Ford Motor (China) Ltd. said Wednesday it was recalling 790 Maverick sports utility vehicles (SUVs) sold on the Chinese mainland last year due to problems with accelerator pedals.

The U.S. automaker said it had no received complaints from owners about the problem, which it identified as a fault that could extend braking distances and potentially cause a collision.

The recall involves Maverick SUVs produced between April and November last year with verification codes from 32L00001C to 32L00762C, and from 32M00001C to 32M00030C.

The company pledges to replace the parts free of charge when the relevant components arrive in China in January next year.

The Maverick, introduced to the Chinese mainland in last July, was previously sourced from Asia and sold for 428,000 yuan (US$51,800).

Ford started exporting the SUVs produced in its own plant in Kansas City, Missouri, to the Chinese mainland in October. The vehicles are now priced at 288,000 yuan each.

The company holds a 30 percent stake in Jiangling Motors Corp. Ltd., its joint venture with Jiangling Motors Co. Group, and a 50 percent stake in Chang’an Ford Automobile Co. Ltd., another joint venture with Chang’an Automobile Group.

(Shenzhen Daily December 23, 2004)