Sparks in Ford trucks may cause fire

Sparks in Ford trucks may cause fire

January 6, 2020 Sean Reyes

Laguna Hills, CA – Dec. 20, 2019 – Ford Motor Company is recalling certain 2017-2019 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450 and SuperCrew Cab vehicles. The front seat pretensioner may spark in the event of a crash and ignite carpeting or insulation.

The potential number of vehicles affected is estimated at 490,574.

The Defect

According to an investigation by Ford, the front seat pretensioner may generate excessive sparks during a crash. In some cases, these sparks can interact with exhaust gas and cause the vehicle’s carpet or carpet insulation in the B-pillar area to catch on fire.The defect is unique to the 2017-2019 model year, as those vehicles were built with unique seat belt pretensioners. All vehicles assembled after October 29, 2019 were modified to prevent the issue.

So far there has been one report in the U.S. of a fire caused by the seat belt pretensioner.

Timeline of Events

In September 2018, Ford did some testing on the B-pillar area of their Super Duty vehicles, after a similar issue was reported in the 2015-2018 F-150 model. At that time, Ford did not determine that the area was at risk of combustion. In October 2019, Ford received a report from NHTSA of a post-crash fire in the B-pillar area of a 2019 F-250 Crew Cab. Both Ford and NHTSA inspected the vehicle and Ford performed analysis on related parts. Ford also performed nearly 300 vehicle level tests, finding issues in a few cases. Further inspection found that variance in the profile of the carpet edge was a determinate on whether the carpet combusted. While the investigation was still ongoing, Ford began adding heat resistant foil tape to all 2019 model year vehicles.

On December 4, 2019 Ford’s Field Review Committee reviewed the situation and approved field action.

The Solution

Owners of affected vehicles will be notified by mail and told to take their vehicles to a certified Ford or Lincoln dealer for repairs. Dealers will apply heat resistant foil tape to the carpet and carpet insulation edges in affected vehicles and modify the sound deadener on the back of the B-pillar trim panel.

Dealers will be notified of the recall beginning December 12, 2019, while owners will be notified from January 20, 2020 to January 24, 2020.

For more information on this or other recalls past or present, visit MotorSafety.org.

Sean ReyesSparks in Ford trucks may cause fire
Potential Tailgate Issues on Some Ford Trucks

Potential Tailgate Issues on Some Ford Trucks

December 4, 2019 Sean Reyes

Laguna Hills, CA – Dec. 4, 2019 – Ford Motor Company is recalling certain 2017-2019 Super Duty F-250, F-350 and F-450 trucks with an electric tailgate latch release switch mounted in the tailgate handle.

The potential number of vehicles affected is estimated at 231,664.

The Defect

According to Ford, listed trucks with an electric tailgate latch may be susceptible to water damage, possibly causing the tailgate to unlatch. In these cases, water in either the release-switch or an in-line connector resulted in a short circuit, opening the tailgate. An unintended open tailgate could lead to unrestrained cargo falling out into the road, creating a risk for both the driver and others.

Ford estimates that about 3% of 2017-2019 Super Duty F-250, F-350 and F-450 trucks are affected, all of them from Ford’s Kentucky Assembly Plant.

Timeline of Events

On October 12, 2018 NHTSA opened a Preliminary Evaluation following reports of unintended tailgate opening on a 2017 model year vehicle. The Evaluation found five cases of the issue, as well as two similar reports made to Transport Canada.

Ford began its own in-depth investigation and responded to NHTSA’s Information Request on December 20, 2018. As a part of their investigation, Ford analyzed field data, as well as employee vehicles. The company decided that the issue was not an unreasonable safety risk , due to the low rate of reports and several cases where the tailgate opening had turned out to be caused by a driver inadvertently using properly functioning features. Further monitoring found more instances of short circuiting caused by water damage.

On November 25, 2019, Ford approved field action.

The Solution

Ford plans to notify owners of the affected vehicles by mail and has notified dealers. Dealers are expected to add jumper pigtails to the tailgate/frame wiring harnesses. The addition should isolate power and ground circuits and prevent short circuiting. Ford will be providing a general reimbursement plan for vehicle owners.

An updated tailgate release switch and wiring harness jumper were used in 2020 model year production.

For more information on this or other recalls past or present, visit MotorSafety.org.

Sean ReyesPotential Tailgate Issues on Some Ford Trucks
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