Ford Recalls 4,212 Mustang, Lincoln Nautilus and Navigator Vehicles for Instrument Panel Issues

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.

Sean ReyesFord Recalls 4,212 Mustang, Lincoln Nautilus and Navigator Vehicles for Instrument Panel Issues

Ford Recalls Nearly 2,700 2019 Lincoln Vehicles for ADAS Issues

Laguna Hills, Calif. – January 25, 2018 – Ford Motor Company is recalling close to 2,700 2019 Lincoln Nautilus luxury SUVs due to issues with advance driver assist systems that govern the vehicles’ steering control technology. The 2019 Nautilus has been presented by Ford as a refreshed version of the MKX SUV, with a choice between a 2.7-liter V6 turbo or a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo engine. The 2019 model also replaced the six-speed automatic transmission with an eight-speed one, turning the vehicle into a more powerful choice for drivers.

The Defect

According to CNET, the problem is related to software responsible for regulating the vehicle’s advanced driver assist systems. The vehicle may not detect if the driver is touching the steering wheel during time periods when the lane-centering system is activated. If there is a need for the driver to return their hands to the wheel, the system may fail to notify the driver to do so, which could increase the risk of a crash.

Timeline of Events

All the recalled vehicles were built at Ford’s Oakville Assembly Plant between Sept. 5 and Nov. 19, 2018. Most of the vehicles affected are located in the U.S., though a few hundred are in Canada. Ford is thus far unaware of any accidents or injuries related to this defect.

This is the second recall to affect the 2019 Lincoln Nautilus. According to Consumer Reports, last December Ford recalled certain 2019 Nautilus vehicles that were not equipped with Adaptive Front Steering due to a plastic cover on the driver frontal air bag module which had the potential to detach during air bag deployment.

The Solution

Fixing the problem will not require any replacement hardware. Owners will be notified and instructed to take their vehicle to an approved dealer, where technicians will reflash the software in the power steering control module. This will reset the ADAS system to provide the correct level of hands-off detection when in use. Owners may contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. The reference number for this recall is 19S02.

Sean ReyesFord Recalls Nearly 2,700 2019 Lincoln Vehicles for ADAS Issues

Ford Recalls Nearly 300 Nautilus Vehicles Due to Air Bag Issue

Laguna Hills, CA – November 29, 2018 – Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019 Lincoln Nautilus vehicles that are not equipped with Adaptive Front Steering, due to a defect in an air bag cover. The potential number of units affected is 268.

The Defect

According to the NHTSA Recall Safety Report, the driver airbag modules installed in vehicles may contain a plastic cover that was improperly injection-molded at the sub-tier supplier. A driver airbag cover that has not been properly molded may detach during an airbag deployment. If the air bag cover separates during deployment, it can increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Timeline of Events

On September 27, 2018, Autoliv, the non-AFS driver airbag module Tier 1 supplier, notified Ford of a test anomaly that had occurred during a lot acceptance test (LAT) at high temperature on that day. Autoliv subsequently contained all suspect parts from that lot, and began an investigation into the cause of the failure.

In October 2018, Autoliv’s ongoing investigation discovered that the potential root cause could be attributed to the presence of knit lines in the area of the tear seam on the airbag cover substrate, and it was also revealed that the Tier 3 supplier (DEMO) made several adjustments to the cover injection-molding process without notifying the Tier 2 supplier (Eissmann) of the adjustments. These adjustments had resulted in the improper forming of the knit lines in the area of the cover tear seam.

The investigation also revealed that the injection-molding process change had been used on covers that were built into airbag module assemblies which had previously passed LAT and were subsequently installed in vehicles; therefore, an analysis to identify the release status of these vehicles was initiated. On November 5, 2018, Ford’s Field Review Committee reviewed the concern and approved a recall.

The Solution

Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the driver airbag module replaced. There will be no charge for this service. The recall is expected to begin in November 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s number for this recall is 18S38. Owners may also call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153). The NHTSA Campaign Number for this recall is 18V-806.

Sean ReyesFord Recalls Nearly 300 Nautilus Vehicles Due to Air Bag Issue