The T-Birds Are Once Again Flying Off the Wixom Line

Associated Press reported that production at Ford Motor Co.'s Wixom Assembly Plant will resume this morning Thursday August 30, a spokesman said Wednesday.

The plant, which produces the Thunderbird, Lincoln Town Car, Continental and LS sedans, stopped running Aug. 15 when a problem was discovered with a hydraulic cooling system fan on the V8 engines used in the Thunderbirds and some LS sedans.

Ford spokesman Ed Lewis said the faulty fans could cause the cars to overheat, but he said he believes no vehicles with the bad fans were delivered to dealerships.

Lewis said all four models will return to production beginning with the 6 a.m. shift, but no Thunderbirds or Lincoln LS sedans will be shipped right away.

"We have a supply of good hydraulic cooling system fans but we want to test them first," Lewis said.

The vehicles will be kept in a storage lot until Ford is sure the cooling systems work correctly.

Lewis didn't know exactly how long that process, called a controlled hold, would take, but speculated it could last a few days.

He said if bad fans did get out, owners would probably see a "check engine" warning light on the instrument panel. The customer should then take the car to a Ford dealer to have the fan replaced.

Lewis said a supplier error caused the flaw, and Ford and the supplier are working to correct it. He would not name the supplier.

During the shutdown, Ford lost production of 675 cars a day at the Wixom Assembly Plant. That could impact August sales figures; they will be announced Tuesday.

Ford's overall quality rating in a widely respected industry study released last May was diminished.