Ford Hits 52 Recalls for 2022 as Nearly 200,000 Older Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators are Recalled for Fire Risk
Image: Ford
The recalls at Ford keep coming, and the latest once again affects owners of the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. In July, the automaker expanded an existing recall for 2021 models for a fire risk originating from the circuit board in the battery junction box that was prone to shorting. But that only affected about 66,000 SUVs. This week, it’s added about 198,000 Expeditions and Navigators, model years 2015 through 2017, for a completely separate risk of fire.
In this case, the culprit appears to be the blower motor assembly, responsible for rushing climate-controlled air through the interior vents. Ford said last month that a definitive cause had not yet been determined, but a Chronology of Defect report, accessible through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recall site, highlighted at least 13 fires localized to that area of the engine bay:
As of August 12, 2022, Ford is aware of twenty-five (25) fire allegations, including five (5) VOQs, potentially related to the blower motor on 2015-2017 MY [model year] Expedition and Navigator vehicles received between July 24, 2017, and July 25, 2022. Of the twenty-five reports thirteen (13) were localized fires in the blower motor area. The remaining twelve (12) reports involved more extensive damage to the vehicle with three (3) instances of property damage to structures and one (1) to nearby vehicles. It remains unclear in the more extensive fires whether the incident was caused by a blower motor concern. These reports on 2015-2017 MY vehicles coincides with a reduction in blower motor production volumes from the suppler. The supplier has not informed Ford of any associated motor production process, design, or material changes for the 2015 MY.
Customers who eventually experienced fires in their Expeditions and Navigators reported “an inoperative fan, burning smell and/or smoke from the instrument panel vents while the vehicle is on,” per the official NHTSA defect notice.
All 198,482 trucks covered under this recall will receive redesigned service blower motor assemblies as soon as they’re available, but those who have noticed the above symptoms can have their existing motor replaced with a fresh, current one right now, as a stopgap until Ford achieves sufficient supply of the remedied part. Of course, all of this is issued free of charge.
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Reuters notes that this latest recall around Ford’s full-sizes SUVs marks the company’s 52nd campaign through eight months of 2022 alone, as Dearborn is scrambling to shore up quality. This week, the manufacturer also announced a small recall of 1,175 model year-2022 Mustang Mach-Es, due to defective right-rear axle half shafts that could brake under load, resulting in a loss of power or rollaway when the EV is parked without the parking brake engaged.
