USA RECALL - Ford issues THREE recalls, under the Transit, Lincoln and F-650/F-750 models, details within.

Ford Motor Company is issuing three safety recalls in North America. Details are as follows:

Ford issues safety recall for certain 2015-2016 Ford Transit vehicles in North America to inspect and adjust side-curtain airbags

Ford is issuing a safety recall for approximately 38,000 2015-2016 low-roof Ford Transit vehicles to inspect and adjust side-curtain airbags as needed. In some vehicles, it is possible the side-curtain airbags are positioned incorrectly on either or both sides of the vehicle, which may influence side-curtain airbag performance and increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this issue.

Affected vehicles include certain 2015-2016 low-roof Ford Transit vehicles built at Kansas City Assembly Plant, March 12, 2014 through March 18, 2016. There are 37,905 vehicles affected, including 37,066 in the United States and federalized territories and 839 in Canada.

Dealers will inspect and adjust the side-curtain airbags to the correct position as needed at no cost to the customer.

Ford issues safety recall for certain 2015-2016 Lincoln MKC and 2016 Ford Explorer vehicles to replace engine block heaters

Ford is issuing a safety recall for approximately 5,500 2015-2016 Lincoln MKC and 2016 Ford Explorer vehicles to remove the heaters and replace them with an updated design. The engine block design, coupled with the particular block heater installed in these vehicles, causes the unit to be susceptible to overheating when the vehicle is parked and the block heater is plugged in –increasing the risk of an underhood fire.

Ford is aware of two reports of underhood fires in Canada, but is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this issue.

Affected vehicles include certain 2015-2016 Lincoln MKC vehicles built at Louisville Assembly Plant, Nov. 25, 2013 through Jan. 25, 2016 and certain 2016 Ford Explorer vehicles built at Chicago Assembly Plant, Oct. 20, 2014 through Jan. 28, 2016. There are 5,536 vehicles affected by the issue, including 3,129 2015-2016 Lincoln MKC and 2,407 2016 Ford Explorer vehicles, with 1,543 of the affected vehicles in the United States and federalized territories and 3,993 in Canada.

Dealers will remove and replace the engine block heater with an updated design and, if needed, replace the cord at no cost to the customer.

Ford issues safety recall for certain 2015-2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 vehicles to replace parking brake cable connector clips

Ford is issuing a safety recall for approximately 4,800 Ford F-650 and F-750 vehicles to replace the parking brake cable connector clips. In some vehicles, the parking brake connector clips were not manufactured to the correct specifications and could break – resulting in unintended movement of the vehicle and increased risk of injury.

Ford is not aware of any accidents, injuries or fires related to this condition.

Affected vehicles include certain 2015-2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 vehicles built at Escobedo Assembly Plant, Jan. 28, 2015 through April 23, 2015, and Ohio Assembly Plant, Jan. 31, 2015 through Nov. 30, 2015. There are 4,764 vehicles affected, including 4,654 in the United States and federalized territories and 110 in Canada.

Dealers will replace the connector clip at no cost to the customer.

Both the Ford S-Max and Galaxy are awarded the full Five Stars from Euro NCAP with significant improvements.

• All-new Ford S-MAX sports activity vehicle and Galaxy people mover are awarded the highest safety rating by Euro NCAP independent crash test authority
• All-new models deliver second-row seat side-airbags for the first time, and seat-belt pre-tensioners for first and second row seats
• Body structure utilises high-strength steel and intelligent designs to improve impact protection
• Both models offer segment-first Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection that reduces the severity of some frontal collisions involving vehicles and pedestrians

The all-new Ford S-MAX sports activity vehicle and Galaxy people mover have been awarded the maximum 5-star safety rating by independent crash test authority Euro NCAP.

The technologically advanced S-MAX and Galaxy are offered for the first time with second-row seat side-airbags for additional passenger side-impact protection, and also offer first and second-row seatbelt pre-tensioners with load limiters to further enhance rear passenger safety.

Both vehicles use ultra-high strength hydro-formed steel in the A-pillars, B-pillars and roof rails for enhanced side impact performance.

