Owners of Ford cars should be on alert. More than 400,000 of the company’s cars have been recalled, due to rear-seat mounts, drivetrain, and the driver’s side knee bag.
A majority of the cars recalled seem to be Ford Transit buses and vans stemming from 2015-2017, in relation to extended, long, and medium wheelbases, chassis cabs and/or cutaways. The problem centers around a drive shaft flexible coupling that could crack, which may cause separation in the drive shaft. Should this occur, the result could be a loss of motive power while driving the vehicle, or potentially unintended movement when the car is in park. It could also lead to damage when it comes to the areas close to the drive shaft, including fuel lines and brake issues.
Should any of these instances occur, the risk of crash increases, where there is a chance of injuries to the driver or passengers of the vehicle, as well as the car. While there have been no injuries linked to this recall, it does affect over 402,000 Ford cars across North America, with over 372,000 in the United States.
MSN reported that this 500,000-km mark seems to be the threshold that has been flagged by Ford for this separation in the drive shaft, therefore there is not an expectation that current flexible couplings will worsen until the car reaches that distance on its odometer reading. Ford cars that are over 500,000, or reaching that marker should have their driveshaft coupling changed, and this will be repeated each time the odometer reaches 500,000 km, until there is availability for the final repair; this encompasses replacing faulty coupling via a revised coupling with an adjusted driveshaft shield and bracket, or a redesigned driveshaft accompanied with a universal joint.
The other recalls from Ford deal with several other cars, with the first being Police Interceptor Utility Vehicles, stemming from 2017. Four need attachment studs in their second-row seats replaced, as occupants gain an increased risk of injury during an accident, as a result of decreased restraint. It’s important to note, the company has not been alerted to any crashes or issues due to the above recall.
Last on Ford’s recall issues center around three Ford Escapes, 2016, with defective knee bags. Should there be an accident, the airbags might not inflate properly because of a decreased amount of inflator gas generating. This would result in inadequate protection and cause terrible injury. Again, Ford has not been notified of any injuries or crashes resulting around this recall.
