Dearborn, Mich. – Feb. 5, 2018 – Ford Motor Company has recalled approximately 363 sport utility vehicles potentially equipped with defective second-row window electronic control modules, according to a company press release.

The campaign affects 2018 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs assembled between Nov. 27, 2017, and Dec. 9, 2017 at the automaker’s Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville. Ford estimates half of the models referenced in the action actually contain the defective parts.

The Defect

Affected vehicles may contain second-row window electronic control modules that were manufactured incorrectly and are therefore prone to malfunction, according to documentation submitted to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Under certain conditions, the electronic modules in question may reach their thermal protection thresholds, inhibiting the automatic reverse function – a safety feature that goes into action when an obstruction is present. This poses a serious safety risk to occupants. However, Ford has yet to receive reports connecting the defective electronic modules to any accidents or injuries.

The defective part also violates Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 118 Section 5, which requires vehicles of 10,000 pounds or more to contain power window systems that “minimize the risk of injury or death from their accidental operation,” according to The Federal Register.

Engineers for the automobile company have learned that occupants can move second-row windows without active automatic reverse functionality 500 millimeters at a time using the manual control switches on the doors. Additionally, the condition automatically resolves itself when electronic control modules fall below their thermal protection thresholds.

Timeline of Events

In December 2017, engineers conducting end-of-line vehicles review processes at the Kentucky Truck Plant discovered two models with defective second-row windows. These personnel suspected there was an issue with the electronic control modules in these fixtures and asked the supplier, Kostal of America, to investigate the components it delivered to Ford for installation. The parts provider found that the electronic control modules were improperly assembled. Laboratory tests confirmed that the misconstructed features reached their thermal protection thresholds in “high window load” scenarios, leading to operational issues. These initial findings were sent to the Critical Concern Group for further review.

On Jan. 5, 2018, Ford conducted further tests to determine if the fixtures met the requirements of FMVSS 118, which they did not.

The Field Review Committee reviewed the matter Jan. 8 and ultimately decided to launch a voluntary safety recall. Ford notified dealers Jan. 17.

The Solution

Ford has directed dealers to inspect the second-row window electronic control modules installed in affected models and, if necessary, replace them free of charge, according to a recall acknowledgment document from the NHTSA. The automaker intends to notify owners via first-class mail between Feb. 5 and Feb. 9. Those in need of more immediate assistance can contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Callers should use the internal recall identification code 18C01. Concerned owners can also reach out the NHTSA directly using its Vehicle Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236.

Dearborn, Mich. – Jan. 10, 2017 – Ford Motor Company has recalled approximately 2,100 vehicles believed to contain defective instrument clusters, according to paperwork submitted to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The campaign affects 2018 Ford Mustang coupes produced between March 14, 2017, and Nov. 26, 2017. Ford speculates 100 percent of the models named in the action come equipped with the defective features.

The Defect

Vehicles referenced in the recall likely include instrument clusters that may not function properly after drivers have moved them from the key-on to key-off position. Specifically, owners have found that, upon engine shutoff, the instrument cluster fails to display the gear selection menu or initiate the warning chime that is supposed to occur when the driver’s side door has been opened. Additionally, many have seen their vehicles enter sleep mode and automatically initiate park, all without generating a notification. This poses a serious hazard to owners and pedestrians, as the likelihood of vehicle rollaway increases.

The defective instrument clusters also violate Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 102 and 114, according to an NHTSA recall acknowledgement document. The first standard requires manufacturers to produce display clusters that display the correct gear position when “the ignition is in a position where the transmission can be shifted or the transmission is not in park,” according to the Government Publishing Office. FMVSS 114 applies to theft protection and rollaway prevention technology, and stipulates that all vehicles include ignition systems that prevent “normal activation of the vehicle’s engine or motor; and either steering, or forward self-mobility” when the key is removed.

Ford has yet to receive any reports connecting the defective instrument clusters to accidents or injuries.

Timeline of Events

In early November 2017, engineers at the Ford assembly plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, discovered a 2018 Ford Mustang that failed to display the gear selection menu and initiate the driver’s side door warning post engine shutoff. Members of the company’s Critical Concern Review Group evaluated an internal report outlining the problem on Nov. 22 and called for an engineering inquiry. Investigators found that a software error within the internal power supply voltage measurement component had caused the glitch, which put the vehicle in violation of the FMVSS.

Engineering personnel introduced amended software Nov. 27 to prevent additional vehicles from coming off the line with problematic programming.

