— Ford Motor Company is recalling over 317,000 vehicles in four different actions, the majority recalled after a federal investigation was conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis
About 313,000 model year 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis cars are called back to dealers to replace the lighting control modules.
NHTSA opened an investigation into the problem in August after the North Carolina Consumers Council petitioned NHTSA to open an evaluation of the headlights and other exterior lights.
NHTSA said it received over 600 complaints about failing headlights and Ford reported over 3,000 complaints about low-beam headlights failing suddenly and without warning while driving. Some Ford owners said the headlights dimmed or flickered before they failed.
At the time the investigation was opened, NHTSA said 15 crash incidents had been identified, including crashes involving deer, other vehicles and objects in the road that couldn't be seen with the headlights out. One driver injured their shoulder after striking an unseen object in the road.
According to Ford, there have been 11 accidents and one report of a minor injury.
Ford says a headlight can fail because of a solder joint that can crack on the lighting control module and kill power to the headlight.
The recalled 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis cars were built October 3, 2001, through August 2, 2005. About 296,004 cars are in the U.S., 14,714 are in Canada and about 2,096 are located in Mexico.
Now for the fun part. Ford doesn't know when replacement parts will be ready, so interim recall notifications will start going out on January 19, 2016. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts are available.
Ford dealers will eventually replace the lighting control modules, but until then, owners may contact Ford customer service at 866-436-7332 and give them recall number F15S39.
Ford F-150 SuperCrew
About 3,200 Ford trucks have seat belt problems that need repaired. The 2015 Ford F-150 SuperCrew trucks have seat belt pretensioner cables that may not be attached properly. If not attached properly, the cables might not hold an occupant in a crash, although Ford isn't aware of any accidents or injuries.
Ford says 2,590 of the recalled trucks are in the U.S., 555 are in Canada and about 73 are in Mexico.
Ford dealers will remove and replace the front seat belt retractor and pretensioner assembly when the recall begins on February 8, 2016.
Owners may contact Ford customer service at 866-436-7332 and give them recall number 15C17.
Ford Transit
Ford is recalling about 1,300 model year 2015 Ford Transit dual-rear-wheel vehicles to replace the rear axle shafts. The automaker says the axle shafts can break and cause the vehicles to stop moving, all without warning while driving. The condition can also cause a parked vehicle to roll away if the parking brake isn't applied.
All the recalled vehicles were built in Kansas City from May 1, 2015, through June 26, 2015. Over 1,170 of the vehicles are in the U.S. and about 100 are located in Canada.
Ford doesn't know when the recall will begin, but dealers will replace both rear axle shafts once the recall starts.
Ford F-650 and F-750
The automaker says 177 trucks in the U.S. and Canada need their rear air brake chambers replaced. The automaker says the 2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 trucks have brake hoses that could make contact with the rear axle housing while the trucks are moving. The result could be a brake fluid leak and decreased brake performance.
All the trucks were built in Ohio between June 18, 2015, and November 15, 2015.
Although losing brake fluid can be a dangerous problem, Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this issue.
The recall will begin on January 11, 2016. Ford dealers will install a rear brake air chamber replacement and inspect the brakes and parking brake air lines for damage, and replace them as needed.
Owners may contact Ford customer service at 866-436-7332 and give them recall number 15S38.
CarComplaints.com has complaints about the vehicles named in the Ford recalls.
- Ford Crown Victoria: 2003 / 2004 / 2005 / All Model Years
- Mercury Grand Marquis: 2003 / 2004 / 2005 / All Model Years
- Ford F-150: 2015 / All Model Years
- Ford Transit
- Ford F-750