Automotive manufacturing titan Ford seems to be ending 2024 the identical approach it began — having main points with its fleets of electrical autos.
Ford recalled hundreds of its electric-powered F-150 Lightning pickup truck sequence, in response to a release from the Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration.
“Ford’s staff reviewed meeting plant data to find out the inhabitants of affected elements,” the discharge said. “The entrance higher management arm ball joint on affected autos could not have been correctly secured throughout meeting.”
The discharge additional defined the defect at hand: “Sure autos could have an improperly torqued nut on the ball joint which secures the entrance higher management arm to the knuckle meeting.
“An improperly torqued nut on the ball joint can lead to separation of the entrance higher management arm from the knuckle meeting.”
As to the risks of that improperly torqued nut, the discharge known as out that “[i]f the higher management arm ball joint nut is free or lacking, the entrance higher management arm can separate from the knuckle meeting, which may trigger the motive force to expertise a partial lack of directional management, growing a danger of a crash.
“The nut on the higher management arm ball joint could not have achieved the right torque on account of variation within the alignment or orientation between the fastening device and the fastener which will have induced lateral forces on the device, stopping it from correctly seating on the fastener.”
The recall discover did name out one telltale signal of the defect.
“If the ball joint nut is free or lacking, the motive force could expertise car vibration and listen to a clunk or rattle noise throughout suspension jounce and rebound,” the discharge said.
Ford claimed that it “is conscious of 1 accident attributed to this situation.”
In keeping with the timeline offered, Ford was first notified of this situation in a September 2024 incident report.
Only a month later, in October, Ford launched its investigation into the problem.
By November, it had recognized the ball joint situation.
Ford is providing a treatment, freed from cost.
“Homeowners will likely be notified by mail and instructed to take their car to a Ford or Lincoln vendor to examine the torque of the left and proper higher management arm ball joint nut,” the recall said. “If the torque inspection passes, sellers will change the nut. If the torque inspection fails, sellers will change the knuckle and nut.
“There will likely be no cost for this service.
“Ford offered the final reimbursement plan for the price of treatments paid for by car homeowners previous to notification of a security recall in Could 2023. Homeowners who’ve paid to have these repairs accomplished at their very own expense could also be eligible for reimbursement, in accordance with the recall reimbursement plan on file with NHTSA.”
In keeping with WKRC-TV, a mail notifications will likely be despatched to homeowners by Feb. 3, 2025.
A complete of 11,922 vans have been recalled, together with 8,017 F-150 2023 fashions and three,905 F-150 2024 fashions.
This newest EV-related situation comes on the heels of a tough 2024 for Ford.
In Could, the corporate introduced that its electrical autos have been being bought at a staggering loss.
In July, Ford pulled a 180 and transformed a Canadian EV plant into a traditional car plant.
That each one peaked in August, when experiences surfaced that Ford was projected to lose $5 billion on account of its electrical car enterprise and that the plan was to “pivot” away from it.
This text appeared initially on The Western Journal.
