Ford has issued four safety recall campaigns affecting as many as 576,595 vehicles in the US. The first recall is for 483,325 vehicles in the US, 58,712 in Canada and 8,149 in Mexico that could lack seat restraints in a crash. Specifically, affected models include the 2018-20 Ford F-150, 2019-20 Ford F-Series Super Duty, 2018-19 Ford Explorer, and 2019-20 Ford Expedition vehicles with a manual driver and/or front passenger seat-back recliner mechanism, as well as certain 2020 Ford Explorer and 2020 Lincoln Aviator vehicles with rear outboard seats with manual seat-back recliner mechanisms.
According to Ford, affected vehicles may be missing the third pawl required for seatback strength. As a result, a seatback with an improperly assembled recliner mechanism may not properly restrain an occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash. Ford says dealers will inspect the seat structure of affected vehicles, but most are not expected to require a repair. If a repair is required, the dealer will replace the seat structure free of charge.
Ford's second safety recall affects certain 2013-16 Ford Fusion, 2013-16 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015-16 Ford Edge models in US states and Canadian provinces with high-corrosion environments. According to Ford, the steering gear attachment bolts in these vehicles may corrode due to improper wax coating. This may result in the steering gear motor becoming loose or detaching from the gear housing, resulting in a loss of power steering and increase the risk of a crash. This recall affects 90,646 vehicles in the US and 8,134 in Canada. To fix this issue, dealers will replace steering gear motor-attachment bolts and apply wax sealer, or install a new steering gear if required.
Ford's third recall only affects the 2019 Ford Fiesta. According to the Blue Oval automaker, the brake clips could develop a leak after being exposed to incorrectly labeled assembly fluid in production. If this happens, the braking function could be reduced and the brake pads could overheat, increasing the risk of a crash. Ford says 2,624 vehicles are being recalled in the US, but only 50 have been delivered to customers. The rest are in dealer inventory and will be fixed before being delivered. To fix models that have this defect, dealers will flush the brake fluid and replace the front brake calipers and brake lines at no extra cost.
The fourth and final recall is for certain 2012-13 Ford Fiesta vehicles in the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Quebec that may have corroding battery junction or fuse corrosion. This could lead to a loss of low-beam headlamps and daytime running lamps while driving. In total, 13,564 vehicles are affected in Canada. To fix this, dealers will clean the battery junction box, install foam sealing to the cover and replace any corroded fuses, terminals or relays free of charge.