News Summary: US monitors Ford vans for rust
News Summary: US safety agency monitor Ford, Mercury minivans not covered by rust recall
DETROIT (AP) -- WIDER PROBLEM?: U.S. auto safety regulators are monitoring about 100,000 Ford and Mercury minivans that were not covered by a recall issued earlier this year for rust problems.
RECALL: Ford recalled about 230,000 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans in March to fix rust in the wheel wells that can cause the third-row seats to come loose. The vans from the 2004 through 2007 model years were sold or registered in 20 cold-weather states and Canada where salt is used on roads in the winter.
JUST WATCHING: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday that it is watching vans that are outside the salt-belt areas and were not covered by the recall. But the agency says it is aware of only one rust complaint from an owner outside the recall areas.
