Photo: Ford / edited
After a snail-paced rollout of the Ranger-based SUV, the Bronco was deservingly criticized for quality-related problems. Many field campaigns later, the Ford Motor Company hasn't yet rectified all of the inherent problems of the Bronco. The latest recall concerns all five-door vehicles produced in the period from September 23, 2020, and May 9, 2023, comprising a whopping 175,550 examples of the breed.
On May 4, 2023, the federal watchdog informed the Ford Motor Company of a noncompliance with section 7.4.4 of federal motor vehicle safety standard 208 for latch plate access. More specifically, the first-row seatbelt latch plates may be difficult to reach from their normal (stowed) position.
The Critical Concern Review Group was forced to investigate said condition together with the Automotive Safety Office and Engineering divisions within Ford. Both the physical evaluation and documentation review confirmed the NHTSA's findings. According to a report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Dearborn-based automaker continues to investigate the causal factors of this blunder. In other words, the Ford Motor Company is trying to find out who and why was this inappropriate design approved for series production without a thorough review of the federal motor vehicle safety standard mentioned a paragraph earlier.
On the upside, no customer warranty reports – or worse – have been reported to the safety boffins at FoMoCo. The problem with a hard-to-access latch is that it produces dissatisfaction with the driver and/or front passenger. Dissatisfaction may lead to the driver and/or passenger driving without buckling up, which – in turn – increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
As Bronco owners are well aware, there's not enough space between the seat back and interior trim for unhindered access to the latch plates in question. What is the automaker's remedy, then? Dealers will be instructed no later than June 26 to install a sliding clip latch stop (i.e., a barrette clip) designed to place the latch plate into a compliant position. Based on the part numbers included in the document attached below, the Raptor is also affected. The Raptor boasts five doors exclusively.
Affected owners will be informed by first-class mail of this recall (number 23V-358) in the period between June 30, 2023, and July 6, 2023. Owners will also be presented with an addendum for the owner's manual, containing instructions on the appropriate use of the sliding clip. Of course, the front-row clips and addendum are offered at no charge whatsoever.
Currently listed as a 2023 model by Ford's online configurator, the sixth-generation Bronco launched stateside for the 2021 model year. Codenamed U725, the body-on-frame Bronco shouldn't be confused with the unibody Bronco Sport, the latter being twinned with the Escape compact crossover.
Slotted between the Bronco Sport and Explorer in terms of pricing, the Ranger-based sport utility vehicle currently retails at $34,890 (excluding destination freight charge) for the Base Two-Door. The roomier Base Four-Door is $38,040 at press time, whereas the Raptor rocks an MSRP of $86,080.
The Critical Concern Review Group was forced to investigate said condition together with the Automotive Safety Office and Engineering divisions within Ford. Both the physical evaluation and documentation review confirmed the NHTSA's findings. According to a report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Dearborn-based automaker continues to investigate the causal factors of this blunder. In other words, the Ford Motor Company is trying to find out who and why was this inappropriate design approved for series production without a thorough review of the federal motor vehicle safety standard mentioned a paragraph earlier.
On the upside, no customer warranty reports – or worse – have been reported to the safety boffins at FoMoCo. The problem with a hard-to-access latch is that it produces dissatisfaction with the driver and/or front passenger. Dissatisfaction may lead to the driver and/or passenger driving without buckling up, which – in turn – increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
As Bronco owners are well aware, there's not enough space between the seat back and interior trim for unhindered access to the latch plates in question. What is the automaker's remedy, then? Dealers will be instructed no later than June 26 to install a sliding clip latch stop (i.e., a barrette clip) designed to place the latch plate into a compliant position. Based on the part numbers included in the document attached below, the Raptor is also affected. The Raptor boasts five doors exclusively.
Affected owners will be informed by first-class mail of this recall (number 23V-358) in the period between June 30, 2023, and July 6, 2023. Owners will also be presented with an addendum for the owner's manual, containing instructions on the appropriate use of the sliding clip. Of course, the front-row clips and addendum are offered at no charge whatsoever.
Currently listed as a 2023 model by Ford's online configurator, the sixth-generation Bronco launched stateside for the 2021 model year. Codenamed U725, the body-on-frame Bronco shouldn't be confused with the unibody Bronco Sport, the latter being twinned with the Escape compact crossover.
Slotted between the Bronco Sport and Explorer in terms of pricing, the Ranger-based sport utility vehicle currently retails at $34,890 (excluding destination freight charge) for the Base Two-Door. The roomier Base Four-Door is $38,040 at press time, whereas the Raptor rocks an MSRP of $86,080.
Google News