Photo: Lincoln / edited
Ford's quality leaves much to be desired. However, suppliers also make plenty of mistakes. Recall number 23V-439 concerns a supplier – Hitachi Astemo Americas – which manufactured a handful of shock absorbers incorrectly.
On March 7 this year, workers at the Oakville Assembly Complex identified an overextended condition on the rear shock absorbers of the 2023 model year Lincoln Nautilus. More specifically, the shocks were overextending by up to 27 millimeters (a little over an inch in the imperial system).
Come March 8, assembly plant workers then identified a similar condition affecting the front shocks. Those front shocks go through a verification process that prevents any iffy shock absorber from being installed in case of an overextended condition. The rear shocks do not, which is why the Critical Concern Review Group within the Ford Motor Company decided to issue a stop-ship order for Nautilus vehicles.
The Dearborn-based manufacturer also inspected 90 vehicles, of which 21 left rear shocks and 72 right rear shocks were identified with the aforementioned concern. Ford immediately quarantined all suspect rear shocks, and Ford eventually determined the root cause for this overextended condition.
As it happens, the supplier was blamed for this blunder. The faulty rear shocks were produced with the shock rod stopper support not securely crimped in the rod groove, thus allowing too much rebound travel. In turn, said condition may cause damage to the rear brake hose, half shafts, stabilizer bar end links, and wheel speed sensors. Further investigation revealed that Hitachi Astemo Americas produced rear shock absorbers incorrectly in the period from February 14 to March 10.
Ford isn't aware of any crashes or injuries related to said issue, which affects an estimated 366 units of the 2023 model year Lincoln Nautilus. More specifically, vehicles assembled from February 20 to March 9. The suspect rear shock absorbers feature continuous controlled damping technology for better handling and ride quality versus conventional dampers.
Between July 31 and August 4, owners will be informed of the recall via first-class mail with instructions to bring their crossovers in for the remedy. Dealers have been instructed to inspect the rear end of the vehicle, and – if necessary – to replace the shocks, brake hoses, half shafts, and sensors.
Because this isn't a design-related issue, replacement shock absorbers carry the same part numbers as the suspect units: K2GC-18W002-SUG for the rear right wheel and K2GC-18W003-SUG for the rear left wheel. Nautilus owners who paid out of pocket to have this problem fixed prior to this recall are eligible for reimbursement until August 18, 2023.
In related news, the Nautilus received a tremendous redesign for model year 2024. The current generation will end production at Oakville this fall, and the newcomer will be assembled in China of all places. The first units will arrive stateside in early 2024, carrying a sticker price of $50,415 for the entry-level Premiere grade. At the other end of the spectrum, the Black Label is an unbelievable $74,465.
Come March 8, assembly plant workers then identified a similar condition affecting the front shocks. Those front shocks go through a verification process that prevents any iffy shock absorber from being installed in case of an overextended condition. The rear shocks do not, which is why the Critical Concern Review Group within the Ford Motor Company decided to issue a stop-ship order for Nautilus vehicles.
The Dearborn-based manufacturer also inspected 90 vehicles, of which 21 left rear shocks and 72 right rear shocks were identified with the aforementioned concern. Ford immediately quarantined all suspect rear shocks, and Ford eventually determined the root cause for this overextended condition.
As it happens, the supplier was blamed for this blunder. The faulty rear shocks were produced with the shock rod stopper support not securely crimped in the rod groove, thus allowing too much rebound travel. In turn, said condition may cause damage to the rear brake hose, half shafts, stabilizer bar end links, and wheel speed sensors. Further investigation revealed that Hitachi Astemo Americas produced rear shock absorbers incorrectly in the period from February 14 to March 10.
Ford isn't aware of any crashes or injuries related to said issue, which affects an estimated 366 units of the 2023 model year Lincoln Nautilus. More specifically, vehicles assembled from February 20 to March 9. The suspect rear shock absorbers feature continuous controlled damping technology for better handling and ride quality versus conventional dampers.
Between July 31 and August 4, owners will be informed of the recall via first-class mail with instructions to bring their crossovers in for the remedy. Dealers have been instructed to inspect the rear end of the vehicle, and – if necessary – to replace the shocks, brake hoses, half shafts, and sensors.
Because this isn't a design-related issue, replacement shock absorbers carry the same part numbers as the suspect units: K2GC-18W002-SUG for the rear right wheel and K2GC-18W003-SUG for the rear left wheel. Nautilus owners who paid out of pocket to have this problem fixed prior to this recall are eligible for reimbursement until August 18, 2023.
In related news, the Nautilus received a tremendous redesign for model year 2024. The current generation will end production at Oakville this fall, and the newcomer will be assembled in China of all places. The first units will arrive stateside in early 2024, carrying a sticker price of $50,415 for the entry-level Premiere grade. At the other end of the spectrum, the Black Label is an unbelievable $74,465.
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