NHTSA Complaint #11487507 — 2012 FORD FUSION

Door handle failures (inside the vehicle) are very well documented and very well known to break off the mechanism required to open the door. This isn't just a minor annoyance, it is a MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD, caused by either poor design, poor materials, poor process control, poor validation testing, poor part quality or poor management in concealing this as not being worthy of a recall. How many lives are you willing to risk before doing a recall? The problem has been well known & documented for well over a decade, and it is still happening in the field. If someone has not died from this door lever failure it is only a matter of time. My family's lives are in jeopardy every time we drive this vehicle with a known likelihood of the door handles failing to open the door. You may not be able to open any other door, depending on the damage from an auto accident, but Ford has not taken responsibility for this high-risk to life and limb of its occupants. For such a cheap injection molded plastic part with no glass-fill, it is apparent that you went with the cheapest material possible. You've done it for over a DECADE and choose to ignore the problem until someone sues you or dies as a result of this safety problem. Whether it is a knitline defect you have no process controls to prevent part weakness, or the excessively small part fillet, or the material thickness, subpar material properties or molded part process flow problems, Ford is clearly cutting corners on the design & manufacturing of well documented and well known failures in the field. This is unacceptable, requiring your customers to waste over $200 every time it breaks, all the while being unconcerned about the serious safety risk to occupants in your vehicles. This is the problem with unethical engineering and business practices in the automobile industry. You will be held accountable only when someone dies from your decades of negligence & disregard for the safety of your customers.