Ford Recalls 200,000 Vehicles, Including F-150, Flex, Crown Victoria

Ford Motor Co. issued five safety recalls covering about 200,000 vehicles in North America.

The recalls include its Crown Victoria sedan, F-150 pickup truck, Transit Connect van and Flex sport-utility vehicle. The actions also include a recall to fix a previous recall that was done incorrectly.

The biggest recall is for 135,000 Flex and F-150 vehicles from the 2014 model-year because a sensor in the passenger seat might not work correctly and could stop the airbag from deploying in a frontal crash. But Ford said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this defect.

Dealers will make an adjustment to the seat frame and track assembly, and then calibrate the sensor to work properly.

Ford also will recall another 960 F-150 pickup trucks from the same model year to fix a brake-pedal position switch that may be incorrectly adjusted. That could prevent the brake lights from turning on when the driver presses the brake pedal.

It also could cause drivers to use more brake pressure to disengage the cruise-control system, so Ford is advising customers not to use cruise control until the vehicle has been repaired. Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this condition.

In another recall, Ford will bring back almost 39,000 Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car sedans from the 2005-2011 model-years to fix an improper repair in previous recalls. The issue affects the steering shaft and could cause a driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Ford said it is aware of one accident but no injuries attributed to the problem.

The remaining recalls are for the Transit Connect.

Ford will recall about 28,000 of the small vans from the 2014 model-year because the fuel and vapor lines might have been routed incorrectly and rub together, causing a leak. That could result in a fire. Ford said it is not aware of any accidents, injuries or fires related to this condition. Dealers will inspect the lines, and reroute and replace the fuel line if necessary.

Ford also will call back about 100 of the vans from the 2015 model-year to fix a bracket that holds the fuel filter to the frame.

Automakers have recalled more than 50 million vehicles in the U.S. this year, a record for the industry.

This article appeared in print in the November 5th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.