Ford And Lincoln SUV Recall Worse Than Initially Thought

It has been one of the worst recall years in history for Ford. Earlier this year, it had to recall nearly 300,000 F-Series trucks, after which it issued anotherrecall for 49,000 Mustang Mach-E crossoversfor a wiring issue. The incidents have also increased since we last reported on this Expedition/Navigator issue. On May 28, 2022, a total of 16 incidents were reported. As of July 8, 2022, Ford has received 21 reports of under-hood fires. Rental companies owned most (18) of the vehicles involved.

Ford traced the cause of the fire to a change in manufacturing location by one of its suppliers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Printed circuit boards produced at this facility are uniquely susceptible to a high-current short and were supplied to Ford and installed in Expedition and Navigator SUVs made during the recall window.

Repair procedures have been communicated with dealerships, and Ford is working quickly to provide replacement parts. Dealers will first inspect the battery junction box for melting damage and, if deemed necessary, will replace the entire component.

They will remove the engine fan ground wire from the battery junction box in affected vehicles with an 800-watt cooling fan system, representing about one-third of the recalled vehicle population. The repair is the same for the remaining affected vehicles with a 700-watt cooling fan system except for installing an auxiliary box with a wire jumper.

The parts for the repair will only be available in early September, and customers will be notified of updates via FordPass. Ford is stilladvising customers to park their vehicles outsideand away from structures until the vehicle can be assessed and repaired.