Ford is having to recall 68,000 2020 F-150s sold mostly in North America. It says a manufacturing defect may apply where a clip locking the gearshift cable that is connected to the transmission can become unseated. Ford says it is unaware of any actual incidents caused by the clip becoming unseated. If it happens it can allow the transmission to be in a different gear than the owner expects from the position shown on the selector. This could cause roll-away incidents to occur because drivers selecting Park may actually be in a drive gear.

Those recalled are Ranger, F-150, and police Expeditions

Those vehicles that are part of the recall include the 2020 F-150, Ranger, and Police Interceptor Expeditions equipped with a 10-speed automatic transmission. Any of these models that are equipped with Ford’s rotary shift knob option are not impacted by this recall.

If owners of the affected vehicles apply the parking brake before exiting the vehicle can avoid this happening until the affected part can be fixed or replaced. Be especially aware of the gear you select and how the vehicle behaves because it may be in a different gear than you selected.

The majority of the trucks recalled are in the US

The majority of the recalled vehicles are in the US. About 12,000 were originally shipped to Canada and about 600 were delivered to Mexico. The good news is that the problem originated at only a few plants and only for a short time. Ranger pickups from the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, built from February 28 to March 18; F-150s assembled at the Dearborn Truck Plant from February 18 to March 19, or the Kansas City Assembly Plant from February 21 to March 19; and Expeditions from the Kentucky Truck Plant built between March 3 and March 19.

If you receive a recall notice or if you are concerned you should contact your local Ford dealership. They can arrange for you to bring your truck in to have it inspected for free. Technicians will inspect the shift cable clip to make sure it is properly seated and working properly. The recall reference number is 20S18. 

This is only the most recent recall for 2020 F-150s

Just within the last year there have been some large recalls affecting Ford’s F-150. So this latest recall becomes just one more in a string of recall nightmares. It recalled 2018-2020 F-150s for headlights being too bright affecting oncoming drivers.

At the end of last year, Ford recalled over 500,000 2017 to 2019 Super Duty pickups for fire risk. The seat belt pre-tensioner can create sparks when the seat belt tightens up in a collision. 

Just before the previous recall, Ford had to recall over 100,000 F-150s for loose battery cables. This could potentially cause different electronic malfunctions including defeating instrument displays, steering and engine controls, and sparks from a loose cable that has come completely off of the battery.

This recall included 2018-2020 F-150s, Super Duty, Explorer and Expedition SUVs

Seatback failures were another recall for 2018-2020 F-150s, Super Duty, and Explorer or Expedition SUVs. Ford says the retaining mechanism for the back can be weak enough not to allow the restraint of passengers during an accident. 

There was a preponderance of recalls for the F-150 that the hope will not be occurring with such frequency in the future. Let’s hope there is clear sailing for the F-150 for the rest of the year. At least.