Dearborn, Mich – Jan. 04, 2017 – Ford has announced a recall of multiple vehicle models as a result of oil supply tubes that may leak oil onto engine components, according to documents compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Defect

The problem stems from improperly brazed turbocharger oil supply tubes that can leak oil on engine components, which could potentially start fires during operation.

The automaker will be recalling the following vehicles:

• Model year 2016 Ford Taurus manufactured at the Chicago plant and between Oct. 18, 2016 to Nov. 2, 2016.
• Model year 2016-2017 Ford Flex made at the Oakville plant and between Oct. 18, 2016 to Nov. 10, 2016.
• Model year 2017 Explorer made at the Chicago plant and between Oct. 15, 2016 to Nov. 12, 2016.
• Model year 2017 Explorer Police Interceptor Utility made at the Chicago plant on Nov. 2, 2016.
• Model year 2016-2017 Flex made at the Oakville plant and between Oct. 18, 2016 and Nov. 10, 2016.

Timeline of Events

• Oct. 28, 2016 – Ford plant operators discovered an oil leak during a routine inspection, prompting further review.
• Nov. 1, 2016 – Additional inspections revealed that of nearly 15,000 oil supply tubes, 38 had leaks.
• Dec. 12, 2016 – Ford approved a recall of the affected models.

Resolution

Ford will notify vehicle owners by mail if they have an affected model. Dealers will inspect the vehicles and provide replacement parts, free of charge, if necessary. The recall process is scheduled to begin Jan. 23, 2017, though owners may contact Ford earlier if they wish.

Recall Masters – December 19, 2016.

Ford Addresses Seat Belt Defects

The Defect

For will be recalling model year 2013-2016 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured between Nov. 2, 2012 and July 31, 2014, as well as model year 2013-2015 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured between Nov. 14, 2012 and July 31, 2014, according to documents compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

These vehicles contain seat belt defects that could prevent them from deploying properly. Ford claims that seat belt anchor pretensioners can overheat during use, causing them to snap when deployed during a crash. This could lead to an uptick in injuries and deaths – in fact, Ford believes that at least two accidents and injuries can be traced to the defect.

The recall will cover 602,739 vehicles in the U.S., 35,614 in Canada, 8,665 in Mexico and 653 elsewhere, according to USA Today…

Read the entire article on the Recall Masters website

Dearborn, Mich. – Dec. 19 –  The Ford Motor Company has announced a recall of Ford and Lincoln vehicle models with seat belt defects that may threaten the safety of drivers and passengers. In addition, the company plans to recall some Fusion vehicles that have problems with their seat back frames.

The Defect

For will be recalling model year 2013-2016 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured between Nov. 2, 2012 and July 31, 2014, as well as model year 2013-2015 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured between Nov. 14, 2012 and July 31, 2014, according to documents compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

These vehicles contain seat belt defects that could prevent them from deploying properly. Ford claims that seat belt anchor pretensioners can overheat during use, causing them to snap when deployed during a crash. This could lead to an uptick in injuries and deaths – in fact, Ford believes that at least two accidents and injuries can be traced to the defect.

The recall will cover 602,739 vehicles in the U.S., 35,614 in Canada, 8,665 in Mexico and 653 elsewhere, according to USA Today.

In addition, Ford will also recall 27 Ford Fusion vehicles from the 2017 model year due to improperly welded pivot pins on the second row left-rear seat back frame. As it stands, these seats may not be able to secure cargo in a crash, increasing the risk of passenger injury.

Resolution

Vehicles owners will soon be notified of the defects, and will have the opportunity to bring their cars in to dealers and have them repaired at no charge.

Detroit, MI – November 08, 2016 – Ford has announced the recall of Shelby GT350 and GT350R Mustangs, due to a defect that could lead to serious oil leaks, engine damage and possible fire hazards.

The Defect

Autoblog reports that Ford will be recalling 8,000 total vehicles of both models from the 2015-2017 model years. The issue is an engine oil cooler tube that could have poorly designed or insufficient crimps, which could lead to hose separation during operation. This could potentially result in an oil leak and engine failure. Owners could face an increased risk of crash or fire.

As yet, Ford says that it has no knowledge of any fires or accidents that have been caused by this defect.

Timeline Of Events

August 2016 – Ford received reports of an engine oil cooler tube replacement. The Ford Critical Concern Review Group determined that the hose in question had separated from a crimp joint.

