Ford Ranger recalled again to eliminate HVAC fire risk
The pickup trucks included already went back to the dealer to fix the problem, but Ford says that may not have done the trick.
Ford Ranger owners, some of you will need to take your pickup trucks back to the dealer. Again.
The automaker said on Wednesday that 5,384 Ranger models will need to go back to the dealer to eliminate a problem with the HVAC blower motor. A previous recall was supposed to address the problem surrounding limited clearance between the electrical terminal and the conductive-base plate slot. The replacement part used, according to Ford , may still be too close to the electrical terminal and cause parts to melt, smoking and even start a fire.
Ford isn't aware of any fires or crashes related to this issue, but the overheating blower motor remains a risk.
Back in October when the original recall notices went out, however, Ford mentioned it'd heard of a single instance possibly related to the issue. An owner filed a warranty claim over the pickup's HVAC system smoking while driving. The automaker logged six additional incidents in Rangers prior to dealership delivery last year as well.
Dealers will inspect the affected pickups and check their blower motor build dates to see if the parts fall within the suspected range. If they do, owners will get another new blower motor at no cost.
