— A Ford F-150 tailgate recall has been issued for nearly 90,000 trucks in Canada to prevent the electric tailgates from unintentionally opening while driving.
Ford doesn't plan on ordering a formal recall for the U.S. even though the 2015-2018 F-150s were built in Kansas City and Michigan. However, F-150 owners in the U.S. will still have the opportunity to receive free tailgate repairs if the tailgates are malfunctioning.
The automaker says the Canadian recall is necessary because water can enter the wiring and cause a short-circuit in the latch release switch. The switch can activate and open the electric tailgate which allows cargo to fall out of the truck bed.
According to Ford, it isn't aware of any crash or injury reports about the F-150s that were built in Michigan between July 28, 2014, to October 22, 2018, and in Kansas City from February 19, 2015, to November 4, 2018.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says Canada has received more tailgate complaints than the U.S., and Ford says there is a reason for that. The tailgates are allegedly affected more by the cold and wet weather in areas of Canada compared to the U.S.
However, NHTSA says it is analyzing complaint data for U.S. F-150 trucks and will take action if needed.
F-150 owners in Canada will be contacted by mail with details about dealerships modifying the tailgates and frame wiring harnesses and installing new tailgate handle release switches.
Canadian Ford F-150 owners may call the automaker at 800-565-3673 and ask about recall number 20S01.
U.S. Ford F-250, F-350 and F-450 Super Duty owners know about the tailgate problems because the automaker recalled more than 261,000 of the trucks in December 2019.
Ford says the U.S. recall of F-Series Super Duty trucks was necessary because of the high complaint rates about the tailgates. The automaker further says the F-250s, F-350s and F-450s have different electrical systems associated with the tailgates compared to the F-150s.
CarComplaints.com has complaints from drivers of 2015 Ford F-150s, 2016 F-150s, 2017 F-150s and 2018 Ford F-150s.