September-October 2016 – Ford’s engineering teams attempted to analyze parts collected from the field, and determined that the hoses had not been secured properly. Specifically, the crimp process was conducted improperly, making it difficult to control crimp jaw location and hose insertion depth.

The Solution

Ford will soon notify owners of the recall, and will begin the repair process Dec. 12, 2016. Ford will replace the engine oil cooler tube at no cost to owners. Meanwhile, AutoBlog reports that Shelby GT350 Mustangs are still available for purchase, though they will not be delivered to customers and may not be driven until new parts are procured.

Dearborn, MI – October 27, 2016 – A component in the door latches may break in select Ford vehicles which prevents the doors from latching shut and may lead to a driver believing all the doors are shut when in fact, they are not, according to a report from the National Traffic Safety Administration. Besides the obvious inconvenience of having doors that don’t lock, doors that are closed the wrong way run the risk of flying open without a moment’s notice. For plenty of reasons, such a scenario would not be ideal for the driver or any passengers.

The Defect

Ford is recalling certain model year Ford Focuses manufactured anytime from 2012 to 2015, Ford Escapes from 2013 to 2015, C-MAXs, Lincoln MKC and Ford Mustangs from 2015 as well as Ford Transit Connect vehicles manufactured between 2014 and 2016. Keeping drivers and passengers inside the car while it is moving is paramount to safety, but the bad latches may make that a problem. As of September 2, 2016, Ford’s investigation into the matter had found one accident and three alleged injuries as a result of the faulty latch. There are more than 2.3 million vehicles affected by this recall.

Timeline of Ford’s Response

• October 2015: Ford’s analysis of warranty and field data discovered the problem in the door latches and submitted the issue to Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group.
• December 2015 – March 2016:  Ford conducted a return analysis and comprehensive data analysis of reports. The Fiesta and Fusion models were recalled as well.
• January 7, 2016: Ford opened an earlier investigation as the result of 2013-2015 investigation into similar reports that occurred from 2013 to 2015. Ford Escapes were mentioned a lot on those reports.
• March 3, 2016: The 2013 Ford Focus vehicles had notable problems with latches the ability to open.
• April 14, 2016: Although specific causes for the door latch malfunction could not be readily identified, Ford took notice of the fact that there were several instances of faulty door latches across various Ford vehicles.
• April – June 2016: Although there was a pattern in the gathered data, there was no hard evidence to prove the pinpoint location of the problem. Although the potential for a problem existed, there was no evidence of a precise solution.
• June 23, 2016: Ford noted patterns emerging from the data, but did not acknowledge anything specific.
• July 2016: Ford Focus and Escape vehicles with latches made from the same facility in Mexico reported issues with the vehicles. On July 29, 2016, Ford’s Field Review Committee approved a safety recall for the most at-risk vehicles based on the data presented to them.
• August 4-26, 2016: Through ongoing discussions with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford extended their safety recall for every vehicle that falls under this category.
• September 1, 2016: Ford’s Field Review Committee reviewed the concern and approved action.

The Solution

Ford’s solution to the defect starts with notifying all of the owners of the problems associated with their vehicles. Next, dealerships will schedule appointments with the customers to replace the faulty door latches with improved parts, free of charge. Because replacement parts are limited, individual owners will be sent an interim notification beginning on October 3, 2016. Parts should become available during the second quarter of 2017, and customers will be notified when parts are available.

Dearborn, Mich. — Oct. 05, 2016 — A pair of Ford recalls will address a wide range of vehicles produced for recent model years. In a single press release, the manufacturer announced the different actions, which include police vehicles as well as other models. Two of these were safety recalls centered around problems with fuel pumps.

The first of these involved control modules that could unexpectedly stall engines. Of the two recalls, this impacted the largest amount of models, affecting the Ford Flex, Taurus and Police Interceptor units, as well as Lincoln MKS and MKT vehicles, for a total population of 88,151 autos. Model years for all of these units in the first recall ranged from 2013 to 2015.

The other recall concerned 2,472 2015 and 2016 Ford Transit vehicles. While engines in these units could also potentially stall, the release said the cause was different: In this case, the problem came from malfunctioning fuel injection pumps.

Neither of these recalls have been connected to any accident reports, as far as Ford is aware. In each case, dealers will inspect and replace compromised parts.

Ford conducted another recall for 2015 Ford Transit models earlier this year. According to documents filed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these vans could potentially contain deteriorating lift platforms, making it difficult to bring wheelchairs into the vans. The Part 573 Safety Recall Report said that the platform pivot plates in these vehicles would have visible cracking.

