Cars and Drivers

More Than 300,000 Vehicles Subject to 3 Ford Safety Recalls

Paul Ausick

Published: October 29, 2019 11:30 am

Last Updated: January 30, 2020 1:55 pm

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) on Tuesday issued three safety recalls for more than 300,000 North American vans and sport utility vehicles. The bulk of the vehicles recalled are the company’s Transit vans, with smaller numbers of late-model Edge compact SUVs and Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator full-size SUVs.

The company is recalling 293,558 model year 2015 through 2017 Transit vans in the United States and federal territories plus more than 25,000 of the vans sold in Canada and Mexico to repair a flexible coupling in the vehicles’ driveshaft that may crack with increasing mileage. If the coupling fails, the vans would experience a loss of power or may move if parked and the parking brake is not set. The company also said that if the driveshaft should separate, additional damage could occur to brake and fuel lines. Such a separation could increase the risk of injury or death, but Ford is unaware of any reports of accidents or injuries to date.

The Transit van recall to repair the flexible driveshaft coupling is the second recall for this issue. For van owners who have already had the coupling replaced, no additional replacement is needed before 40,000 additional miles have been driven.

Until a final repair is available, the vehicles will need to have the flexible coupling replaced every 40,000 miles. Once a replacement mechanical U-joint is available the flexible coupling will be replaced.

Ford is also recalling about 500 model year 2019 Ford Edge compact SUVs sold in the United States and Canada to inspect and replace if necessary the driver’s side seat-belt pretensioner anchor. The company said that the seat-belt assembly may not adequately restrain the occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Ford has received no reports of accidents or injuries related to this issue. Dealers will inspect the pretensioner assembly and replace it if it is necessary.

The company is also recalling 18 model year 2019 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs to retorque a rear toe-link fastener that may have been improperly tightened during assembly. An improperly tightened toe-link could become disconnected while driving, increasing the risk of injury or crash. Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this issue. Dealers will verify that the toe-link is properly tightened and adjust the rear-toe alignment if needed. They also will inspect the rear tires for abnormal wear and replace them if necessary.