Ford recalls 775,000 Explorers globally for fractured rear suspensions
Two separate recalls affect the F-350 Super Duty and the Lincoln Aviator, too, for a total of 850,546 vehicles recalled.
A new round of recalls hit a handful of Ford and Lincoln vehicles on Friday. The automaker detailed three new recalls for the Explorer SUV, F-350 Super Duty pickup and the Lincoln Aviator. The Explorer is by far the largest, with Ford recalling 774,696 of the SUVs around the world. Here in North America, the figure is 676,152.
According to the company, the issue affects 2013-2017 Explorer SUVs, which could suffer from fractured rear suspensions. The vehicle may experience a seized cross-axis ball joint, which may fracture a toe link in the rear suspension. The automaker added most of the vehicles affected come from US states with high corrosion, thanks to humidity in the summer, cold temperatures in the winter and road salt use. Should the rear suspension fracture, drivers will experience significantly less steering control. Owners may also notice a clunking noise, strange handling characteristics or a misaligned wheel.
Ford added it's aware of six allegations surrounding this new recall and injuries in North America. It's a familiar story for Ford: The 2020 Ford Explorer was recalled 10 times last year.
To fix the problem, Ford will ask owners to bring their Explorer to a service center where a technician will inspect the cross-axis ball joint and replace the joint or knuckle as needed. Owners will also receive new toe links with a revised design to remedy the issue.
Read more: Here's how to check if your car has a recall
As for the F-350 Super Duty, Ford said the pickup truck's recall is due to a weld issue with the rear axle housing spring seat interface on 2020-2021 models. The problem affects trucks with the 6.7-liter engine and a single rear-wheel axle. These vehicles may experience a total driveline disconnection, which will cause drivers to feel shuddering upon acceleration and shaking at highway speeds. The trucks may also lose their park gear. All instances increase the risk of a crash. A total of 34,855 trucks are part of this recall in North America, and if the axle needs to be replaced after a technician inspects it, owners will get a new one for free. If there's no sign of deformation, a weld repair is in order. Ford said there are no reports of crashes or injuries with this recall. It follows a recall in June of 2021 Ford F-Series Super Duty trucks, over wheels that can fall off.
Finally, we arrive at yet another recall for the Lincoln Aviator. For the 2020-2021 models equipped with the 3.0-liter V6, the SUVs may feature an improperly secured battery cable wire harness. Ford needs 36,258 of these luxury SUVs back in North America to check for the problem. Should there be an unsecured battery cable, it may come in contact with the air conditioner compressor pulley. In time, rubbing may wear through insulation and make contact with a positive, unfused circuit, which may result in a short circuit and engine fire. Ford reported no fires in this recall that it's aware of.
Once owners bring their Aviator in to service the recall, technicians will check to make sure there's been no contact between the harness and AC compressor pulley. If there's no sign of that, owners will simply get a tie strap near the frame rail between the battery cable harness and the engine compartment harness. Should a technician find signs of small circuit damage, the SUV will receive the same tie strap and replace the AC compressor belt. In the case of large circuit damage, a particular Aviator's in for a new battery cable harness, the tie strap fix, an engine compartment harness and a new AC compressor belt.
