FREE FORD TSB DRIVERS
FREE FORD TSB PROFESSIONAL

Every automaker must remember that even if the vehicle is out of warranty or not being serviced at a dealer, it’s still their vehicle and brand that is at stake, even if the vehicle is 11 years old. It is critical for automakers to make TSBs available to technicians in an unfiltered and unbiased manner so they can fix the OEM’s vehicles. The company reserved $1.7 billion to pay for the recall repairs. Regulators fined GM a record $35 million, the maximum allowed, for not reporting the issue in a timely manner. GM’s internal estimates linked 13 fatalities to this issue, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration expects its investigation to reveal a higher final number. It violated the sacred trust that most technicians at dealerships and independent shops have with the TSB system. The real rub with TSB #05-02-35-007A was that it was an attempt to absolve GM from having to replace the ignition switch and put the blame on the driver.

Most GM dealer technicians knew the problem went a lot deeper than the proposed solution. The solution was to change the key’s slot into a hole and advise customers to sit back and put their key rings on a diet.

FREE FORD TSB DRIVERS

GM decided to manage the situation by issuing a TSB #05-02-35-007A in 2005 to admit there was an issue, but it advised that the situation was caused by short drivers and heavy key rings. This dramatically increases the potential for rollaway and stalling, which disables the airbag, and therefore increases the risk of accidents, injuries and deaths. Engineering made some changes to the switch so that it required less torque to operate, but it also made it easier to turn the switch in the opposite direction and out of the run position. Some focus group in the 1990s thought the ignition key on some GM vehicles was hard to turn compared to some imports. It is a tool, not a confession.Īt the heart of the GM ignition switch problem was a design change to make the keys easier to turn.

FREE FORD TSB PROFESSIONAL

To these people, the word “defect” is closely associated with the words “liability” and “lawsuit.” Professional technicians look at TSBs as a guide to an unanticipated problem that was discovered after the vehicle was released into the real world. But some OEMs are starting to see TSBs as an admission of a defect. Most TSBs create a “win-win” situation where customers get their car repaired right the first time and technicians can be more productive.

The typical TSB is written with the goal of communicating a common or anticipated problem and the best repair or diagnostic path that takes the least amount of time. Some TSBs are even requested by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). They are typically the collaboration of an engineer, technician and maybe a field warranty rep. The TSB as we know it has been around since the 1970s and can be a useful tool for repairing a vehicle.

Free ford tsb