Ford is recalling thousands of SUVs because engines can catch fire
Ford Motor Co. has asked the owners of 350,000 vehicles to take them to dealers for repair during a three-part recall notice. About 39,000 of these vehicles should be parked outdoors because their engines can catch fire, Ford said.
The Michigan carmaker said in U.S. government documents posted Thursday that it does not know what is causing fires in any 2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs.
Nevertheless, the company said that the fires can happen even while the engines are off. There have been 16 reports of fires under the hood and 14 of them were in rental cars. Ford has not developed a repair for the fires, which appear to start at the rear of the engine compartment on the passenger side.
“We are working around the clock to find the cause of this problem and the subsequent solution so that customers can continue to enjoy using their vehicles,”[ads1]; said Jeffrey Marentic, general manager of Ford passenger cars, in a statement.
Of the 16 fires, 12 occurred while SUV engines were turned off, Ford said in a statement. Ford said it does not instruct owners to stop driving the SUVs, although those who may not be able to follow the instructions in the park outdoors should contact their dealer or company.
Ford began investigating fire reports on March 24. Company officials said the fires appear to be limited to SUVs built from December 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021. The automaker is also recalling around 310,000 heavy trucks because the driver’s airbag may not inflate in a crash.
The recall covers some 2016 F-250, 350, 450 and 550 trucks. Dust can enter the airbag wires in the steering wheel and disconnect power. Dealers will replace steering wheels. Owners will be notified by mail starting July 5th.
The recall of the engine fire comes a month after Ford recalled more than a quarter of a million Explorer SUVs because they could roll away unexpectedly as he was being moved into the park. Ford and General Motors also recalled nearly 682,000 compact SUVs in April due to the wipers may fail.
Ford is also recalling 464 electric Mustang Mach-E SUVs from 2021. A software problem can cause accidental acceleration, deceleration or loss of propulsion in four-wheel drive vehicles. The driveline control computer may not detect a software error, Ford said in documents released Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“Kudos to NHTSA and Ford for letting this be known, but why did it take 16 vehicles that caught fire to do so?” Teresa Murray, Consumer Watchdog at the US PIRG Education Fund, an advocacy group, said in a statement. “There are 15 fires that did not have to happen, and 39,000 families that have been at unnecessary risk for who knows how long.”
Ford officials recently reported on the company lost $ 3.1 billion in the last three monthspartly due to the lack of semiconductor chips that limited the number of pickups and SUVs available for sale in North America, but also as a result of the large investment in the start-up of electric vehicles Rivian.
