Ford announced multiple safety recalls on Wednesday, June 12. Read on for all the details.
Explorer
The biggest recall affects 1.2 million Ford Explorer SUVs in the U.S. over an issue with the suspension that has the potential to affect steering control, “increasing the risk of a crash,” according to the company.
It also affects 28,000 Ford Explorers in Canada and one — yes, one — vehicle in Mexico.
More specifically, Ford said the recalled vehicles are select Explorers manufactured at its Chicago assembly plant between May 17, 2010 and January 25, 2017.
Ford said affected Explorers that experience frequent jolting and bouncing to the rear suspension could suffer a fracture to the rear suspension toe link. “A fracture of a rear toe link significantly diminishes steering control, increasing the risk of a crash,” the automaker said.
Ford added that it wasn’t aware of any reports of injuries related to the condition, though “one customer reported hitting a curb when the toe link broke.”
Dealers will remove and replace left- and right-hand rear suspension toe links with a new forged toe link and align the rear suspension. The reference number for the recall is 19S17.
The repairs will, of course, be provided free of charge. For more information on all of the recalls, head to Ford’s recall webpage, or hit its contact page for information on different ways to reach customer service.
F-150
The automaker also recalled select 2013 Ford F-150 pickups with 6-speed automatic transmission to fix a calibration issue that could lead to an unintended transmission downshift. A similar recall notice was posted by Ford in February 2019 affecting 1.48 million F-150 vehicles.
“Depending on vehicle speed, an abrupt transmission downshift to first gear without warning could result in loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash,” Ford said, adding that it wasn’t aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this issue.
Affected vehicles are equipped with 5.0-liter and 6.2-liter gasoline engines and had the powertrain control module software reprogrammed as part of recall 19S07. They were built at its Dearborn, Michigan assembly plant between May 7, 2012 and October 27, 2013, and at its Kansas City facility between April 18, 2012 and November 18, 2013.
The recall affects around 107,000 F-150 vehicles in the U.S. and just over 15,000 in Canada and has the reference number 19S19. Ford said the fix involves reprogramming the powertrain control module with the appropriate software calibration.
Econoline
This smaller recall affects around 3,800 vehicles in the U.S. and 445 in Canada, though some of these vehicles may be used as ambulances or school buses.
It involves select 2009-16 Ford Econoline vehicles with a 5.4-liter engine that could suffer a loss of power due to a transmission issue.
While the company said it’s unaware of any accidents resulting from this condition, it notes that a vehicle breakdown could result in a delay in patient treatment.
Affected vehicles were built at Ford’s Ohio facility between May 11, 2009 and December 10, 2015. The reference number is 19S20.
Taurus, Flex, Lincoln MKS, Lincoln MKT
This Canada-only recall affects select 2010-17 Ford Taurus, 2009-17 Ford Flex, 2009-15 Lincoln MKS, and 2010-17 Lincoln MKT vehicles regarding a rear suspension toe link fracture issue similar to the Explorer.
The automaker says the recall — reference number 19S18 — affects around 12,000 vehicles in all, adding that it’s aware of one report of a crash with minor injuries related to this condition.
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