Ah, what exactly is going on over at Ford? For a third time, Ford is recalling over 2.15 million cars, trucks, and SUVs over failing door latches. And if that is not enough, it is also recalling F150s a second time for leaky brake master cylinders. This issue has caused a number of accidents. Unfortunately, recalls are a way of life in the car world, but three times for one and two for another? C’mon Ford. Doors flying open and brake fluid leaking can be fatal. Luckily, no one has been killed.

Besides the 2.15 million being recalled for the door latch issue there’s more. Almost 350,000 F150 trucks are getting recalled for the brake fluid leak. Brake fluid can be leaking from the master cylinder which Ford says has caused seven low-speed accidents and two injuries. The affected F150s are from 2014-2017 with 3.5-liter turbocharged engines only.

With the F150 brake fluid leaks, enough fluid can be lost to impair the front brakes. The driver will still have rear brakes but stopping distances are substantially increased. This is the reason there have been accidents. Indication of low fluid would trigger a chime or warning light and the driver would notice it taking more pressure to stop the truck. The fix is for the dealer to replace the brake booster and master cylinder.

In addition to all of the Ford recalls the NHTSA has an ongoing investigation

The first recall was in 2016 for leaking master cylinders in 2013-2014 F150s. Since then the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has an ongoing investigation into the problem. At the time Ford spent $640 million to correct the issue. We can assume that the price will be higher this time around. 

For the door latch issues, Ford says in a statement that the previous latch recalls may not have been done at all, or repairs were not properly done. Defective pawl spring tabs can crack and fail in warmer climates. The failure usually means the doors won’t close but if they do close they could fly open while the vehicle is being driven. 

You may not need to go into a dealer to see if your vehicle is affected. Owners can inspect the latch date codes online. They can find out if the repairs were done or if they need replacement. If an owner doesn’t want to inspect the latches or if the latches need replacement they should go to a Ford dealer.

Here’s the list of recalls for doors flying open

Here is the list of vehicles affected by the latch recall: the 2012-2015 Focus, the 2013-2014 Fusion, the 2011-2014 Fiesta, and the 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max. The recall also includes the 2013 and 2014 Lincoln MKZ, the 2015 Lincoln MKC, the 2015 Mustang, and the 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect van. Not every vehicle in a category is affected. 

All of these recalls and re-re-recalls come in the wake of the transmission problems in Fiesta and Focus models that will cost Ford billions of dollars to correct. It has had to buy back many of these cars after a lengthy class-action lawsuit.