how many people died prior to the ford recall?
Ford Motor Co. moved to close the books on the largest recall in its history, agreeing to call back 4.5 million vehicles for a faulty switch linked to hundreds of vehicle fires. The action follows an 18-month federal investigation. The automaker has now recalled 14.1 million vehicles in eight separate recalls over 10 years. The cruise-control deactivation switches, made by Texas Instruments and sold for about $21, were installed in 16 million Ford vehicles over a decade before the automaker stopped using them in early 2003. Advertisement The switches have been linked to at least 550 vehicle fires and 1,500 complaints, and linked to several suspicious deaths. Ford told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration it will recall all of the 14.1 million vehicles with the switches that are still on the road — although the company said it does not believe they pose a safety issue in 3.4 million vehicles. Ford has resisted this step for years, despite pressure from safety advocates. S