In addition, S-MAX and Galaxy offer Ford’s sophisticated Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection technology that can reduce the severity of some frontal collisions involving vehicles and pedestrians, or even help drivers avoid some impacts altogether.

“As Euro NCAP’s 5-star standards climb higher, Ford vehicles continue to reach the organisation’s stringent expectations for crash protection,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales & Service, Ford of Europe. 

“Both our all-new S-MAX and Galaxy deliver sophisticated safety features including our new Pre-Collision Assist technology to provide exceptional protection for drivers, passengers and pedestrians alike.”

New second-row seat side-airbags for the S‑MAX and Galaxy join driver and front-passenger, driver-knee, and first-, second- and third-row curtain airbags. 

Seatbelt minders feature for all three rows of seats in the Galaxy and for the S-MAX when specified with seven seats – helping parents ensure children remain safely buckled in. The use of hydro-formed steel contributes to a three per cent increase in body strength.

S-MAX and Galaxy offer technologies that can help drivers avoid incidents, including:

• Front Split View Camera, which displays to the driver a wide-angle view from the front of the car, using a video camera in the grille. At a blind junction or exiting a driveway, the camera enables drivers to easily spot approaching vehicles, pedestrians or cyclists
• Blind Spot Information System that helps drivers detect vehicles in their blind spot when changing lanes
• Lane Keeping Aid, which knows if a driver changes lanes without indicating and will alert them by vibrating the steering wheel and showing a visual warning in the dash
• Lane Keeping Alert, which reacts to a vehicle drifting out of lane and will apply torque to the vehicle’s steering wheel to safely pull it back into the correct lane
• SYNC 2 with Emergency Assistance, a voice-activated technology that enables drivers to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel, and can directly connect vehicle occupants to local emergency services operators after an accident

Vehicle stability is enhanced with Curve Control and Roll Stability Control systems that adjust engine torque and braking to help drivers maintain control, and the all-new S-MAX and Galaxy also support drivers in town and on the highway with advanced technologies including:

• Intelligent Speed Limiter, which combines the functionality of available Traffic Sign Recognition and Adaptive Cruise Control features, and when activated scans traffic signs and adjusts the throttle to help drivers stay within legal speed limits to avoid fines
• Glare-Free Highbeam for the adaptive LED headlamps, which detects vehicles ahead and fades out light that could dazzle oncoming drivers, while retaining maximum illumination for other areas

The Ford S-MAX and Galaxy are now on sale in the UK, with S-MAX pricing starting from £24,545 and Galaxy from £26,445.

USA - Ford expands TAKATA Airbag scandal to over 1.5 million vehicles.

Ford is expanding its safety recalls on vehicles that have certain Takata airbag inflators after Takata declared that those inflators are defective, bringing the total number of Ford vehicles recalled for Takata airbag inflators to 1,509,535 vehicles to date.

This expanded recall follows Takata’s notification to the U.S. NHTSA last week that certain of its airbag inflators are defective, affecting several automakers across the industry. For Ford, affected vehicles include:

• 2005-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles built at Flat Rock Assembly Plant for driver side airbag inflators;
• 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles built at Wixom Assembly Plant for driver side airbag inflators;
• 2004 Ford Rangers built in North America at Edison Assembly Plant and
• 2004-2006 Ford Rangers built at Twin Cities Assembly for passenger side airbag inflators.

As disclosed in November 2014, Ford is aware of one airbag deployment that might be related to the issue, in which a driver’s leg was injured by a metal fragment when the airbag deployed after a crash. Ford has not seen any other inflator ruptures on Ford vehicles in the field or in testing to date. 

A total of 1,490,764 vehicles in North America are now affected by this expanded recall, including 1,380,604 in the United States and federalized territories, 93,207 in Canada and 16,953 in Mexico.

Dealers will replace the airbag inflator at no cost to the customer.

Customers who want to know if their vehicle is included in these recalls can visit www.ford.com  and click on safety recalls at the bottom of the page. Customers can then enter their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to see any open safety, compliance or emissions recalls, as well as customer satisfaction programs.