Certain Transit vehicles produced for the US market for model years 2023 and 2024 have been recalled over insufficient packaging allowance that results in damaged tires from contact with the front wheel arch liner and body flanges. Ford claims that tire damage occurs under certain steering angles, vehicle loading, and braking conditions.
Suspect vehicles were produced between March 15, 2022 and March 6, 2024 at the Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri. According to Ford, all suspect vans are optioned with the so-called Transit Trail package. As implied, Transit Trail stands for a bit more capability off the beaten path thanks to a 3.5-inch body lift.
Revealed in November 2022, the Transit Trail is an upfit-ready adventure van available in medium- or high-roof cargo van configurations. Gifted with 30.5-inch Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse all-terrain rubber, black alloy wheels, a 2.75-inch wider track, black plastic cladding, and the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 connected to Ford 10-speed automatic transmission, the Transit Trail was originally advertised at $65,975 for model year 2023.
Due to reports alleging contact between the front tires and wheel arch liners, FoMoCo started investigating the aforementioned concern on January 25. The first report was filed by a motorhome vehicle upfitter on January 15. The following month, Ford Engineering confirmed that the shoulder area of the front tires can rub against the wheel arch liners at 60 percent full turn while braking when the front axle is very loaded.
How loaded? According to Ford, when it's at or close to the front gross axle weight rating. The Dearborn-based automaker is aware of 10 field reports, 5 warranty reports, and 1 owner-submitted report for 7 vehicles. Thankfully, none indicated any damage to the front tires due to rubbing.
Photo: Ford
But alas, the Ford Motor Company doesn't have a remedy available for the described condition. The automaker believes that a contracted vehicle modifier didn't fully account for the front tire envelope and packaging requirements. Even though the investigation is ongoing, affected owners will be informed about the recall in the first half of April 2024. Dealers were notified on March 25, 2024.
Of the 1,902 recalled vehicles, an estimated 25 percent are believed to exhibit a degree of tire rubbing. In the meantime, owners can determine whether their all-wheel-drive adventure vans are recalled or not by running the 17-character VIN on the Ford Motor Company's online recall portal.
Equipped with a Transit Trail-specific front grille with integrated marker lamps that hark back to the F-150 Raptor, the full-size van further stands out with the help of rock slider-styled side steps, splash guards, four-way swivel driver and passenger seats, and SYNC 4 touchscreen infotainment. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Alexa Built-In, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and the Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of driver-assist systems are standard as well.
Every Transit Trail is backed by a three-year bumper-to-bumper warranty. Much obliged to tow 6,500 pounds (2,948 kilograms) of whatever you fancy, the Transit Trail is no slouch thanks to the twin-turbo V6 engine's 310 horsepower and 400 pound-feet (542 Nm) of torque.
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
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