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.

Dearborn, MI — May 30, 2016 — Ford finished the month of April with a joint statement addressing several recalls impacting its vehicles in the United States. While the largest of these involved speed sensor issues, another one included Ford Police Interceptor and Explorer vehicles with the 2014 and 2015 model years. Altogether, the recall concerns suspension problems in 81,036 total autos, with 75,364 in the United States.

The affected Interceptors have a different manufacturing history than the Explorers also involved in this recall. Though both sets of vehicles were built at the company’s Chicago Assembly Plant in 2014, the Interceptors were produced between January 17 and May 31 last year.

According to this release, the vehicles are possibly subject to a weak rear suspension toe link, which could leave drivers vulnerable to a loss of control or possibly a crash. This defect has led to one confirmed accident and injury, and the manufacturer attributes the danger to “poor weld quality” in the affected links. Both the left and right links can be affected, requiring dealers to replace each of them for a full remedy. The fix also requires dealers to align the rear suspension.

The Ford recalls aren’t the only recent example of a police vehicle action. In March, Chevrolet recalled 6,280 Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicles for a corrosion problem that could cancel out the vehicle’s power steering.

If this happened suddenly, drivers could be in danger of losing control over the vehicle. A press release on this case from March 18 said that the company had not as of yet planned an official repair date. Chevrolet had, however, developed a basic remedy plan, which involved dealers replacing the entire steering gear assembly in affected units. No injuries were reported as of the statement’s release.

Dearborn, MI — May 28, 2016 — Some Ford drivers could experience a jarring gear change, according to a press release from the manufacturer’s official site. That source announced a new recall meant to fix a software issue that may cause unwanted transmission shifts. This was one of a series of five Ford recalls (three for safety and two for safety compliance) that will affect cars across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The shifting issue represents the largest of these recalls, with 201,900 vehicles potentially affected and total model years ranging between 2011 and 2012. The four models in question (the Ford F-150, Expedition and Mustang as well as the Lincoln Navigator) will have a 6R80 transmission.

Because of problems with an included sensor, the press release stated, vehicles could suddenly change speed and possibly lose control. Though there are no injuries or fatalities attributed to this fault, there have been three reports of accidents.

The remedy described in this statement varies slightly depending on whether or not the dealer finds diagnostic trouble codes in the vehicle’s affected control modules. Both cases involve updating the control software as necessary.

This is similar to another major recall related to shifting issues from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. In that case, the automaker recalled a total of 811,586 vehicles to address shifting systems that were confusing users.

While the models themselves did not suffer any equipment failure, a statement from that company did mention 41 injuries that may come from the difficult transmission lever. Drivers were at a possible risk if they exited these vehicles before fully parking them.

After the latest FCA enhancements, affected vehicles in this recall will reportedly automatically halt a vehicle to prevent any unintended movements. These vehicles already contain some warning systems, including chimes, to alert the driver when the car is not in park while the doors are open.

Dearborn, MI — April 13, 2016 — A trio of auto recalls signaled the end of March for Ford Motor Company. In a single press release from the manufacturer, Ford described three different recalls that affect various vehicles with the 2015 and 2016 model years.

In total, the new Ford recalls concern approximately 48,205 vehicles across the United States and Canada, and no accidents have been connected to any of these problems. Potentially affected units include vehicles from various company assembly plants, including locations in Chicago, Louisville and Kansas City.

The first recall includes 37,066 Ford Transits in the United States. These low-roof models could have lackluster airbags that threaten occupy safety. In addition, 5,536 Lincoln MKC and Ford Explorers are recalled for block heater updates. Of the three recalls, this one seems to have led to the most notable reports of related incidents, with two underhood fires occurring in Canada.

“The engine block design, coupled with the particular block heater installed in these vehicles, causes the unit to be susceptible to overheating when the vehicle is parked and the block heater is plugged in – increasing the risk of an underhood fire,” the source said. The final recall listed 4,764 F-650 and F-750 models that could feature weak parking brake connector clips.

In all instances, Ford dealers will replace the offending parts or adjust them as necessary. Previously, the manufacturer issued another press release addressing multiple recalls at once on February 26. That statement concerned issues with seat belt buckles and occupant classification systems.

All of the vehicles included in this February release fell under the 2015 or 2016 model years, much like those in the March recall. Both announcements also addressed issues across North America, although the previous one also encompassed some potential defect in Mexico.

Dearborn, MI — March 30, 2016 — On March 8, Equipment World reported on a government investigation that could lead to a new series of Ford recalls in the future. According to the source, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 420,000 Ford F-150s.

A document from this agency denoted four collisions traced back to a brake failure issue, with 33 complaints registered in total, 20 of which occurred within seven months. The main issue concerns brake fluid leaks within the master cylinders of these vehicles.

As of February 29, the Office of Defects Investigation had opened a preliminary evaluation. The loss of brake fluid means the drivers could find it more difficult to stop successfully during an emergency. According to this report, the complaints included a “complete loss of brake effectiveness” as well as low levels of brake fluid in the master cylinder reservoir. The vehicles included in this investigation make up 36 percent of the 2013 and 2014 model year F-150s sold, all of which may possibly signal the brake issue with a warning light indicator.

The Kansas City Business Journal received an email from Safety and Sustainability Communications Manager John Cangany. He affirmed the manufacturer’s commitment to working with the government as the matter develops.

“We take the safety of our customers very seriously, and we will cooperate with NHTSA on this investigation, as we always do,” he said.

The source also stated that Ford has until April 20 to respond to the Administration’s requests for vehicle and warranty information, or risk a multimillion dollar fine. Furthermore, the NHTSA is interested in mechanical design data that could inform their investigation, since this might give them greater insight into the way the brake systems in these vehicles worked.