And in a ruling that could deal a blow to the Ford Motor Company, a California judge largely agreed late yesterday with complaints that Ford knowingly installed defective ignition mechanisms in nearly two million vehicles produced from 1983 to 1995. In a preliminary decision, Michael Ballachey, a Superior Court judge in Alameda County, east of San Francisco, said he intends to issue orders “compelling recall and repair of the vehicles.” The final decision, which will be discussed at a hearing at the Alameda County Court on September 28th, could be more damaging to Ford’s reputation than its finances, this according to consumer activists. In the wake of the Firestone tire recall, the company is working diligently to maintain public trust in its products. The judge said, in his ruling, “Ford withheld responsive information from the NHTSA that it was obligated to divulge.”