Ford Explorer

Issue: On certain vehicles, the recall repairs completed by a Ford dealer during recall 22S27 (Transport Canada recall number 2022-198) may not address all safety risks. As a result, a second repair is required. On certain vehicles, a mounting bolt for the rear axle housing could break. If this happens, the axle housing could move and cause clunking or banging noises and vibrations from the rear of the vehicle. It could also cause the driveshaft and axle shafts to disconnect. This could result in a loss of power to the rear wheels. Also, if the previous recall was not completed, the vehicle could move when the transmission is in Park, if the parking brake is not used. Safety Risk: A parked vehicle that moves suddenly could create the risk of an injury or a crash. A loss of power to the wheels could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Ford will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the subframe bushing and rear axle bolt. The dealer will also inspect the rear axle cover, and replace it as necessary.

Issue: On certain vehicles, the software update that was installed by a Ford dealer during recall 22S27 (Transport Canada recall number 2022-198) prior to July 2022 may not be effective. As a result, a second repair is required. On certain vehicles, a mounting bolt for the rear axle housing could break. If this happens, the axle housing can move and cause clunking or banging noises and vibrations from the rear of the vehicle. It could also cause the driveshaft and axle shafts to disconnect. This would result in a loss of power to the rear wheels and the vehicle could move when the transmission is in Park, if the parking brake is not used. Note: This recall only affects certain vehicles equipped with a 3.0 L or 3.3 L engine. Safety Risk: A parked vehicle that rolls away could create the risk of an injury or a crash. A loss of power to the wheels could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Ford will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealership to update the engine control module (PCM) software to set the parking brake when the transmission is in the Park position.

Issue: On certain vehicles, the powertrain control module (PCM) could reset while driving and cause damage to the transmission park system. If this happens, you may not be able to shift the transmission into Park. If you try to exit the vehicle while the transmission is not in Park, and the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle could move unintentionally. Note: This recall only affects vehicles equipped with a 2.3 L engine. Safety Risk: Unexpected movement of the vehicle could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Ford will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealership to inspect the transmission park system for damage, and repair it as necessary.

Issue: On certain vehicles equipped with a 2.3 L engine, the fuel line connections between the fuel pump and fuel rail may not have been tightened properly. As a result, fuel could leak. Safety Risk: A fuel leak can create the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: Ford will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealership to inspect and, if necessary, replace the fuel line assembly.

Issue: On certain vehicles, a mounting bolt for the rear axle housing could break. If this happens, the axle housing can move and cause clunking or banging noises and vibrations from the rear of the vehicle. It could also cause the driveshaft and axle shafts to disconnect. This would result in a loss of power to the rear wheels and the vehicle could move when the transmission is in Park, if the parking brake is not used. Safety Risk: A parked vehicle that rolls away could create the risk of an injury or a crash. A loss of power to the wheels could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Ford will notify owners by mail. For Police Interceptor Utility models, you will be instructed to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace a bushing and the rear axle housing cover. For all other models, you will be instructed to take your vehicle to a dealership to update the engine control module (PCM) software to set the parking brake when the transmission is in the Park position.

Issue: On certain vehicles, the outer ball joint for the rear suspension toe link may seize. If this happens, the toe link could break while driving. This could cause a sudden loss of vehicle stability. Note: This recall only affects vehicles equipped with a rear ball joint manufactured by ZF. Safety Risk: A loss of vehicle stability could cause a loss of control and increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Ford will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace the rear suspension toe links and inspect the ball joints. If a ball joint requires replacement, the dealer will replace the rear suspension knuckle.

Issue: On a small number of vehicles, the bolts that attach the rear lower control arms may not have been manufactured correctly. As a result, the bolts could break. If this happens, steering control could be reduced. Safety Risk: Reduced steering control could create the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Ford will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace the left and right rear lower control arm bolts.

Issue: On certain vehicles, an electrical problem with the rearview camera could cause it not to work properly. As a result, the rearview image may be distorted or not display at all. Safety Risk: A rearview camera image that does not display could reduce a driver's ability to see behind the vehicle while backing up. This could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Ford will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace the rearview camera.

Issue: On certain vehicles equipped with power front seats, the front seat frames may have sharp metal edges. Safety Risk: A person that reaches between the front seat and center console could be cut by the sharp edge. Corrective Actions: Ford will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to install protective tape on the exposed edges on the inboard side of the seat frames.

Issue: This recall is for aftermarket replacement rear window glass produced by Vitro Automotriz. Certain rear window glass may not have been properly tempered. If the window breaks, the glass may separate into large pieces instead of very small ones. Note: This is a voluntary recall that is not being conducted under the requirements of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Safety Risk: Glass that breaks in to large pieces could create a risk of injury. Corrective Actions: The company will notify consumers by mail and instruct them to inspect the designation code marked on the rear window glass. Products affected by this recall have the designation “DOT 287” along with the lettering “VMR” (Replacement Market) and a date code that is before July 2019. This information is printed on the bottom corner of the glass. Consumers should contact Vitro's customer service at 1-412-995-6457 or argbacklites@vitro.com to arrange for replacement of the glass.