Although this last recall involved Ford vehicles, it came from the Massachusetts-based manufacturer New England Wheels. At the time of release, May 17, the report said that it could not list specific remedy details, with component supplier Ricon explaining the process in an April 29 notice instead.

Dearborn, Mich. — September 19, 2016 — According to The Associated Press, new Ford recalls target several different vehicle brands due to an issue with door latches. The source said that some of its autos have door-latch problems that could open unexpectedly, especially in hotter climates.

The AP also said that the recall takes place in 16 states as well as Mexico. The target states will take the priority during the recall, with dealers replacing all of the latches in vehicles in these areas, while other states will simply see dealers replace latches as needed. Affected model years range from 2012 to 2016, and vehicle types include C-Max and Focus cars as well as various vans and SUVs.

Altogether, the recall reportedly concerns around 830,000 vehicles across all countries. Some of the vehicles involved in this action have been subject to other Ford recalls in recent years, such as the 2015 C-MAX and Ford Focus.

Both of these were part of a 2015 recall concerning Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 114. This standard targets “Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention.” In this case, vehicle owners were warned that the engine could run even if the ignition was stopped. This would have left the 374,781 potentially affected units at greater risk of a crash.

The 2013 C-MAX was part of an even earlier effort in 2014 meant to draw attention to Restraint Control Modules that could short-circuit, setting off the air bag warning lamp. The C-MAX autos included in this recall were produced between Jan. 9, 2012 and Nov. 21, 2013. Multiple systems were thought to be hurt by this defect.

Dearborn, Mich. — August 18, 2016 — Ford ended June 2016 by announcing three new recalls in a single press release. All of the vehicles involved in these efforts are from either the 2015 and 2016 model years. While each of these cases extend outside of the United States, the majority of vehicles in all three recalls are in the U.S.

According to the source, only one of these is a safety recall, while the other two are safety compliance recalls. The manufacturer is not aware of any injuries or accidents connected to any of these issues. All together, the three Ford recalls concern approximately 8,218 vehicles.

The safety recall concerns transmission assembly problems in both 2015 and 2016 Ford Focus Electric autos produced at either the Michigan or Saarlouis assembly plants. A certain coating could lead to fractures in the differential pinion shaft of these vehicles, so dealers will replace the assembly completely with a setup that includes the right friction-reducing coating.

One of the safety compliance recalls addresses 6,661 Ford F-150 and Ford Explorer units, both from model year 2016 and possibly containing improperly welded driver seat backs. The other involves 608 2016 Ford Transit Connect vehicles that may have a brake hydraulic control unit.

Before this, the most recent recall-related Ford press release involved the Takata air bag inflator recall. In that statement, the manufacturer said that it was adding several brands to the existing recall numbers for issues with nondesiccated passenger-side frontal airbag inflators. Model years for these vehicles collectively ranged from 2005 and 2011.

As of June 17, Ford had completed 20.2 percent of passenger-side air bag repairs, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. On a larger scale, Ford has finished just 7.1 percent of its total air bag repairs.

Dearborn, Mich. — August 04, 2016 — Approximately 605 Transit Connect vans are included in a new Ford recall, according to official National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents. The action addresses recent vehicles produced between February 22 and April 9 this year. The Part 573 Safety Recall Report said that affected vehicles could include a hydraulic control unit pump with metallic debris.

While the source did not give an estimate for the percentage of these vehicles with the defect, it did describe said potential defect in greater detail. Debris in the Hydraulic Control Units could potentially render these vehicles unfit under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. It would particularly represent noncompliance with FMVSS 126: “Electronic Stability Control Systems.” The debris is said to come from a “poorly modified piercing tool.”

The report did not list any specific signs of the defect, though it said that brake system performance could degrade “without warning.” Ford first observed the issue through its Critical Concern Review Group on May 19.

The Field Review Committee approved an official field action just over a month later on June 20. While the dealer notification date was listed as June 28, owners are not scheduled to hear about the issue until the four-day period between August 8 and 12. During this time, owners will be directed to contact an appropriate dealer to address the issue, perhaps removing the HCUs as necessary.

This is only the most recent of Ford recalls to impact this brand and model year. Earlier this year, the 2016 Transit Connect was subject to a separate action involving 37,066 potentially affected units. That was due to a badly oriented side curtain air bag fold, according to other NHTSA documents.