Ford Shaft Recall – Heavy Duty Pickup

Ford Shaft Recall – Dearborn Michigan-based world-renowned automobile company Ford has recently announced that they are going to recall a quarter-million heavy-duty pickup trucks in the United States because the drive shaft can fracture and cause a loss of power.

The news is not new for the automobile experts as everyone was expecting that Ford might recall F-250 and F350 super duty pickups from 2017 through 2022 model years. It is not the first time any automobile maker has recalled its product.

In the past couple of decades, we have seen multiple cases where world-renowned automakers recalled their product because of a few minor and major design flaws. A similar thing is also happening with Ford motors these days.

Ford F-150 pickups recall

In the fall of December 2021, Ford announced that it would begin the newer mailing recall notices to more than 150,000 owners of certain Ford 150 pickups sold this year.

Ford gave a warning that you may experience fractured drive shafts and prevent wheels from turning properly, which can increase the risk of the crash, according to a filing with federal regulators.

On the 16th of December 2021, Ford notified the National Highway Traffic Safety administration that thermal and acoustic insulators on the underbody of certain F150 pickup might loosen and contact the aluminum driveshaft.

They further added that a drive shaft might result in loss of power while driving, and it may cause unintended vehicle movement. Apart from that, it can also cause secondary damage to surrounding components while the vehicle is in park mode if the parking brake is not applied.

Why did Ford announce the recall of the F150?

In its update to the National Highway Traffic Safety administration further explained that the problem is caused by inadequate adhesion of insulators to the vehicle underbody, which may result in loosening and sagging off the insulators.

Till the 7th of December 2021, Ford had received more than 25 reports where people have complained about the fractured aluminum driveshaft possibly related to sagging underbody insulators. 

It further reported that more than 10% of trucks built between the 10th of January 2020 and the 20th of November 2021 might be affected by the recall.

Recall of Ford F-250 and F350

After two months of its first announcement of recalling certain F150 pickup trucks due to shaft problem, In the fall of February 2022, Ford announced that they are going to recall nearly a quarter-million heavy-duty pickup trucks in the United States because of the same driveshaft fracture problem.

This time Ford announced that they were going to cover certain F250 and F-350 super duty pickups sold in between 2017 and 2022 model years. They further announced that they are only going to cover trucks that have gasoline engines and aluminum driveshafts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration posted a document in which Ford said that the heat and noise insulator below the body could lose and touch the drive Shaft. Due to all that shaft can fracture cause a power loss or loss of control if it hits the ground.

The failure of the shaft can also let the trucks roll if they are stopped, and the parking brake isn’t on yet. As per the four, first of all, dealers build, inspect the Dr shafts and repair them if necessary.

Apart from that, dealers might also properly attach the insulators, and owners will be notified by a letter starting 4th of April 2022. Due to the same problem, more than 185,000 F 150 light-duty trucks in the United States were recalled by the Michigan-based automaker.

What is Drive Shaft?

The driveshaft, also called the propeller shaft, is the main component that delivers torque from transmission to the differential and then transmits this talk to the waves in order to move the vehicle.

It is one of the essential components which Move any car, and the size and length, including the design of the drive shaft, is different in each vehicle.

Similar incidents like Ford shaft recall

Automakers in the United States and all around the world have a long history of recalling their product after a few months of launching and selling it to the general public.

Not just Ford but several companies in the last few years have recalled millions of automobile products. These companies include Hyundai, Kia, and Tesla.

Ford shaft recall is one of the latest recalls of automobile products by any automobile company. In early February 2022, electric vehicle maker Tesla recalled 817,143 vehicles.

Tesla has recalled certain 2021 – 2022 Model S and Model X. Apart from that, Tesla also recalls Model Y cars sold in 2020 and 2022.

In several Tesla vehicles, an audible chime may not be active when the vehicle starts, and the driver has not buckled their seat belt, which is against the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 208.

The company might call it a bug because it’s an electric vehicle, but this bug might cost the company millions of dollars as they have to recall more than 800,000 vehicles.

Apart from that, the company also recalls model 3, Model S, and Model X sold in 2021 and 2022 with a software error that may cause a valve in the heat pump to open unintentionally and trap the refrigerant inside the evaporator.

Similarly, Hyundai also recalls certain Santa Fe models sold from 2016 to 2018 and Santa Fe sports models sold in 2017-18. The company also recalls a few Hyundai Tucson vehicles sold in 2014 and 15.

As per the notification, the anti-lock brake system module malfunctioned and caused an electrical short, which could result in engine compartment fire, and as per the data, more than 350,000 units are affected.

Kia Motors also recalls certain K 900 models sold from 2016 to 2018, along with Sportage vehicles sold from 2014 to 2016. As per the notification, the hydraulic electronic control unit module could malfunction, and it could cause an electrical short, and as a result, the engine can be caught fire.

As per the data, Kia motor is expected to recall more than 125,000 units sold during the period of eight years. Apart from that, Chrysler RAM also recalls more than 170,000 units affected by the loosened windshield wiper arms.

Takeaways 

Ford shaft recall is not the first recall by the Michigan-based automobile manufacturer or any other manufacturer where millions of people have to suffer because of the design flaw and bad components.

From December 2021, Ford has recalled more than half a million F series pickup trucks. First, in December 2021, Ford announced that they were going to recall more than 150 thousand F-150 pickup trucks with driveshaft problems.

And in February 2022, Ford announced that now they are going to recall F250 and F-350 heavy-duty pickup trucks, and the total count might exceed 400,000. 

In recent years many automakers have recalled millions of products due to different problems. For example, this year, Tesla also recalled more than 800,000 vehicles.

Similarly, Kia Motors and Hyundai motors America have also recalled more than a million cars sold in the last half a decade.