Issue: On certain MXV wheelchair accessible vehicles, if the switch for the "tilt & go" front seats is held in the "on" position too long, the wires could overheat and melt. This could cause a short circuit. Safety Risk: An electrical short circuit could create the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners in writing and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to have this problem fixed. The circuit will be modified to add a solenoid timer to reduce the chance of overheating the wires.

On certain vehicles, the fuel pressure sensor may not have been properly assembled and could cause a fuel leak. A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, could create the risk of a fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the fuel line assembly.

On certain vehicles operated in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, soil properties unique to these areas could cause an accumulation of soil to occur at the attachment point of the rear suspension toe link. This could impede the toe link's travel, causing bending stresses and potential fracture. A fractured toe link would affect vehicle handling and could increase the risk of a a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the toe links with revised parts. Note: This is an expansion of recall 2017-224.

On certain vehicles operated in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, soil properties unique to these areas could cause an accumulation of soil to occur at the attachment point of the rear suspension toe link. This could impede the toe link's travel, causing bending stresses and potential fracture. A fractured toe link would affect vehicle handling and could increase the risk of a a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the toe links with revised parts.

Certain vehicles may have been built with an improperly welded rear suspension toe link. If the improperly welded toe link were to fracture while the vehicle is in motion, it could result in rear suspension noise, difficulty steering and/or a loss of steering control, which would increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the rear toe links.

On certain vehicles, the fuel tank attachment bolts may not have been tightened adequately at time of assembly. This could result in insufficient clamp load that could lead to fatigue and fracture of the fuel tank straps. Fracture of the fuel tank straps could result in the fuel tank separating from the vehicle, which may result in a fuel leak. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will torque the fuel tank attachment bolts to the required specification.

On certain vehicles, the return spring within the interior door handle assembly could become unseated, resulting in an interior handle that does not return to the fully stowed position after actuation. This could allow a door to unlatch during a side impact crash, which could increase the risk of injury to a seat occupant. Correction: Dealers will inspect, and repair or replace the interior handles as necessary.

A safety defect may exist in certain service parts installed after September 1st, 2013. Replacement steering gear assemblies could contain a defect potentially resulting in steering lockup and an inability to steer the vehicle. This would increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Owners of affected vehicles will be notified based on warranty and dealer service records and affected parts will be replaced.

On certain vehicles, the fuel delivery module may develop a crack which could allow fuel to leak. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the fuel delivery module.

Certain vehicles fail to conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Specifically, the compliance label identifies the vehicle type as "TRU/CAM" instead of "MPV/VTUM". Correction: Due to the inconsequential nature of this non-compliance, no action will be taken.

On certain vehicles, the manual recliner mechanisms may have a gear plate teeth out of dimensional specifications, which could result in limited pawl to gear plate tooth engagement and create additional movement to the seat back. Correction: Dealers will replace the front seat manual recliner mechanism(s).

On certain vehicles, the bolt securing the transmission oil cooler line fittings at the transmission may not have been sufficiently torqued during vehicle assembly. As a result, the bolt may loosen and the cooler lines may disengage from the transmission, causing a transmission fluid leak and loss of power to the drive wheels. If leaking transmission fluid contacts the catalytic converter, it may pose a risk of fire under certain conditions. Correction: Dealers will tighten the transmission cooler line attachment bolt.

On certain vehicles, the steering gear attaching bolts may have been over-torqued during vehicle assembly, potentially weakening the bolts. If a steering gear attaching bolt fractures, there may be an audible noise at low speed and the steering wheel alignment may be off center. If both bolts were to break, the vehicle might not respond to steering inputs which could result in a loss of control and a crash causing injury or death. Correction: Dealers will replace the steering gear to frame attaching hardware.

On certain vehicles, the windshield wiper motor may have been produced without grease applied to the output shaft gear. After a period of continuous use on the high-speed setting, lack of grease may cause the gear teeth to distort and/or fracture during operation, resulting in the loss of wiper function. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if required, apply grease to the output shaft gear.

On certain Explorer, Explorer Sport and Explorer Sport Trac vehicles, the upper bolt on the driver's high back seat that attaches the seat recliner mechanism to the seat back frame could fracture. If this happens, the seat back may recline until it makes contact with an object behind the seat, such as the 2nd row seat cushion. The occupant could potentially lose contact with the steering wheel or foot pedals during such an event. Correction: Dealer will replace the driver's seat upper bolt.

On certain vehicles, the right side tires may have horizontal cuts on the edge of the tread that could have occurred during vehicle assembly. Over time the tire could fail increasing the risk of a crash. Correction: Dealers will inspect the tires and if any slices are found, those tires will be replaced.

Certain Explorer Sport, Explorer Sport Trac, Rander Edge and Ranger XLT vehicles may have a wire formed hood striker that may be susceptible to fatigue fractures. If the hood striker fractures, the hood may fly open while the vehicle is being driven. A hood fly-up while the vehicle is being operated may result in resuced driver visibility and, potentially, a vehicle crash. Correction: Hood striker will be replaced with a revised hood striker.

Certain vehicles have a revised level side crash sensor that may deploy the side airbag if the ignition is in the "run" position and the seat belt webbing is forcibly extracted from a locked retractor with a jerking motion. If the side airbag deploys unexpectedly, it could potentially result in personal injury. Correction: Side crash sensors will be replaced with a revised design version which will reduce the likelihood of an unexpected side airbag deployment.