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Ford Motor Co. has told federal regulators that an estimated 550,000 Ford F-150 pickup trucks sold in the U.S. and Canada may have inoperable windshield wipers because the wiper motor may stop working.
Inoperative wipers increase the risk of a crash in rain or sleet, requiring the company to issue a recall and report the problem to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The letter to the agency said the automaker is recalling 453,650 trucks in the U.S. and 103,076 in Canada.
Ford said it plans to notify customers by mail on Jan. 3, saying Ford dealers will replace the engine free of charge.
Ford said the problem occurs because the wiper motor’s integrated circuit boards are damaged by high transient voltages and poor quality wiper motor electrical terminals.
This recall affects trucks built between January 8, 2020 and March 22, 2021.
Ford said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the faulty wiper motor.
This latest announcement expands on the initial March recall of 157,000 2021 F-150s.
F-150 trucks built between May 3, 2021 and September 10, 2021 at the Dearborn Truck Plant will be excluded from the recall because they were built with a different wiper motor due to a microchip deficiency at the time, Ford said in its regulatory filing. the letter was submitted on Nov. 15.
So far, Ford has issued eight recalls for its 2022 Ford F-150 and 75 manufacturer notifications. Ford has issued 14 recalls for its 2021 Ford F-150 and 272 manufacturer notifications.
Safety regulators monitor complaints, and so do automakers, looking for trends and the potential need for a recall. Customer reports are important to both groups. Automakers want to catch problems as quickly as possible to reduce costs and keep customers happy.
“Can’t be without my truck”
Several F-150 customers reported windshield problems prior to this recall:
- On October 1st, a 2022 F-150 owner in Florida reported that “while driving in inclement weather, the windshield wipers did not operate as intended.”
- On October 4th, a 2022 F-150 owner from New Jersey wrote: “Windshield wipers stopped working. Restarted the truck and it happened repeatedly every 3-5 minutes. The display also shut off the electronic wiper control.”
- On October 18th, a 2022 F-150 owner from White Lake, Michigan wrote: “Windshield wiper not working . . . raining . . .”
- On Nov. 3, a 2021 F-150 owner from Tennessee wrote: “My windshield wipers were working intermittently until last week when it rained, my windshield wipers stopped working completely as I was driving home on the interstate. … I told them I was at work and couldn’t do without my to be without a truck.”
Hemorrhaging cash
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation website, Ford has had the most recalls of any automaker this year, with 63 recalls that could affect nearly 8.1 million vehicles. In fact, Ford has recalled more than three times as many vehicles this year as its cross-town rival General Motors.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has said reducing the need for recalls and improving product oversight are top priorities. He has changed management while monitoring the situation and even appointed a quality czar earlier this year. Ford spends billions each year on recalls and warranties, which investors see as a self-inflicted problem at a time when every dollar is needed for electric vehicle research and development.
Tesla, GM and Hyundai are recalling fewer
The recalls cover everything from inoperative seat belts and loss of steering control to fire hazards.
In 2022, the Department of Transportation and NHTSA have so far posted:
- 63 recalls affecting 8,083,292 Ford vehicles
- 41 recalls affecting 989,508 Volkswagen vehicles
- 38 recalls affecting 273,071 Daimler Trucks North American vehicles
- 35 recalls affecting 1,800,696 Chrysler vehicles (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US, now Stellant)
- 29 recalls affecting 969,634 Mercedes-Benz vehicles
- 25 recalls affecting 2,501,775 GM vehicles
- 21 recalls affecting 1,451,243 Hyundai vehicles
- 21 recalls affecting 1,380,233 Kia vehicles
- 19 Tesla recalls affected 3,769,572 vehicles
- 18 recalls affecting 1,000,286 BMW vehicles
- 6 recalls affecting 19,848 Jayco RVs
Recalls lead to lawsuits
Ford, meanwhile, is facing a series of quality-related lawsuits that are weighing on earnings at a time when every penny counts as automakers battle for market share in a dynamic environment shaped by supply chain disruptions and new cost pressures.
In early July, three 2021-22 Mustang Mach-E owners filed a federal lawsuit against Ford, alleging the Dearborn automaker knew about a design flaw in the popular electric vehicles that causes them to lose power while on the road.
In mid-July, a lawsuit involving three unhappy owners of 2021 Ford Expedition and 2021 Lincoln Navigator vehicles grew to 22 plaintiffs, alleging Ford failed to disclose a defect that caused spontaneous fires under the hood in at least 66,000 vehicles while parked or in motion. it was unreasonable for customers to drive defective vehicles while waiting for repairs.
In late July, four owners of a 2017-19 Ford Fiesta and a 2017-18 Ford Focus sued Ford, claiming the vehicles have the same unfixable transmission defects as previous models, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in class-action settlements.
More:‘I lost my whole house’: Ohio mother flees with child after Ford Expedition catches fire in garage
More:Ford was fined $105 million for trade secrets
More:Fire engulfs Michigan man’s Kia; he’s not the only one
Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid
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