autoevolution
 

Ford Announces Yet Another Mammoth Recall, 422k Sport Utility Vehicles Affected

As of late, Ford Motor Company big kahuna Jim Farley talks about improving quality more often than before. However, the Dearborn-based automaker still has way too many quality concerns for the chief executive officer to make such claims.
Ford Explorer 32 photos
Photo: Ford / edited
2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer2022 Ford Explorer
After calling back 310,203 trucks over potentially deactivated airbags, Ford has just issued a recall for a whopping 422,201 sport utility vehicles. What is the problem with these SUVs?

The video output may fail, preventing the rearview camera from displaying what's behind the vehicle. Not a big deal? It kind of is because Ford is currently developing a remedy for said problem. As per the report attached below, owners will be notified by mail in the period between June 26 and June 30.

Affected vehicles all feature 360-degree camera systems. Those with only rearview cameras aren't recalled. The list kicks off with the 2020 to 2023 model year Ford Explorer produced between October 19, 2018 and May 2, 2023. Yup, that's earlier this month. Similar dates apply to the 2020 to 2023 model year Lincoln Aviator, which – as you already know – is nothing more than an Explorer in fancier clothes.

The final entry on this list is the 2022 to 2022 model year Lincoln Corsair, which comes from the Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky, where Ford also produces a technically similar crossover utility vehicle by the name of Escape. Affected Corsair vehicles were manufactured in the period between January 7, 2019 and December 15, 2022.

According to Ford's NHTSA report, a loss of video frames in the image processing module may occur during reinitialization. That's also when the infotainment system's display is susceptible to showing a blue image, a fully blue screen, or a fully black screen.

The root cause for the loss of video frames isn't yet known, hence why a remedy isn't currently available. Ford hasn't mentioned any supplier or the involved component in the report below. On the upside, we do know that certain recalled vehicles had been previously recalled over the same concern.

Back in September 2021, the automaker approved recall 21S44 for the Explorer, Aviator, and Corsair. Fast forward to January, and the same nameplates were included in recall 23S02, a recall of the vehicles fixed under the previous one.

Following the second field service action, Ford was bombarded with 29 claims of vehicles exhibiting full blue or black screens after recall 23S02. Said claims ballooned to 250 as of March 21, and there is one allegation of a minor crash.

Five vehicle owner questionnaires were filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Ford Motor Company is aware of a warranty report as well. Adding insult to injury, an analysis from April 2023 confirmed a problem with the remedy software that rolled out as part of recall 23S02.

That being said, Jim Farley may want to eat a piece of that delicious humble pie before getting back to tackling the aforementioned quality concerns with more seriousness and less braggadocio.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)

 Download: Ford rearview camera recall from May 2023 (PDF)

About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories