Ford responds to Arizona's Ford Escape crash story

A major carmaker is responding to an ABC15 Investigation about an accident that killed a Payson teenager in January.

The ABC15 Investigators have been looking into why a 2002 Ford Escape accelerated out of control and led to the crash that killed 17 year-old Saige Bloom.

Now, that automaker, Ford, says it offers its “deepest sympathies” for the family’s loss.

Our ABC15 investigation found Ford Motor Company had issued an accelerator cable recall on Bloom's car. Now, The Center for Auto Safety wants the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to issue a second recall of that car and hundreds of thousands of other 2002-2004 Ford Escapes.

A petition, filed by the Center for Auto Safety, is based in part on new information gathered during an inspection of Bloom’s SUV.

Today, Ford sent this statement to the ABC15 Investigators:

“We offer our deepest sympathies to the Bloom family for their tragic loss. We are in the midst of our investigation, and we have not reached any conclusions. We will work closely with NHTSA to determine the cause of the crash and will take appropriate action if warranted by the outcome of the investigation.”

NHTSA tells the ABC15 Investigators that, “the agency has received the petition and will respond as appropriate.”

They agency says it has been in contact with local officials since the January accident and is closely monitoring the issue. NHTSA will determine what course of action to take, if any. That could include civil fines.