The Ford Fusion Autonomous car is displayed at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, January 10, 2017.
(Photo : GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images)
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ordered Ford Motor Company to recall around 200,000 of its vehicles in the United States because of braking problems. According to documents published by the NHTSA this week, brake light issues have surfaced with some of the 2014 and 2015 models of the Lincoln MKZ midsize cars, Ford Fusion, and several vehicles from the 2015 model of the Ford Mustang.
Risk of crash increases as brake lights stay on for affected vehicles
The brake light problem is triggered when the brake pedal bumper separates. Once that defect happens, the car's brake lights will remain on at all times as if the driver of the vehicle has applied the brakes. According to the NHTSA, the risk of a crash increases with this problem because of the confusion it creates.
The more concerning issue for Ford stems from the missing brake pedal bumper on its affected vehicles. If the car's bumper goes missing in action, any of the vehicles included in the Ford recall that uses automatic transmission may shift out of "park" gear without drivers having their foot on the brake.
A total of 199,085 cars are part of the new recall. Ford's recall specifically focuses on vehicles originally sold or ever registered in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Virginia, Hawaii, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina. The main reason why Ford focused its recall on these southern states is because high humidity, salt air, and high temperatures can cause corrosion and separation to the brake pedal bumper.
Related Article: Renault Joins Stellantis and Ford in Pledge To Sell Only Electric Cars in Europe by 2030
Recall of vehicles comes after Ford's sales drop in 2021
To Ford's knowledge, no crashes or injuries have resulted from those said defects. To avoid having these issues in the near future, owners of the affected cars will need to take their vehicles to a Lincoln or Ford dealer for no-cost repairs. Ford will replace not only the brake bumper but also the clutch bumper.
Ford made it clear that the clutch bumper has no issues and that this part of the vehicle is not included in the recall. Ford decided to replace it anyway at the same time as the brake bumper as these parts are manufactured from the same material. This will also help Ford avoid potential future satisfaction issues from its customers who had their cars recalled.
Owners of the affected cars will see mailed notices beginning March 3, but Ford does not have a schedule yet for when it will start making repairs to the recalled vehicles. It has been a rough stretch for Ford, which saw its 2021 sales drop 6.8 percent from the year-earlier period. Ford sold 1.9 million vehicles last year to remain in third place behind General Motors and Toyota Motor.
READ MORE ON AWN:
Mercedes-Benz to Release Locally Assembled EQS in India in 4th Quarter of 2022
Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo Sets Guinness World Record With Mine to Mountain Vertical Climb
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
