As a general rule of thumb I make sure to never drive with my door open: it’s not safe for me, my passengers or other drivers. But for some 60-odd drivers of Ford Fiestas, closing the door didn’t mean it would actually stay shut, and that issue opened the door (horrible pun) for a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation.

NHTSA announced that it opened a preliminary investigation into model year 2011 to 2013 Ford Fiesta’s after receiving 61 reports concerning door latch failures.

According to documents [PDF] filed by NHTSA, most consumers reported that the “door ajar” warning light would simply appear on the dashboard despite the door being shut.

However, in 12 cases the vehicle owner reported the door or doors opened after being shut and the vehicle was in motion.

“Closed rear passenger door after putting a bag in the car. Started to back out of parking spot when dash display said “door open.” Pulled the door closed..same thing. Got out, door latch had completely failed. I now have my door bungied closed for three weeks.”

“The rear passenger door failed to close due to the cheap plastic door latch malfunctioning. I got it fixed. Literally two days later, the front passenger door latch broke and failed after my friend entered the vehicle. We did not realize the door latch failed until after I began driving. The first corner I took, the door flew open and he was nearly executed from the vehicle.”

NHTSA reports the issue has so far resulted in one injury. Officials with Ford tell Reuters they are cooperating with the investigation.

Ford Fiestas Probed for Doors That Might Open While Being Driven [Reuters]

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