Detroit, MI — July 24, 2015 — Nearly 8,000 vehicles in North America are affected by a new Ford recall that looks to address parking brake concerns. The manufacturer is addressing a series of autos, including Explorers, Tauruses and Lincoln sedans. Carscoops reported on the action, which hopes to remedy a failure that would keep the parking brake from fully engaging.

Most of the vehicles included in this recall are in the United States, while around 800 are in Canada and one solitary vehicle is in Mexico. All of the defects originate from the same Chicago Assembly Plant where these models were first constructed earlier this year.

Though the company has said that no injuries have been reported from this fault yet, the affected vehicles will have their parking brake controls replaced for free after an inspection. In the official press release on the action, Ford provided the details on the individual vehicles being recalled. These include “certain 2015-2016 Ford Explorer, and certain 2015 Taurus and Flex, as well as Lincoln MKS and MKT vehicles.”

“In these vehicles, the parking brake might not engage fully, which is a compliance issue with FMVSS 135 regarding brake systems,” the statement continues. Earlier this month, Ford also issued a recall for hundreds of thousands of different vehicles, also with for the 2015 model year, due to an issue that prevents the engine from turning off, even after the owner has pressed the “stop” button.

All recalls are only as effective as the means of alerting customers and dealers to problems they need to address and the ways to do it. Proper systems for proliferating statements are a crucial first step to compliance and safety.

Detroit, MI — June 15, 2015 — Earlier this month, Ford Motor Corporation recalled thousands of vehicles due to a fault that may affect steering. The specific trucks included are F-150’s manufactured this year at its plants in Kansas City or Dearborn.
While the recall extends to all of North America, the company noted that most of the vehicles, 12,328 to be exact, were recalled in the United States, and only 5,600 of the total were actually sold to customers. Only 17 are being recalled in Mexico.

The problem concerns the upper I-shaft in these trucks, which could separate from the vehicle entirely if the rivets attaching it are not held in place. In an official statement, the business goes into further detail about the complications that may arise from this.

“If that happens, it could result in the loss of steering control without warning, increasing the risk of a crash,” it says, referring to the improper rivets. It goes on to point out that “Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries, but is aware of one report of loss of steering believed to be related to this condition.” Dealers are fixing the problem by replacing the upper I-shaft assembly as needed.

As Automotive News points out, a previous Ford recall related to faulty heat shields also involved trucks assembled in Dearborn and referred to cars made earlier this year. That was part of a series of four recalls addressed in a single statement on the company website.

Understanding the trends in recent recall activity from manufacturers could promote a smarter and more coherent series of recall actions on the part of car dealers. Knowing the areas that are connected to previous recalls may help professionals address the needs of owners better and act on the recall.

Detroit, MI — May 4, 2015 — Previously, Ford announced a recall of 389,585 cars for a problem related to faulty door latches. In affected vehicles, which include Ford Fiestas and Lincoln MKZ’s, broken pawl spring tabs could lead to doors opening up unexpectedly, posing a hazard to driver. The manufacturer linked one alleged accident to this fault, as well as accounts of “soreness,” as the Detroit News reported.

Although the amount of possible related accidents has stayed the same, Ford is now adding to the original number of recalled vehicles. The Detroit Free Press says that door latch concerns have been responsible for five recall actions since 2014: while this latest one has brought the total amount up to more than 545,900, the amount of cars recalled for latch problems since 2014 is higher than 1.5 million.

As with the original action, this further recall also encompasses Ford Fiestas, Ford Fusions and Lincoln MKZ’s across North America. Model years of concern are 2011-2014 for the Fiestas, 2013-14 for the Fusions and just 2014 for the MKZ’s.

In response to the first recall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a statement on its website advising certain consumer actions to reduce the chance of danger if a door refuses to close.

“Do not attempt to temporarily secure the door in a closed position (e.g., with a rope or by using the seat belt), and do not have an occupant attempt to hold the door closed while the vehicle is being driven,” the site reads. “Be safe and have the vehicle towed to the nearest dealership instead.”

Car dealerships need to be ready to perform the repairs and replacement actions necessary after a recall, and consumers should feel comfortable reaching out to them when the time is right, based on their risk and the right instructions.

Detroit, MI — April 28, 2015 — The Washington Post reported on a series of new recalls released by Ford this week, concerning a range of cars in the United States, Canada and Mexico. As the source describes, some of these recalls relate to previous ones, but they tackle different issues focused on various auto parts and systems.

All together, these recalls concern around 600,000 vehicles: the smallest of these affects just 92 Ford F-150 models produced this year in the U.S. and Canada, and has to do with the vehicles’ heat shields, which may be badly attached or missing. While not as widespread a recall, it does leave these trucks at possible risk of fire.

A Lincoln MKZ recall pertains to overly bright park lamps, and another one affects multiple cars that may be subject to a nickel plating-related problem with their fuel pumps. The most significant recall, though, involves more than 500,000 Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ and Ford Edge autos that have loose bolts around the steering gear motor.

In the press release from the company covering all four recalls, posted to Autoblog, Ford explained the possible consequences of this last defect.

“If the steering gear motor bolts fracture, the steering system may default to manual steering mode, making the vehicle more difficult to steer, especially at lower speeds,” the source said. “This would not result in a loss of steering, but could result in an increased risk of a crash.” None of these recalls have led to any injuries, the release said, though the nickel plating recall has led to “allegation of an accident.”

One release can accommodate many recalls like this, but each one has to be issued at the proper time and through the correct channels to have the desired effect.

Detroit, MI — April 26, 2015 — Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) started investigating a fault in Ford Fiesta car door latches, according to USA Today. That initial concern has turned into a full recall for Ford, which has now taken action to fix the affected vehicles. The specific problem lies with door latches that feature a broken part which could lead to doors opening while the car is being driven.

The source says that a total of 389,585 Ford vehicles are being recalled across all of North America, most of which are in the United States. The models include Fiestas and Lincoln MKZ’s built at the company’s Cuautitlán and Hermosillo plants in Mexico, between 2012 and 2013. According to a report the from the NHTSA referenced in the article, Ford has received more than 1,000 warranty claims because of this defect.

In a statement on its website, Ford addressed the physical dangers from loose doors, as well as the current incidents that have been recorded. The door could open even if the driver had previously latched it successfully.

“Ford is aware of two allegations of soreness resulting from an unlatched door bouncing back when the customer attempted to close it, and one accident allegation when an unlatched door swung open and struck an adjacent vehicle as the driver was pulling into a parking space,” the statement said. To solve the problem, dealers are replacing all of the door latches in affected cars, not just the specific ones with bad pawl spring tabs.

An effective recall notice will cover the severity of a situation as well as the specific parts that are the cause. Just because the difficulty can be traced back to one piece in the car doesn’t mean that response actions will be limited to that part alone.