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

[Zig]

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

…

My thoughts anyway. YMMV.

When ‘reboot’ is an acceptable resolution complacency will prevail.

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[raceheart77]

Good plan. No automatic transmission vehicle has ever caught fire.

Yeah its a good plan, no 650's A10's caught on fire.

 

[DemonWorks]

I would like to know the root cause of the fire. We can assume it was clutch/hydraulic fluid related but how do we know it wasn't something before that? Maybe the fire started from something else and the clutch line burned which caused the clutch issue which then prompted the owner to further investigate. This is the second I have seen on the internet with the same scenario.

 

[Q6543]

Recalls cost the company less than the downtime for a higher quality product.

accountants have it all priced in… it’s cheaper to keep the line running full speed and fix it later… even if that ends in a mass recall.

 

[Sofa King]

Good plan. No automatic transmission vehicle has ever caught fire.

I would like to know the root cause of the fire. We can assume it was clutch/hydraulic fluid related but how do we know it wasn't something before that? Maybe the fire started from something else and the clutch line burned which caused the clutch issue which then prompted the owner to further investigate. This is the second I have seen on the internet with the same scenario.

Yeah chances are it is not even related to clutch/MT... just so happened that the clutch cylinder was the first victim of a fire that started elsewhere...

 

[MaddNomad]

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.

With Jim Farley being a former Toyota employee, I figured he would’ve had some connections to some Toyota engineers to help with quality and improve the manufacturing process. Kinda like what Porsche did in the 90s.

It is a huge leap financially of course but like you were saying, long term you would make a product that will have people enamored and keep buying. I mean they have one of the most iconic lineups any manufacturer could ask for.

 

[Twizzty]

Farley is to busy making EV's that no one wants...

 

[Bullit]

Anymore had problems with 6-speed?

I thought the Tremec was a reliable manual shift.

 

[Bikeman315]

Anymore had problems with 6-speed?

I thought the Tremec was a reliable manual shift.

It is. No one here really knows what happened here. The clutch issue may or may not have had anything to do with the fire. All we have right now is speculation.

 

[ZBOBMAN]

Wasnt that a Talking Heads song Burning Down The Horse

Just kidding. I get bummed out when I see this. I hope insurance doesnt give you a great big hassle.

 

[roadpilot]

I had a Dodge Ram truck. The brake line near the master cylinder sprung a leak and the fluid was sent directly at the exhaust manifold. Fire ensued.

Point being, don't blame the clutch just because clutch fluid was involved. Wait for the 8D.

 

[Ryunker]

Wasnt that a Talking Heads song Burning Down The Horse

Just kidding. I get bummed out when I see this. I hope insurance doesnt give you a great big hassle.

Insurance? I would tow that jewel to the nearest dealer for clutch inop.

 

[Kabayo]

Recalls cost the company less than the downtime for a higher quality product.

accountants have it all priced in… it’s cheaper to keep the line running full speed and fix it later… even if that ends in a mass recall.

Remember the Pinto?

 

[Zig]

Remember the Pinto?

Too soon but yes

 

[agreywolfe]

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