Ford has issued a repeat recall for 4,247 Explorer SUVs from model years 2020-2022 because part of an earlier repair may not have been performed correctly. This may be the third time Ford has brought some of these vehicles back for repair.
Ford is having a rough month, repeating dozens of old recalls because it recently learned of a problem with its repair process.
Ford recalled about a quarter of a million Explorers in 2022 because “peak torque events” like launching the vehicle aggressively from a stop could fracture a rear axle mounting bolt. The automaker installed protective parts on some trim levels, and uploaded new software to prevent the problem.
Ford repeated that recall for some in 2023, adding protective parts for all Explorers. Those parts should still be functional, Ford says. However, some Explorers may never have received the software update, though owners were told they had it.
Ford recently discovered that the tool dealers used to install software updates for the past few years had a flaw: it would report a successful installation even when the upload failed. Dealers had returned thousands of cars to owners believing they’d been fixed, but the fix didn’t take.
The company says it can identify the specific vehicles with failed uploads. It will contact those owners by mail and ask them to bring the cars back for another installation. This time, the company has a new process to verify success.
Recall repairs are always free. But millions of us miss recall notices every year and unknowingly drive recalled vehicles. Find out if your car needs any free safety repairs at our easy recall center.
