Ford Recall 2021: Are You Driving One Of These 661,000 Explorer SUVs?

Following two safety recalls for its F-150 and Super Duty trucks issued in February, Ford (F) is now recalling thousands of Explorer SUVs because of a defect with the roof rail cover.

According to Ford, the retention pins on the SUVs could become loose, causing the roof rail cover to detach while driving and creating a road hazard that could increase the risk of a crash. Vehicles that have this condition may have higher wind noise and squeaks and rattles, the company said.

The recall affects 2016 to 2019 Ford Explorer SUVs. The vehicles were produced from Sept. 19, 2014 to March 3, 2019. They include the Base, Police, XLT, and Sport trim levels with Black, Absolute Black, and Silver painted roof rail covers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notice.

To repair the issue, Ford dealers will install push-pins and replace any damaged rails clips and roof rail covers on the vehicle as necessary at no charge to Explorer owners. Ford said it redesigned the roof rack beginning with the 2020 Explorer model in NHTSA documents.

This is not the first time that Ford has remedied the issue with the roof rail covers. The company offered a general reimbursement for costs of repairs paid by Explorer owners prior to the safety recall by offering a 10 year or 150,000 warranty coverage in November.

At the time, the NHTSA had received 11 reports of the roof rail cover detaching from Ford Explorers while driving. A Ford spokeswoman told Reuters it has not received any reports of injuries or accidents related to the recall.

The automaker also said SUV owners are expected to be notified of the recall by mail starting on June 28. Questions about the recall can be directed to Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.

The two safety recalls Ford issued in February were over a defect that had improperly bonded the windshield to the truck’s body structure in over 87,000 2021 Ford F-150 models and payload labeling issue in select 2020 F-Series Super Duty trucks. Both recalls were remedied by Ford dealers at no cost to vehicle owners.

Shares of Ford were trading at $11.78 as of premarket hours on Monday, down 4 cents, or 0.34%.