On Dec. 11, the Ford Field Review Committee evaluated these findings and decided to conduct a voluntary safety recall. The automaker notified dealers between Dec. 18 and Dec. 22.

The Solution

Ford has directed dealers to update the instrument cluster software in affected vehicles free of charge. The organization intends to notify owners via first-class mail between Feb. 5, 2018, and Feb. 9, 2018. Those in need of more immediate assistance can speak with Ford customer service personnel by calling (866) 436-7332 and using the internal recall identification code 17C21. Owners can also speak with representatives from the NHTSA via the Vehicle Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236.

Dearborn, MI – Dec. 29, 2017 – The Ford Motor Company recently announced a recall of more than 300,000 of its Ranger light pickup trucks over concerns that passenger air bags could have degraded over the years since they were produced, according to a defect filing made with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall includes 2004-2006 Ford ranger pickups.

Recall Summary

These air bags were made by a company called Takata, and used a chemical called PSAN as an inflator accelerant in the event of a crash. However, exposure to extreme conditions could have led that gas to degrade the air bags’ structural integrity over time. This is the third recall of affected vehicles, the first of which brought owners a temporary solution for the issue and the second broadened the scope of the initial action.

Ford is unsure how many of the hundreds of thousands of vehicles in the recall are affected by this issue. All these Ranger pickups were produced from March 24, 2003 to May 4, 2006. Mazda is currently undergoing a recall for late-model light trucks over the same issue as well.

Due to the potentially corrosive properties of the ammonium nitrate gas PSAN in conditions with extreme temperature, humidity and so on, the inflators for passenger frontal air bags in the affected Ford Rangers could rupture in the event of a crash that leads to deployment of those air bags.

As a consequence, metal fragments could launch into the passenger compartment at potentially high speeds, greatly increasing the risk of injury or even death.

Ford previously issued a recall for these vehicles in 2016, and this action is intended to provide a final fix for the problem. The issue was first noted in May 2015, when Takata submitted a noticed to the NHTSA about the air bag inflator issue, which prompted Ford to examine the potential effects on its own vehicles.

On May 26, 2015, Ford’s Field Review Committee completed its investigation of the issue and approved the recall action.

The recall filing for the final remedy to the air bag problem was issued Dec. 11, 2017.

The repair

Owners will be notified by mail about the recall and will be instructed to take their late-model Rangers to a local Ford or Lincoln dealership where the frontal air bag inflators will be replaced free of charge. However, the automaker is not including reimbursement plans as part of this recall because it would have been covered by the original warranty.

Dealers were notified of the recall Dec. 12, 2017, and owners were slated to receive notifications by mail in phases between Dec. 26, 2017, and March 31, 2018. The first phase of notifications was only slated to last from Dec. 26 to Dec. 31.

Is your vehicle part of the recall?

Over 300,000 vehicles were originally part of this Ford Ranger recall. As of April 9, 2021 – the last date information was available – 164,779 airbags had been replaced. To see if your car still needs to be repaired, use MotorSafety’s free lookup tool.

Recall Masters – December 28, 2017

Ford Recalling 2018 Escapes Over Side Airbag Diffuser Issue

The Ford Motor Company recently issued a recall of more than 10,000 of its Escape light sport utility vehicles from the 2018 model year, citing concerns over side curtain air bag inflator diffusers, according to a defect report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Specifically, the issue relates to vehicles that have side curtain air bags installed on either the driver or passenger side, which contain top-hat diffusers on their inflators. In the affected vehicles, these diffusers “do not have the expected part geometry,” and may detach during a crash in which the side curtain air bags deploy.
This is a similar issue to one seen in recent Kia and Hyundai model year 2018 recalls as well…

Read the entire article on the Recall Masters website

Dearborn, Michigan – Dec. 28, 2017 – The Ford Motor Company recently issued a recall of more than 10,000 of its Escape light sport utility vehicles from the 2018 model year, citing concerns over side curtain air bag inflator diffusers, according to a defect report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Specifically, the issue relates to vehicles that have side curtain air bags installed on either the driver or passenger side, which contain top-hat diffusers on their inflators. In the affected vehicles, these diffusers “do not have the expected part geometry,” and may detach during a crash in which the side curtain air bags deploy.

This is a similar issue to one seen in recent Kia and Hyundai model year 2018 recalls as well.

Of the 10,157 Escape SUVs in the recall, only 1 percent are expected to come with this defect. All were produced between Nov. 13-29, 2017, but not in VIN order.

The Defect

The air bag inflator diffusers being an unexpected shape – and therefore not fitting properly with the inflator – may cause the air bags may not inflate properly in the event of a crash in which they are deployed, and could even launch the diffuser as a projectile into the vehicle itself, both of which increase the risk of injury.

