?

 

[Sofa King]

That's a bad day...

Is that the blue ember?

Lol... it is now

 

[YamenGT650]

Please delete. We do not need this on our forum. Thank you.

Am not the one who posted the pic, am commenting against it by telling him “too soon” to joke about such controversial stuff.

 

[Ryunker]

From another forum:

From The Owner: "The clutch got stuck down after shifting into 5th. I got it back up with my foot but it pushed right back. The car stayed in gear though. Pulled over and couldn’t force to neutral, so it conked out. Got under pedals to try to see what was up. Daughter noticed smoke, popped hood and small fire was right behind where the clutch is. The rest is in the pics"

Any clue how many miles were on this?

 

[Skye]

I’m actually curious on how you tackle something like that.

In very broad terms, it takes two things:

- A serious commitment from the leadership of the company

- Making the tools and resources necessary to fix the root cause of those problems

The first point I think is pretty easy. There are processes, ways and cultures that can be embedded within a company, creating a standard across lines or divisions.

The second I suspect is what's plaguing Ford, CSX, Boeing, other companies making the news these days.

Ford spends $4B a year on recall repairs. They seem to be pretty good at identifying the root cause of those problems. But I have serious doubt as to if they are making the necessary resources available to prevent the issues from occurring in the first place, or even some of the fixes themselves (see Bronco injector "repair").

In the short-term, Ford will continue to spend $4B on recalls. To bring that number down, they might need to re-arrange some assembly, design or engineering processes. These fixes might not bring about still more costs. But others can.

Many of the recalls I've read of involve a poorly-designed part. In order to prevent those recall-related, premature failures, the item needs to use better materials, have more exact tolerances or a more involved manufacturing and assembly process, all of which cost money.

"Hey everyone, we spend $0 on recalls now! Hooray! But it costs the company $5B to design, create and assemble a better product. Doh....."

There's no one single event, person or year, but over the last several decades really, publicaly-listed companies have begun idolizing Wall Street. "How are we going to make our numbers this quarter." This, is IMO, the root cause of a lot of these problems.

I'm pretty idealistic. Money is cool and all, but when I log into 7G and want to read about something I make, I want to hear how much people love it.

There's trade-offs to any of these decisions. You have to be profitable. You have to make enough to continue to sustain operations, invest in development and possibly grow. But, there's like a balance. IMO, several companies have tilted to far into one direction.

Most Fortune 500 and especially Fortune 100 companies look more and more to Wall Street, promoting their quarterly numbers. Instead of looking out several years in the future into what the company could be, with some peaks and valleys along the way, it's now more about how you can do better still than three or four months ago.

Ford is not an isolated incident. Look at Boeing. Boeing has had several significant, QC-related failures. Each time a new CEO is brought on-board, an announcement is made, and...nothing changes. Ford and Boeing are not the only companies where this is an issue.

Computers, vehicles, jets, medical devices and other products are complicated. There will be failures. But, it's been another step down (see also consulting, outsourcing, cost-benefit analysis involving the use of a poorly-created item in a product, shrinkflation, etc.).

I'd rather take less profit and have a product people love. Long-term, I feel that suits all of us better. Others, think differently. To the consumer, that could involve paying more for the product. Not everyone is willing to pay more, and that's cool. There's always going to be a bit of going back-and-forth. A bit less profit. A bit more cost when buying.

Short-term, you keep making your numbers and propel higher. Long-term, less and less people come back.

vs.

Short-term, you take a hit and reduce expectations. Long-term, people become enamored with your product, promote it for you and keep buying.

My thoughts anyway. YMMV.

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