Nevada Ford dealers watch California recall

Thursday, Oct. 12, 2000 | 6:27 a.m.

A California judge is ordering the unprecedented recall of 1.7 million Ford cars and trucks sold in California after accusing the automaker of concealing a dangerous design flaw that can cause the vehicles to stall in traffic.

Wednesday's ruling compounds Ford's troubles with the recent Firestone tire recall crisis.

Richard West, general manager of Jones West Ford in Reno, said his dealership had no firsthand knowledge of the decision and therefore could not provide a directive to anyone concerned about the recall.

But West says a recall in California could eventually affect Ford dealerships nationwide.

On the other hand, he said the newest vehicle on the list is 1995.

"You have to assume if you had one of those vehicles you would have experienced the problem already," he said. "I don't think we're talking about large numbers here."

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