Laguna Hills, CA – March 12, 2019 – Ford Motor Company issued a recall for certain 2019 Ford Mustang, Lincoln Nautilus and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. When the vehicles start up, the instrument panel cluster assembly may not function, showing a blank display. As many as 4,212 vehicles are potentially affected by this issue.
The Defect
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Safety Recall Report on this issue, because of the potential failure of the instrument panel cluster assembly, the display may not light upon start-up. A blank instrument cluster will not show important information like vehicle speed, fuel or temperature level or safety system warnings. Driving without an operating display can increase the risk of a crash.
Timeline of Events
This issue was first reported to Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group Dec. 11, 2018. Ford supplier Visteon had discovered a potential problem with 2 GB memory chips in the Instrument Panel Cluster causing a failure of data to load properly, resulting in a blank display. The issue surfaced during bench testing at higher temperatures. Ford then initiated a shipping freeze for all affected vehicles while the problem was investigated.
During the following month, the Ford team reviewed and confirmed a potential data transfer timing issue between the 2 GB memory chip and the graphics processor. The team worked with the supplier and three assembly plants to identify the affected vehicles, while the Engineering team searched field data for reports related to this issue. Ford found one warranty report.
On Feb. 4, 2019, the Ford Field Review Committee announced a compliance recall action for all affected vehicles. Ford is not yet aware of any reports of accidents or injuries related to this issue.
The Solution
The recall began March 8, 2019. Ford has notified all affected owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument panel cluster assembly, free of charge.
Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s number for this recall is 19C03. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), The NHTSA Campaign Number for this recall is 19V076000.
