Ford Motor Company paved the way for vehicles in America with reliable trucks and cars to get from point A to B, however, not all of their innovations have been successful. There have been a few recent major Ford recalls requiring thousands of trucks to be fixed for proper safety on the road. Let’s take a look at a few of the most notable ones. 

Major Ford Truck Recalls 

1. Blinding Headlights 

Most recently, Ford recalled 217,000 F-150 pickup trucks because their headlights are too bright. They’re so bright they could be impairing the visibility of other drivers on the road. The recall includes trucks made between 2018 and 2020 with optional LED headlights. 

The issue stems from a switch error. When drivers manually switch to their low beams the switch fails to dim the daytime running lights, so both are left on to illuminate the darkness. This issue doesn’t occur when the lights are left on auto. 

While Ford is unaware of any wrecks or accidents related to their bright lights, I’m sure we can all relate to the burning sensation that occurs while being blinded by headlights while driving at night.

2. Fire Risk 

In December 2019, Ford recalled over half a million Super Duty trucks manufactured between 2017 to 2019 due to a fire risk. When the seat belt pretensioner deploys to tighten the seatbelts during a collision, excessive sparks are created. 

The sparks could ignite the carpet or insulation around the B-pillar or side roof pillar, leading to a fire. If the sparks create a fire during a wreck then it could lead to injuries and increased vehicle damage. 

This recall included F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 SuperCrew Ford trucks with carpet flooring manufactured between 2015 to 2019 in the Kentucky plant. 

3. Faulty Battery Connectors

In November 2019, Ford recalled over one hundred thousand F-150 pickup trucks due to having battery cables that may come loose. This could affect the instrument panel displays, braking and steering controls, and engine. 

Along with engine stalling, the loose battery fastener that improperly connects the cables could spark, leading to fire, causing smoke, or causing other parts to melt. 

This recall includes Ford F-150 trucks manufactured between 2019 and 2020 in the Dearborn plant and Kansas City assembly plant. 

4. Faulty Tailgate Latches 

In 2018, Ford recalled over 90,000 F-150 trucks in Canada due to having faulty electric tailgate switches. Water can get into the switches and cause them to fail. As a result, the electric latch may short circuit and release. 

As the tailgates suddenly and unexpectedly release all of the cargo could fly out, creating property loss and possibly leading to wrecks and injuries. 

This recall affects trucks manufactured at two American plants between 2015 to 2018. It does not affect identical American trucks or trucks with manual tailgates.

5. Seat Back Failure 

You may not be able to sit back and relax if your Ford F-150, Super Duty truck, Explorer SUV, or Expedition SUV was manufactured between 2018 to 2020 due to a seatback failure. Ford recalled over half a million trucks and SUVs because seat backs may not be able to properly restrain drivers and passengers during accidents.

This recall includes vehicles with manual front driver and passenger seats because they are too weak to keep passengers safe. By not having the necessary third pawl strength to safely restrain passengers the risk of injury during collisions is greatly increased.