Ford Recall 2019: 1.2 Million Explorer SUVs Recalled For Steering, Suspension Defect

American automaker Ford has issued safety recalls for its popular Explorer SUV made between 2011 and 2017 for fixing the suspected fractured rear-toe link problem at the suspension front.

Ford recalls involving 1.2 million vehicles belong to the U.S. and neighboring Canada and Mexico.

According to Ford’s update, the affected fifth-generation Explorers were facing frequent “full rear suspension articulation including jounce and rebound.”

This condition was vulnerable for a toe link failure and heightened the chances of a crash because of the snags in the steering mechanism.

However, the automaker said no incident of potential failure or injuries have been reported barring a minor incident when an SUV hit a kerb and the toe link failed.

Ford will spend $180 million to fix the problem, and car owners will not incur any cost.

The dealers will replace the faulty suspension toe links on both sides. The Explorers were built at Ford’s Chicago plant.

In 2014, Ford recalled 1.1 million Explorers in North America because of power steering issues.

F-150 trucks recalled for software upgrade

Ford also issued recalls for 2013 Ford F-150 pickup trucks. They are about 123,000 North American models.

The recalled F-150 trucks are equipped with six-speed automatic gearboxes. This recall is to fix problems that emanated from a previous recall.

The recalled F-150 models have 5 liters or 6.2-liter V8 gas engines. In the last recall, they received an incomplete software update while reprogramming the power train control module.

According to the automaker, the F-Series models will now get the necessary software updates “to prevent a potential unintended downshift into first gear.”

Any unexpected shift to first gear in high speed could lead to the loss of control and invite accidents.

One more issue was many F-150 models with faulty programming fail to emit a fault light when the problem crops up.

Ford dealers will arrange the reprogramming of affected power train control modules and fix the problem.

In Canada’s Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan provinces, 12,000 vehicles involving different models have been recalled.

They include Ford Taurus (2010-2017), Ford Flex (2009-2017) and Lincoln MKS (2009-2015) and Lincoln MKT (2010-2017). These models are also facing steering issues similar to the Ford Explorer.

Another not so major recall is 4,300 Ford Econoline vehicles from 2009 to 2016. They are mostly used as ambulances or school buses. The problem under focus is a possible failure of the weld in the clutch and that is hindering vehicles' smooth movement.

Chevrolet recalls Trax over suspension problem

Meanwhile, Chevrolet also recalled vehicles for suspension related issues. The recall was made for the model Trax made between 2017 through 2019. The affected cars are around 113,000 with issues on suspension welds.

Chevrolet said even though the supplier was responsible for improper welds of the joints in the front lower control arms, it is recalling cars since the component vitally connects the wheel assembly to the chassis.