re: NHTSA campaign 20V137000
Laguna Hills, CA – March 9, 2020 – Replacement blower motors installed in 2019 Ford Ranger vehicles may electrically short and increase the risk of vehicle fire.
The potential number of affected vehicles is 5,384.
The Defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019 Ford Ranger vehicles that had been previously replaced with a new blower motor to comply with recall 19V-726. The replacement HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) blower motor may be installed with a faulty clearance area that sits between an electrical terminal and the conductive plate at the base of the motor. If the clearance area is improperly assembled this will result in a electrical short that could cause an internal engine fire. The original dates of replacement in compliance with recall 19V-726 was October 9, 2019 through November 22, 2019 – any 2019 Rangers replacement with HVAC motors during this period are at higher risk for this particular recall.
On October 9, 2019, Field Service Action 19S34 was approved in regards to 2019 Ford Ranger vehicles overheating, melting or smoking due to HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning) blower motors that did not function properly. The Field Service Action revealed to the Ford Action Committee that the recalled blower motors were assembled and stamped with a build date code of June 14, 2019 through September 22, 2019. On October 30, 2019, a Ford dealership received a replacement blower motor with a suspect build date code. This was followed by five other manufacturers and dealerships reporting that they had also received blow motors with suspect build date codes. Ford decided to investigate, and a Tier 2 supplier found that 300 blower motors that were built within the suspect dates were not properly quarantined and shipped to a Tier 1 supplier then distributed among dealers. This information was brought to the Ford Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG) who decided on November 5, 2019 to launch a campaign whose efforts would help to locate all of the distributed blower motors. By February 21, 2020 93 of the suspected 300 blower motors had been located. Ford Motors decided to test approximately 30 of the found 93 blower motors for electrical continuity issues. Of the 30 tests, five blower motors indicated an improper space between one electrical conduit and the electrical conductive base plate installed in the motor. After the results of these tests were finalized Ford decided to issue a field action and part recall for blower motors used to replace previously recalled motors under FSA 19S34. The FSA approval dates of the suspected blower motors installation is between October 9, 2019 through November 22, 2019.
Solution
Any owners whose 2019 Ford Rangers HVAC blower motors were repaired under FSA 19S34 from October 9, 2019 through November 22, 2019 will be notified by mail as soon as possible. Ford will instruct the owners to bring their vehicle into a Ford or Lincoln dealerships to have the HVAC blower motor build date code inspected. If the build date code is within the timeframe that the recalled motors were shipped out then the HVAC motor will be replaced, free of charge. Vehicle owners with further questions should contact Ford Customer Service at 1 (800) 392-3673.
For more information on this or other recalls past or present, visit MotorSafety.org.
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