Blue Rearview Camera Image Prompts Ford Explorer Recall, Certain 2023 Models Affected

Q1 2023 through Q3 2023 deliveries totaled 138,132 units, which is a drop in the bucket compared to 573,370 full-size pickups delivered in this period. Be that as it may, the Explorer is more popular than the Escape and Bronco Sport alike.

Unfortunately for owners and prospective customers, the Explorer is also notorious for being a favorite of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The latest recall affecting the rear-biased utility vehicle comprises no fewer than 2,866 examples produced for the 2023 model year. Their problem is a blue rearview camera image displayed on the infotainment system’s touchscreen when the gear lever is placed in reverse, a noncompliance with federal motor vehicle safety standard 111.

Ford claims the root cause is – get this – improper heating during the wire harness manufacturing process. The supplier in question is a Kentucky-based company dubbed Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems. According to Ford, the Critical Concern Review Group was informed of this issue on August 31. A stop-ship order was issued, then Ford inspected the solder splices of newly built SUVs.

Of the inspected population, 4.9 percent of Explorer vehicles were found to feature a loose solder splice. Even so, the Ford Motor Company isn’t aware of any vehicle owner questionnaires or warranty claims relating to said problem. Instead of replacement harnesses, the document attached below reads that dealers have been instructed to repair any loose splices.

Owners can expect to be informed about this recall in the period between November 6 and November 10 by first-class mail. The affected population was assembled at Ford Chicago Assembly Plant in the state of Illinois between August 1 and August 29 this year.

It should be noted that only vehicles equipped with the standard rearview camera are called back. 2023 model year Explorer vehicles specified with the available 360-degree camera suite aren’t affected.

Originally a body-on-frame affair with Ranger underpinnings, the Explorer turned unibody for the fifth generation in 2010 for the 2011 model year. But as opposed to its front-biased forerunner, the sixth gen is a rear-wheel-drive affair based on a platform shared with the Lincoln Aviator. Still a unibody, the Explorer can be had with either four- or six-cylinder turbocharged muscle in combination with the 10R60 10-speed automatic transmission.

10R needs no explanation, whereas 60 is the estimated torque in metric (600 Nm or 443 pound-feet). The standard 2.3-liter EcoBoost makes 310 pound-feet (420 Nm), while the range-topping ST packs 415 pound-feet (563 Nm). As of October 2023, the 2024 model is priced at $36,760 (excluding the $1,595 destination freight charge).