Ford recalls 33,756 vehicles in US. Is your vehicle affected?

Ford has issued yet another safety recall, this time for the presence of an ignition source that can trigger the risk of fire. Ford Motor company is recalling some US vehicles (2020-2022 Ford Explorer) as a fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components, can increase the risk of a fire, the National Highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) said. The NHTSA said customers can avail information regarding the applicability of this action to specific vehicles can be attained by contacting Ford's toll-free line number or contacting a local dealer.

"Information as to the applicability of this action to specific vehicles can best be obtained by either calling Ford’s toll-free line (1-866-436-7332) or by contacting a local Ford or Lincoln dealer who can obtain specific information regarding the vehicles from the Ford On-line Automotive Service Information System (OASIS) database," NHTSA said in a statement.

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Why is Ford recalling vehicles?

According to Ford’s records, certain 2020-2022 MY Ford Explorer vehicles did not have the remedy for safety recalls but were recorded as having the repair
successfully completed. According to the recall notice, affected vehicles were built with a 3-point mounted axle design.

"On some units the rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture. Powertrain torque through the driveline causes axle rotation of the pinion angled towards the subframe, which exerts a bending force on the rear axle bolt. Peak torque is normally experienced during a launch event. After numerous peak torque events are experienced, the bolt may suffer a fatigue failure, which will lead to the axle housing moving out of position, resulting in a condition described by customers and dealer technicians variably as loud, grinding, binding, or clunking noise," the notice read.

Owners will receive a notification by mail with instructions to bring their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer for a PCM software update. After the update, the software part numbers will be verified using the Software Validation Form in the Professional Technician System before closing the FSA. This service will be provided at no cost.

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Ford has also outlined a general reimbursement plan for vehicle owners who incurred repair costs before being notified of the safety recall in May 2023. Owners who previously paid for these repairs may be eligible for reimbursement under the recall reimbursement plan filed with NHTSA.

The development comes after Ford Motor recalled over 144,000 2022-2024 Ford Maverick vehicles in the U.S. citing rearview camera image freezing when the vehicle is in reverse. Safety Recall 25S19 was issued on March 14 and involves certain 2025 Lincoln Aviators, 2024 to 2025 Ford Broncos, 2025 Explorers, 2024 to 2025 F-150s, 2025 Mustangs, and 2025 Rangers.

According to the recall notice, the problem is with the transmission main valve body not meeting manufacturing specifications, which sounds like yet another quality control issue from Ford. A sign this is a problem can be the vehicle not reversing when the transmission is put into reverse gear.