Ford is recalling nearly 875,000 trucks in the U.S. and Canada for a potential fire hazard.
Ford announced a recall of 874,000 pickup trucks in North America with engine block heaters that can, under certain circumstances, catch fire.
The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker said it is unaware of any reported accidents or injuries that have occurred as a result of the problem.
According to the automaker, water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable’s splice connector, causing corrosion and other damage.
Prolonged corrosion in the cable splice connector can cause a short, make the engine block heater inoperable, and/or trip household breakers or GFCI-equipped outlets while the vehicle is parked and the block heater is plugged in, Ford noted.
(Ford issues recalls for 38K sport-utes and pickups. Click Here for the story.)
Certain Ford Super Duty pickups, like the F-350, are subject to a recall due to a possible engine block heater problem.
The risk to safety only exists while the vehicle is parked and the block heater cable is plugged into an electrical outlet. Ford told U.S. regulators it is aware of reports of three fires in Canada linked to the issue, but unaware of any reports of accidents or injuries.
The recall covers some 2015–19 Ford F-150 trucks, as well as 2017–19 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks, specifically:
- 2015-19 F-150 vehicles built at Dearborn Truck Plant between March 18, 2014 and Nov. 17, 2018 and at Kansas City Assembly Plant between Aug. 21, 2014 and Nov. 17, 2018; and
- 2017-19 Super Duty vehicles built at Ohio Assembly Plant between Feb. 5, 2016 and Nov. 17, 2018 and at Kentucky Truck Plant between Oct. 8, 2015 and Nov. 17, 2018
The recall covers 410,000 vehicles in the United States and about 464,000 in Canada, and will begin early next month.
(To see more about Ford recalling 1.5 million Focuses, Click Here.)
Dealers will inspect the engine block heater cable and replace it if it is damaged or corroded. If there are no signs of damage or corrosion, dealers will apply dielectric grease to the splice connector and reconnect. If a replacement cable is required but unavailable, the customer will receive an information sheet and will be notified via mail for a follow-up appointment once parts become available.