Ford recalling 279,646 Focus cars because of potential wheel seal corrosion

DETROIT (Nov. 26)—Ford Motor Co. will mail letters to a number of Focus compact car owners next month as part of a "customer satisfaction program" to replace the rear wheel seals on the vehicles. The seals may experience surface corrosion—and not seal properly—in areas where salt is used on roadways in the winter, the car maker said, possibly weakening the wheel bearing and causing the entire wheel structure to wobble. Approximately 279,646 Focus vehicles, model years 2000 and 2001, sold in the U.S. and Canada are affected. "We're not blaming the seal," a Ford warranty spokesman said. "We're blaming vehicle development testing or the lack thereof."