Ford is recalling thousands of SUVs because the engines could catch fire

Ford Motor Co. has asked 350,000 vehicle owners to take them to dealerships for repair under a three-axis recall. Ford said about 39,000 of these vehicles must be parked outdoors because their engines could catch fire.

The Michigan automaker said in US government documents released Thursday that it does not know the cause of fires in some of its 2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs.

However, the company said fires can occur even while the engines are turned off. There were 16 reports of undercover fires and 14 of them were in rental company cars. Ford has not developed a fix for the fires, which appear to have started in the rear of the engine compartment on the passenger side.

“We are working around the clock to identify the root cause of this problem and address it later so that customers can continue to enjoy using their vehicles,” Jeffrey Marinetik, Ford’s general manager of passenger cars, said in a statement.

Ford said in a statment. Ford said it’s not asking owners to stop driving their SUV, although those who may not be able to follow outdoor park instructions should contact their dealer or company.

Ford began investigating the fire reports on March 24. Company officials said the fires appear to be limited to SUVs built from December 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021. The automaker is also recalling about 310,000 heavy trucks because the driver’s airbag may not be. swelled in an accident.

The recall covers some 2016 F-250, 350, 450 and 550 trucks. Dust can get into the steering wheel airbag wires, tripping the electricity. Dealers will replace the steering wheel wires. Owners will be notified by mail starting July 5.

The engine fire recall comes one month after Ford recalled more than a quarter of a million Explorer SUVs Because they can roll Unexpectedly while turning into the garden. Ford and General Motors also recalled nearly 682,000 compact SUVs in April due to Windshield wipers can fail.

Ford is also recalling 464 electric Mustang Mach-E SUVs starting in 2021. A software issue can cause unintended acceleration, deceleration, or loss of traction in all-wheel drive vehicles. Ford said the powertrain control computer may not detect a software bug Documents Posted on Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Kudos to NHTSA and Ford for getting the word out on this, but why did it take 16 vehicles on fire to do this? Theresa Murray, consumer watchdog for the PIRG Education Trust of America, an advocacy group, said in a statement. “That’s 15 fires that shouldn’t have happened, and 39,000 families were at unnecessary risk for who knows how long.”

Ford officials recently reported on the company It lost $3.1 billion over the past three monthspartly due to a lack of semiconductor chips that limited the number of pickups and SUVs available for sale in North America, but also as a result of its massive investment in the Rivian electric vehicle startup.