NHTSA Complaint #11309053 — 2011 FORD EXPLORER

MY SON WAS DRIVING AND MADE A U TURN ON A CITY STREET AND DURING THE END OF THE U TURN THE PASSENGER CONTROL ARM SNAPPED NEAREST TO THE WHEEL. THE CAR DID NOT HIT A CURB OR RUN OVER ANYTHING TO CAUSE THE BREAK. THE LOCAL POLICE DEPT, TOW TRUCK DRIVER AND MYSELF INSPECTED THE AREA AND THERE WAS NOTHING THAT WAS "HIT" TO CAUSE THIS. ONCE THE MECHANIC WAS ABLE TO LOOK AT THE CONTROL ARM WHEN IT WAS ON THE HOIST THEY POINTED OUT TO US THAT THE METAL CONTROL ARM WAS DEFECTIVE WHEN IT WAS CAST OR WASN'T FABRICATED CORRECTLY. THE METAL WAS LESS DENSE AND MORE HOLLOW ON ONE SIDE OF THE BREAK THAN THE OTHER SIDE. THE BREAK WAS A CLEAN BREAK WITHOUT JAGGED EDGES. THIS WAS THE CAUSE OF THE BROKEN CONTROL ARM. WE WHERE LUCKY SINCE MY SON DRIVES THE FREEWAY AT 65MPH SPEEDS ALMOST ON A DAILY BASIS AND IF THIS FRONT CONTROL ARM BROKE AT THOSE SPEEDS HE WOULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF HIS CAR AND CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT AND THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A LOSS OF LIFE. WE HAD ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WORK DONE ON THE CAR IN OCTOBER AND THE MECHANIC SAID HE SAW NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR THEN AND SUGGESTED THAT SINCE THE DRIVER SIDE CONTROL ARM WAS ALSO AN ORIGINAL PART AND PROBABLY CAST AT THE SAME TIME AND USING THE SAME METHODS THAT IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE DRIVER SIDE CONTROL ARM GAVE OUT SIMILARLY. WE OPTED TO PAY THE ADDED COST TO REPLACE BOTH FRONT CONTROL ARMS SINCE OUR SON'S SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT.