against Ford for moving too slowly on a recall, the U.S. government unveiled two investigations into recalls that may not have worked or covered enough vehicles.There have been five complaints from owners whose vehicles lost power after getting the recall fix, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a document posted Monday. The agency will investigate whether the recall was effective. The power loss has been blamed on degraded 12-volt batteries.
The agency says it has complaints about the problem occurring from three owners whose vehicles were not part of the recall. Investigators will check to see if the recall should be expanded.The agency said the civil penalty is the second-largest in its 54-year history. Only the fine Takata paid for faulty air bag inflators was higher.
NHTSA said Ford was too slow to recall vehicles with faulty rearview cameras, and it failed to give the agency complete information, which is required by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Act.