Photo: Ford
There’s a little provision in the massive rule book that’s called the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards that says any car sold in the U.S. should have a manual park release cover that can only be removed with a tool. And you would think the carmaker that invented the mass-produced automobile would know that.
The new Ford Explorer and the new Lincoln Aviator have both been unveiled about half a year ago. At the time of their presentation, the two cars were described as the pinnacle of Ford luxury SUVs, both of them built to impress and assembled with minute attention to details.
Yet somehow the Blue Oval may have overlooked the manual park release cover. A tiny little piece of hardware without which the car could be liberated to go wherever it sees fit, provided the electronic park brake is not applied.
To add insult to injury, the instrument cluster in these vehicles may be in factory mode. This is a state that disables warning alerts and chimes, and leaves the driver with no clue on the PRNDL gear positions.
Apparently, someone somewhere fell victim to these faults, and Ford learned the said vehicle was damaged as a result.
To prevent further incidents, the carmaker said on Wednesday (August 7) it recalls 13,896 new Explorers and Aviators built from March 27, 2019, to July 24, 2019, at the Chicago Assembly Plant.
“Dealers will inspect for the manual park release cover and install one, if necessary. Dealers will also verify the instrument cluster is out of factory mode and clear any diagnostic codes,” the statement reads.
Those waiting to get delivery of one of the two cars need not worry, says the carmaker, as the faults will be fixed in the respective vehicles before they are shipped.
Full details regarding the Explorer and Aviator recall can be found in the document attached below.
Yet somehow the Blue Oval may have overlooked the manual park release cover. A tiny little piece of hardware without which the car could be liberated to go wherever it sees fit, provided the electronic park brake is not applied.
To add insult to injury, the instrument cluster in these vehicles may be in factory mode. This is a state that disables warning alerts and chimes, and leaves the driver with no clue on the PRNDL gear positions.
Apparently, someone somewhere fell victim to these faults, and Ford learned the said vehicle was damaged as a result.
To prevent further incidents, the carmaker said on Wednesday (August 7) it recalls 13,896 new Explorers and Aviators built from March 27, 2019, to July 24, 2019, at the Chicago Assembly Plant.
“Dealers will inspect for the manual park release cover and install one, if necessary. Dealers will also verify the instrument cluster is out of factory mode and clear any diagnostic codes,” the statement reads.
Those waiting to get delivery of one of the two cars need not worry, says the carmaker, as the faults will be fixed in the respective vehicles before they are shipped.
Full details regarding the Explorer and Aviator recall can be found in the document attached below.
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