Dearborn, Mich.—May 24, 2017—In the first of two Ford recalls announced in one statement, the Michigan manufacturer declared that several vehicles would be part of a safety compliance effort for a welding issue. This action concerns three different Ford models, all produced for 2017, and none of the affected vehicles are part of a reported accident or injury because of this concern.
The Defect
The three models involved are the Ford Explorer, F-150 and Super Duty. Occupants could be at possible risk due to improperly welded driver seat back frame, the source said. Between the three of them, all of the 2,418 vehicles that make up this recall account for five different assembly plants from across the country, including locations in Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky.
Timeline of Events
- Dec. 8, 2016 to Jan. 19, 2017: These dates cover the full production periods for all of the included vehicles.
- May 24, 2017: Ford released the statement announcing this and the second recall on this day.
The Resolution
The Ford release contained few details about the response effort, but it did say that dealers would replace the seat back frames in the affected vehicles if needed to reduce the risk. The second of the two recalls mentioned in this one statement was for doorhandle covers, and was unrelated to this action, although both did partly concern F-150 models.
Last year saw Ford recall a different set of vehicles for welding concerns. According to Carscoops, that action targeted 2014 and 2015 Ford Explorer vehicles with “rear suspension toe links” that were possibly subject to fracture. That recall wasn’t as large, including only 75,364 vehicles, but the manufacturer did say that “one accident and one injury” were traced to this defect, at least at that time of publication.