Ford recalls 2018 Expedition, 2018 Lincoln Navigator for seat problems
It’s one of four separate recalls the automaker announced on Friday.
Whether it covers just a handful of vehicles or thousands, a recall is worth knowing about, because the safety implications could affect you or someone you know. Ford announced four separate recalls on Friday, so let's go through each one and see what they're about.
Recall the first: Expedition, Navigator seat problems
Ford's first recall covers approximately 38,000 examples of the 2018 Ford Expedition and 2018 Lincoln Navigator SUVs . Both vehicles were built at Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant, carrying build dates from March 14, 2017 to Aug. 18, 2018.
This recall focuses on the seats, or rather, a very specific part of 'em. Vehicles equipped with second-row bench seats might be missing certain reinforcement brackets in the seat's track assembly. In the event of a crash, the lack of reinforcement brackets might increase the risk of injury.
Fixing the problem isn't too tough. After inspecting the seats, the dealer's technicians will replace the seat frame assembly if one or both of the reinforcement brackets are missing. Ford suggests sliding the second-row's center seat as far back as possible until the fix can be applied.
Recall the second: Nautilus airbag woes
The second recall affects far fewer cars -- just 271 examples of the 2019 Lincoln Nautilus , formerly known as the MKX . All the recalled vehicles were built at Ford's Oakville Assembly Plant between Oct. 11 and 19 of this year.
Here, the problem stems from the driver's airbag. Nautilus models without adaptive front steering might have improperly molded plastic covers on the airbag module. These covers might separate when the airbag deploys, which can increase the risk of injury. Ford and Lincoln are not aware of any injuries related to this issue.
Once again, a simple part swap is the prescription for this ailment. Upon arriving at the dealer, techs will remove and replace the driver airbag module, and that's it.
Recall the third: Ford Explorer sensors
This recall is even smaller than the last one, covering approximately 160 examples of the 2018 Ford Explorer . All the vehicles in question come packing either a 2.3- or 3.5-liter engine, and all were built in Chicago between July 29 and 31, 2018.
The fuel pressure sensor is at fault here. Evidently, the fuel pressure sensor might be misassembled, which can result in a fuel leak that increases the risk of a fire. Thankfully, Ford is aware of no such fires linked to the problem that kick-started this recall.
Ford will replace the fuel line assembly at no cost to the customer, which will fix the problem. Easy peasy.
Recall the fourth: Super Duty transmissions
Ford's fourth recall is the smallest of all, covering just four examples of the 2019 Ford Super Duty truck. All four were built in Kentucky between Aug. 21 and 23, 2018.
The transmission's casing is to blame. The casing might be missing material in the area where the parking pawl engages the transmission, locking the whole thing up so the vehicle can be turned off. The missing material might cause the vehicle to move while in Park, which could increase the risk of injury.
If you imagined that a parts swap would fix this problem, you'd be right. After inspecting the casing in question for that missing material, technicians will replace any transmission casings that require it. In the interim, it'd be wise to make liberal use of the parking brake.
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