AC

Adding to a week of bad news for a critical new model, Ford took the unusual step Thursday of not only recalling its 2013 Ford Escapes with 1.6-liter engines for a fire risk, but also telling owners to park them until they are fixed. Ford will have dealers pick up the customers' Escapes and give them loaner vehicles until they are returned. In addition, the automaker told dealers to withhold test drives and not to deliver new Escapes to customers until the vehicles have the recall repair. The redesigned 2013 model of the high-selling crossover, a key vehicle for Ford, has been on sale only since late May. The recall involves 11,500 Escapes made so far, of which about 4,800 had been sold, Ford spokeswoman Marcey Zwiebel says. The problem involves a fuel line that may have been scratched or scored during manufacture and could leak, resulting in a fire. Zwiebel says of the three fires reported, two occurred at the factory, and none involved injuries. She says Ford has plenty of...