Ford Addresses One Fire-Related Recall Just as Another Flares Up

Ford Addresses One Fire-Related Recall Just as Another Flares Up

Ford Addresses One Fire-Related Recall Just as Another Flares Up

It's been a busy recall time for the Blue Oval in the past couple of months. In May, 2020-21 Ford Expeditions were recalled and owners were told to park them outside due to fire risk; Mustang Mach Es were welding their contactors; and Bronco 2.7-liter engines were put under NHTSA investigation. While Ford is correcting the Expedition fire issue, a new fire risk recall is hitting the popular Ford Maverick hybrid just as the lineup is about to expand with an AWD hybrid version. Here's a recap of what's going on with the affected Fords:

2020-2021 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator Fire Source

As mentioned, the 2020-2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator are under recall for a fire risk and, because the SUVs could go up in flames even while parked with the engine off, it was strongly recommended that owners park those vehicles outside, away from garages or structures, until a fix could be performed. Ford has found the cause and it's a common theme of 2021 that continues into the middle of 2022: a supply chain issue. In this case, it's not the lack of a part but because a part was made by a different manufacturer to alleviate the supply issues.

According to Ford, it looks to be related to the cooling fan ground wire, relay, and the battery junction box, and the fix mostly depends on what wattage the fan system uses. First, as part of the recall, where there is evidence of melting at the battery junction box, the box is replaced. For the 800-watt cooling fan system, the grounding wire for the cooling fans that leads into the battery junction box is removed. The relay is redundant on the system, so removing the ground wire doesn't render the cooling fans non-operational. The 700-watt cooling fan system is the same except it needs a relay to work, which is why the repair for it uses an auxiliary relay box with a jumper wire to connect to the system.

The cause is related to the circuit board of the battery junction box, which was susceptible to a "high-current short" and made by the facility Ford used to offset issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Ford, "Printed circuit boards produced at this facility are uniquely susceptible to a high-current short and were supplied to Ford and installed in Expedition and Navigator SUVs produced during the recall window." The parts required for the 700-watt cooling fan system that are part of this recall are supposed to be in dealer hands by "early" September, according to Ford, but the 800-watt system shouldn't require any additional time. Regardless, Ford continues to advise owners of those Expeditions and Navigators to keep these vehicles parked outside until the repair is made.

2022 Ford Maverick, 2020-2022 Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair PHEVs and Hybrids

On the heels of that fix for the Expedition and Navigator comes word of potential fires in 2020-2022 Ford Escape, Lincoln Corsair, and 2022 Ford Maverick models equipped with the 2.5-liter I-4 hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrains.

According to Ford, via Reuters, in the event of an engine failure, there might be enough oil and fuel vapor accumulated to cause a fire near ignition sources. Unlike the Expedition and Navigator, there isn't a risk while the vehicle is parked and there also is a repair available. The fix uses an "under engine shield" and active grille shutter that dealers will install to prevent this flare up. While this will affect 100,000 vehicles, Ford isn't aware of any accidents, injuries or deaths related to this fire issue.

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