Ford Motor Co. asked the owners of 350,000 vehicles to take them to car dealerships to be repaired according to a tripartite withdrawal notice. About 39,000 of these vehicles need to be parked outdoors because their engines can start, Ford said.
The Michigan-based automaker said in a U.S. government document released Thursday that it did not know what was causing fires in some 2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs.
However, the company said that fires could occur even with the engines off. There are 16 reports of fires under the hood, 14 of which are in official rental cars. Ford has not developed a repair for fires that appear to start from the rear of the engine compartment on the passenger side.
“We are working around the clock to determine the root cause of this problem and the subsequent remedy so that customers can continue to enjoy the use of their vehicles,” said Jeffrey Marentick, general manager of passenger vehicles at Ford.
Of the 16 fires, 12 occurred while SUV engines were shut down, a statement from Ford said. Ford said it did not instruct owners to stop driving SUVs, although those who may not be able to follow outdoor parking instructions should contact their dealer or company.
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Ford began investigating reports of fires on March 24. Company officials said the fires appear to be limited to SUVs built from December 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021. The carmaker is also pulling about 310,000 trucks, as the driver’s airbag may not inflate in an accident.
The withdrawal covers certain F-250, 350, 450 and 550 trucks from 2016. Dust can get into the wiring of the steering wheel airbag and cut off electricity. Dealers will replace the steering wheel wiring. Owners will be notified by mail from July 5.
The withdrawal of the engine in the event of a fire comes a month after Ford withdrew more than a quarter of a million Explorer SUVs, as they could unexpectedly roll over as they were moved to the parking lot. Ford and General Motors also leaked nearly 682,000 compact SUVs in April because windshield wipers could be damaged.
Ford is also withdrawing 464 Mustang Mach-E electric jeeps from 2021. A software problem could cause unintentional acceleration, deceleration or loss of drive power in all-wheel drive vehicles. The drive control computer may not detect a software error, Ford said in documents released Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“Congratulations to NHTSA and Ford for understanding this, but why did it take 16 burning vehicles to do so?” “These are 15 fires that should not have happened and 39,000 families that have been at unnecessary risk for who knows how long.
Ford officials recently reported that the company has lost $ 3.1 billion in the past three months, in part due to a shortage of semiconductor chips, which limits the number of pickups and SUVs available for sale in North America, but also as a result of its heavy investment in electric -starter vehicle Rivian.
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