Over the past three years, Ford has led recalls in the US and continues to expand from 2024 onwards. The American carmaker will have to recall 1,889,110 Explorers due to a manufacturing issue that could cause the windshield mounting bracket to become loose and pose a danger to following vehicles.
According to a notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Ford first became aware of the underlying issue with the A-pillar trim on the fifth-generation Explorer in 2018 and initially dismissed it, believing that the separate trim pieces were too small and dull to pose a safety hazard.
However, in February 2023, the NHTSA opened a preliminary investigation into the issue, and a few months later, the Canadian Ministry of Transportation also determined that the issue warranted further investigation due to the perceived risk of projectiles being ejected from the vehicle while in motion.
In November, Ford relented and decided to recall all fifth-generation Explorer models, spanning from 2011 to 2019. They were aware of 14,337 warranty claims in which owners reported missing trim pieces around the windshield.
Ford believes that the issue is due to the clips attaching the trim pieces not being properly secured. This could be due to them being improperly installed at the factory or being improperly reinstalled after repairs. Fortunately, owners can easily detect this issue. If the trim piece on the A-pillar is loose, it will rattle and may even reveal a gap before the trim piece becomes dislodged.
Ford stated that they will begin contacting owners on March 13th and will ask them to bring their vehicles to a nearby dealer for inspection and repair of the A-pillar trim when necessary. To prevent a recurrence of this issue, the new part will be additionally bonded with adhesive and the installation process will be more thorough. The automaker has also established a reimbursement plan for owners who have paid out of pocket to address this issue.
Anh Quan (forum.autodaily.vn)
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