The Ford Motor Company has initiated a massive recall of more than 740,000 vehicles. The issue with the affected automobiles is a defect that could cause them to roll away while parked, potentially damaging property or injuring people. Here’s what you need to know about the Ford recall.
What’s happened?
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has published a report submitted by the Ford Motor Company to the agency on June 24.
The report provided the details of a recall that Ford initiated after finding an alarming issue with the transmission parking pawl in affected vehicles.
“Affected vehicles may experience temporary engagement of their transmission parking pawl while the vehicle is in motion when certain shifts are commanded by the transmission, potentially damaging park system components,” the report states.
The company states that if the park system components are damaged, “the ability of the transmission park feature to hold the vehicle if the parking brake is not applied may be affected.”
In other words, vehicles that have this damage may suddenly roll away while parked. This unexpected vehicle motion can damage the vehicle itself and surrounding property, and cause injury to bystanders who happen to be in its path.
What vehicles are included in the recall?
Ford says the total number of vehicles potentially covered under the recall is 741,195, with the estimated percentage of vehicles affected at 1%.
In total, five different vehicles are included in the recall with production dates ranging from 2017 to 2021 and model dates ranging from 2018 to 2021. Those vehicles include:
- 2021-2021 Ford F-150
- 2020-2021 Lincoln Aviator
- 2020-2021 Ford Explorer
- 2018-2021 Lincoln Navigator
- 2018-2021 Ford Expedition
What happens next?
Ford says it will begin notifying owners of the affected vehicles in August. It will then mail remedy owner notification letters to the vehicle’s owners in April 2027.
The owners will be instructed to take their vehicle in to a Ford or Lincoln dealer who will update the vehicle’s Powertrain Control Module (PCM) to the latest software. The dealer will also inspect the automobile’s transmission for park system damage.
If the park system is found to be damaged, the dealer will replace the damaged components with no charge to the owner.