Ford Recalls Flex-fuel Cars Made in Brazil

SAO PAULO, Brazil, Aug 9, 2006; Reuters reported that Ford on Wednesday recalled 102,000 vehicles made in Brazil, saying the auxiliary gas tanks that help their popular flex-fuel cars start in cold weather were prone to cracking and leaking.

Ford, which is battling shrinking U.S. market share and rising costs, has pointed to Brazil as a success story where it returned to profitability after designing new cars for the developing world that run on any mixture of gasoline and ethanol distilled from sugar cane.

The recall includes the Fiesta subcompact and EcoSport mini-SUV. Flex-fuel cars have tiny gas tanks near their engine for use in cold weather, when ethanol can falter during ignition.