When you drive your car, you want to know it’s safe. If you have an SUV or car in the United States, you’re probably familiar with recalls. They’re often issued over small problems with the vehicle, such as a potential part defect. Sometimes, recalls are issued over major defects and problems that could lead to a crash, injuries or fatalities.
Recently, according to a May 12 report, Ford issued safety-related recalls that span around 40,000 vehicles that they released between 2014 and 2020. The models include the Ford Expedition and Ford Mustang, the 2020 Lincoln Navigator and the Transit Connect.
In total, 25,081 units of the 2020 Expedition and the 2020 Lincoln Navigator need repairs, since they’re affected by the most serious of Ford’s recalls. These vehicles have Pre-Collision Assist features that may not work correctly or turn on when needed. As a result, the drivers won’t be warned when a collision is imminent. The brakes won’t come on automatically. Dynamic brake support also won’t kick in to help.
So far, the company hasn’t heard that these issues have resulted in crashes or injuries, but they could. The recall was issued in order to have people return their vehicles for repairs including reprogramming the body control module, the headlamp control module, the instrument cluster and the ABS with the right calibration. The tire pressure monitoring system is also going to be reset.
Ford also put out a second recall over the Mustang and Navigator. Both vehicles can trigger a “transmission not in park” message that activates when the ignition is off and the driver’s door closes, which is a little bit too late to prevent roll-away incidents. A total of 10,460 cars are included in this recall.
A third recall was also issued over a serious problem with the Transit Connect’s sunroof. The sunroof may have an improper bond that could lead to wind noise when driving. In some cases, it could lead to the sunroof coming off while driving or lead to damaging water leaks.
These recalls aren’t known to involve any vehicles that have been in collisions or caused injuries, but more data should be collected to know for sure. For now, if you have any of these vehicles and have been involved in a crash to do with one of these recalled parts, it’s important that you learn more about your rights and holding the manufacturer responsible for the problems that led to your injuries.