Photo: Ford / edited
This generation of the F-150 rolled out riddled with faults the Ford Motor Company didn’t identify or simply ignored prior to the start of production. Precisely 222,454 units of the half-ton pickup are called back over an issue affecting the vehicle’s windshield wiper arms.
Recall 23V-163 is an extension of recall 22V-250 from April 2022, which included the half-ton and heavier-duty Ford F-Series, truck-based Expedition, and technically similar Lincoln Navigator. A whopping 652,996 vehicles were called back due to incorrect torque wiper motors and incorrect windshield wiper arm head spline teeth.
F-150 trucks equipped with the smart wiper motor were not included in the recalled population, a mistake that came back to bite Ford in the backside. The main difference between the base and smart motors is the lower maximum torque rating and electronic torque limiting feature of the smart windshield wiper motor.
Another difference comes in the form of an obstruction detection system that’s programmed to adapt the wipe pattern to reduce the torque applied to the wiper arms. Because of the lower maximum torque rating, it takes longer for the stripped wiper arm splines to affect wiper performance. An increasing number of reports alleging inoperative or detached windshield wiper arms prompted the Ford Motor Company to expand the original recall with F-150 trucks equipped with smart wiper motors.
The Dearborn-based automaker is aware of 576 reports globally at the very least, plus nine vehicle owner questionnaires filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. There are no reports of accidents or injuries related to this issue, according to FoMoCo.
Suspect wiper arm assemblies bear part numbers ML34-17527-AB for the driver side and ML34-17526-AB for the passenger side, with both smart wiper motors produced by Mexico-based Trico Componentes. Dealers have already been instructed to replace the subpar wiper arms with a similar design. The replacement arms were produced with wiper arm splines within specification.
Owner notifications will be mailed no later than March 31st, and owners who replaced the wiper arm assemblies out of pocket are eligible for reimbursement. The cut-off date for reimbursement eligibility is September 13th.
Only the 2021 model year Ford F-150 is called back as part of recall 23V-163, namely trucks manufactured at the Dearborn and Kansas plants between January 2020 and August 2021. Due to a lack of replacement parts, customer vehicles will be prioritized over fleet rental vehicles. The latter will have their wiper arm keys glued in place until replacement parts become available.
Having sold more than 650,000 units in the United States last year, the F-Series soldiers on as America’s most popular full-size pickup. But in truth, combining the sales figures for the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra puts General Motors at the top of the segment, with 808,057 half-ton and heavier-duty pickup trucks.
F-150 trucks equipped with the smart wiper motor were not included in the recalled population, a mistake that came back to bite Ford in the backside. The main difference between the base and smart motors is the lower maximum torque rating and electronic torque limiting feature of the smart windshield wiper motor.
Another difference comes in the form of an obstruction detection system that’s programmed to adapt the wipe pattern to reduce the torque applied to the wiper arms. Because of the lower maximum torque rating, it takes longer for the stripped wiper arm splines to affect wiper performance. An increasing number of reports alleging inoperative or detached windshield wiper arms prompted the Ford Motor Company to expand the original recall with F-150 trucks equipped with smart wiper motors.
The Dearborn-based automaker is aware of 576 reports globally at the very least, plus nine vehicle owner questionnaires filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. There are no reports of accidents or injuries related to this issue, according to FoMoCo.
Suspect wiper arm assemblies bear part numbers ML34-17527-AB for the driver side and ML34-17526-AB for the passenger side, with both smart wiper motors produced by Mexico-based Trico Componentes. Dealers have already been instructed to replace the subpar wiper arms with a similar design. The replacement arms were produced with wiper arm splines within specification.
Owner notifications will be mailed no later than March 31st, and owners who replaced the wiper arm assemblies out of pocket are eligible for reimbursement. The cut-off date for reimbursement eligibility is September 13th.
Only the 2021 model year Ford F-150 is called back as part of recall 23V-163, namely trucks manufactured at the Dearborn and Kansas plants between January 2020 and August 2021. Due to a lack of replacement parts, customer vehicles will be prioritized over fleet rental vehicles. The latter will have their wiper arm keys glued in place until replacement parts become available.
Having sold more than 650,000 units in the United States last year, the F-Series soldiers on as America’s most popular full-size pickup. But in truth, combining the sales figures for the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra puts General Motors at the top of the segment, with 808,057 half-ton and heavier-duty pickup trucks.
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