Why 37,000 Ford F-150 Owners Got Recall Notices

Cars and Drivers

Published: September 30, 2015 11:55 am

Last Updated: April 28, 2020 10:10 am

The new aluminum body F-150 pickup from Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) has had a bit of a rocky start getting production and sales up to speed, and about the last thing the company needs is to recall any of the new trucks that it has already sold. Unfortunately, that’s not to be.

Ford said Wednesday that it is recalling 37,000 of the new F-150s to correct a problem with the vehicle’s automatic braking system. The truck’s adaptive cruise control radar detects the presence of another vehicle in its lane and then applies the brakes. Due to a software problem in the adaptive cruise control mode, if the vehicle is passing a large, highly reflective truck, the software may treat that large truck as an obstacle and apply the F-150s brakes.

The company said it is aware of one accident that could be the result of this problem and that it is not aware of any injuries. Ford said it can fix the problem with a software update.

Ford also issued four additional recalls and a safety compliance recall for another 342,000 vehicles on Wednesday. The largest portion, approximately 340,000 vehicles, are Windstar minivans manufactured between 1998 and 2003. The vehicles are being recalled to inspect a repair from a previous safety recall related to the installation of a rear axle reinforcement bracket. The potential issue in the current recall is that corrosion and stress can lead to cracks in the axle that could result in a complete fracture if the cracks are not detected. Ford said it is aware of a “small number” of crashes that could be connected to this problem, but no injuries have been reported.

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