Ford Quashes Cobra Crisis

Ford Motor Co. is downplaying an engine problem that stopped production of its '03 SVT Mustang Cobra.

“We'll make up our target production of 12,000 units,” a spokesman says. “We didn't lose any Cobras. All the customers are happy. All the dealers are communicated to.”

A “dealer communication” publicly raised a red flag concerning the defect, leading Ford to admit production was suspended in October. It was supposed to resume in mid-November.

“It was an issue that was found during the manufacturing process quality control checks. Engineering was involved,” the spokesman says.

While Ford is mum when asked to detail the glitch, the auto maker is vocal about what the glitch is not. And it's not the intercooler problem that caused the '01 SVT F-150 Lightning to leak coolant and force a 9,000-unit recall.

The '03 Cobra is powered by a 390-hp supercharged 4.6L V-8.