ABC World News (7/26, story 7, 0:25, Elliot, 8.2M) reported “nearly half a million SUVs, Ford Escapes and Mavericks being recalled after our Phoenix affiliate aired a series of investigations. The cars have what’s called a sticky pedal. A defect in the cruise control cable that can cause the cars to speed out of control.”

        The CBS Evening News (7/26, story 9, 0:20, Pelley, 6.1M) reported, “Thirteen crashes and one death have been linked to this defect.” The Los Angeles Times (7/27, Hirsch, Times, 629K) notes that while the recall came “just a week after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an inquiry into the problem, noting 68 complaints, including 13 accidents, nine injuries and one fatality,” a consumer watchdog group, the Center for Auto Safety, “said the automaker has not acted quickly enough and should be fined.”