The supplier of the part was the first to identify the issue during a testing period, and informed Ford of the potential problem as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, there is no way for drivers to know whether this defect impacts their vehicles before they take the Escapes in for repairs.

Timeline of Events

On Nov. 16, 2017, the supplier was performing lot acceptance testing on the diffuser parts when it noted a potential issue, and determined that the improper metal forming of a sub-supplier’s top-hat diffuser could lead to the problems related to the recall. Additional testing turned up more lots of inflators that may have had the diffuser defect.

The supplier notified Ford of the potential issue Nov. 28, and the automaker’s Field Review Committee assessed the situation and approved the recall Dec. 11.

To this point, Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the defect.

The Solution

Ford will ask owners of the potentially affected vehicles by mail to take their Escapes to local Ford or Lincoln dealers, where the side curtain airbags on both the driver and passenger sides will be inspected for the defect. If they’re discovered, the components will be replaced at no charge.

The recall will not include a reimbursement plan because all such repairs would be covered under the original warranty.

Ford notified dealers of the recall Dec. 19, and will begin notifying owners Jan. 29, 2018 by mail. That notification period will likely end by Feb. 2, 2018.

Dearborn, Michigan – Dec. 13, 2017 – The Ford Motor Company recently issued a recall for more than 177,000 vehicles from the 2016 model year, for both F-150s and Explorers, stemming from concerns over power seats for both drivers and front-seat passengers.

For both types of seats, there is a concern with the upper left pivot bolt, which can loosen and fall out. This increases the risk of seat deflection and injury in the event of a crash if occupants are not properly restrained by their safety belts.

In all, Ford estimates that about 20 percent of the vehicles in the recall will be affected by the defect.

The Defect

Three separate factors can potentially come together to lead these bolts to loosen or fall out, including the extrusion height of the adjuster link being out of specification and side member extrusion heights not being properly specified in the first place. Furthermore, the threadlock material on the pivot bolts themselves may not meet required specifications.

Drivers or passengers of affected trucks or SUVs may be able to detect the problem if they find their seats sliding unexpectedly as the vehicle is speeding up or slowing down, or if they find a bolt on the floor of the vehicle.

Timeline of Events

Between June and July 2017, loose driver seats in certain F-150s were reported to Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group, which requested a comprehensive search of data for any associated symptoms, as well as requesting parts in the field.

Over the next two months, the CCRG reviewed field reports and other information, and found that the driver’s seat bolts were most likely to fail on vehicles produced between February and March 2016, and Ford determined that the same seat mechanisms were used in Explorers produced during the same period.

In October and November, Ford analyzed the pivot bolt’s threadlock material, and identified performance lapses in the production months in question. On Nov. 20, the company’s Field Review Committee approved field action on the recall.

The Solution

Ford encourages F-150 owners with affected vehicles to call its toll-free hotline at 1-866-436-7332 or contact a local dealer that can give them more information from the company’s online database. This is important because the vehicles in question were not produced in VIN order, meaning that some may be affected while others are not.

Owners of affected vehicles will be notified by mail that they should take the trucks to their local dealers to measure the torque on power seat pivot link bolts. If the bolt passes the assessment, dealers will remove and clean it, apply a new threadlock and re-install it. However, if it fails the inspection, another threadlock will be added until parts are available for a final repair, slated to be completed in the first quarter of 2018. All these efforts will be completed free of charge, and Ford will also reimburse drivers for any repairs they covered out-of-pocket before the safety recall.

Dealers were first notified of the recall on Nov. 30, 2017, and owner notifications should arrive between Jan. 15 and Jan. 19, 2018.

Dearborn, Mich. – Nov. 30, 2017 – Ford Motor Company has recalled more than 11,700 vehicles potentially equipped with defective shift linkage components, according to documentation submitted to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The campaign affects 2017 Ford F-150 pickup trucks produced between between Aug. 23, 2016 and Aug. 9, 2017. The car manufacturer suspects just 7 percent of the models referenced in the action contain the defective features.

The Defect

The affected vehicles contain transmission shift linkages with pins that are prone to slipping out due to the presence of non-uniform gaps between the inner and outer coils. Engineers at Ford believe the pins may also feature undersized diameters, further increasing the likelihood of pin slippage. Should this occur, gear changes initiated by drivers will not register. Owners who have experienced this have reported viewing inaccurate information on the shift indicator. The condition may result in unintended vehicle movement, which poses a serious threat to owners. However, Ford has yet to receive reports connecting the defective pins to any accidents or injuries.

