Ford recalls 450,000 SUVs, minivans

Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday issued a recall for some 450,000 minivans and sport utility vehicles for problems that could lead to dangerous losses of power or fires. The recall covers nearly 206,000 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey vans of the model years 2004 and 2005. Ford said there is a risk of the failure of the output shaft of the vehicle's torque converter, which "results in a sudden loss of motive power with nor warning, increasing the risk of a crash." It also recalled about 145,000 Ford Escape SUVs made in 2001 and 2002, saying there was a risk that brake fluid would leak leading to corrosion of electrical wiring and possible fires. Ford said it would fix the problems for free.