Timeline of Events

In June 2017, the Ford‘s Critical Concern Review Group received a report detailing an instance in which the 10-speed transmission in one vehicle failed to function properly. Engineers reviewed parts from the vehicle and found evidence that the transmission shift linkage pin could come out with ease. The CCRG launched an investigation and directed production personnel to alter assembly line processes to ensure that pin diameters were correct.

Over the course of July and August, Ford reviewed numerous reports wherein customers attested to experiencing “looseness” when attempting to operate the shift lever, which failed to move the gears. Quality assurance personnel tested the problematic shift assemblies mentioned in the reports and compared them to functioning alternatives. There was an immense difference in usability, indicating that there was a significant problem.

In September, the automaker continued to review incoming field reports related to the defect while also checking production records to ascertain the extent of the issue. Meanwhile, engineering personnel conducted further tests and discovered a connection between assembly line pin insertion force and pin dislodgment susceptibility. These technical experts also found that the the problematic transmission shift linkage pins had irregular coil spacing.

On Oct. 16, the Ford Field Review Committee evaluated all of the available evidence related to the potentially defective features and decided to launch a voluntary safety recall. Ford notified dealers of the action Oct. 24.

The Solution

Ford has directed dealers to replace the defective transmission linkage pins with new parts free of charge, according to an NHTSA recall acknowledgement document. The automaker intends to contact owners Dec.11 via first-class mail. Those in need of more immediate assistance can connect with Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Callers should use the internal recall identification code 17S36. Owners can also contact the NHTSA directly using its Vehicle Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236.

Dearborn, Mich. – Oct. 24, 2017 – Ford Motor Company has recalled approximately 1.3 million vehicles possibly equipped with defective door latches, according to a company press release. The campaign affects 2015-2017 Ford F-150 trucks with production dates ranging from March 12, 2014 to Dec. 30, 2016, as well as 2017 Ford Super Duty pickups manufactured between Oct. 8, 2015 and Sept. 1, 2016. Approximately 1,101,107 of the vehicles referenced in the action originated from American dealerships, while 222,408 were sold in Canada and 21,090 in Mexico. Ford is unsure what percentage of the models actually contain the defective features.

The Defect

Affected vehicles include defective door latches prone to water damage, which in turn can cause freezing, latch deformation and actuation cable deterioration. This may prevent the latch from fully engaging with the striker, which inhibits door closure. This poses a serious safety hazard for occupants, especially in the event of an accident. That said, Ford has yet to receive field reports linking the defect to any wrecks or injuries.

Timeline of Events

The automaker has not released details of the internal investigation that uncovered the defective parts. However, Ford did reveal that the vehicles named in the recall were manufactured at three different assembly facilities in Dearborn, Kansas City, Missouri and Clark County, Kentucky.

The Solution

Ford intends to direct dealers to install water shields on the door latches of affected vehicles. Dealers will also inspect the actuation cables in these models and replace them if necessary. Both of these repairs are to be performed with no charge to the customer. Ford has not publicized a timetable for dealer or owner notification. However, individuals in possession of the vehicles named in this recall who need more immediate can contact Ford customer service personnel at (800) 392-3673. Callers should use the internal recall identification code 17S33. Owners can also reach out to the National Highway Transportation Agency via its Vehicle Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236.

Dearborn, Mich. – Oct. 4, 2017 – Ford Motor Company has recalled more then three dozen trucks believed to be equipped with defective roof features, according to a company press release. The campaign affects 2018 Ford F-150 Raptor SuperCab pickups constructed without moonroofs with production dates ranging from June 8, 2017 to Aug. 21, 2017. Approximately 39 of the recalled vehicles originated from dealerships in the U.S., while three came from Canadian showrooms.

The Defect

The models referenced in the action could contain structural roof braces with missing rivets. This compromises the structural integrity of the vehicles and creates a significant safety hazard for owners, especially those involved in rollovers. That said, Ford has yet to receive reports connecting the defective features to any accidents or injuries.

Timeline of Events

The car company has not released details into the internal investigation that uncovered the defect. However, Ford did reveal that the affected vehicles originated from the assembly plant in Dearborn.

The Solution

Ford has directed dealers to replace the roof rivets in the recalled trucks, free of charge. Owners should expect to receive confirmation via first-class mail. Those in need of immediate assistance can contact Ford customer service personnel at (800) 392-3673. Callers should use the internal recall identification code 17S29. Owners can also contact the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration through the agency’s 24-hour Vehicle Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236.