In a recent development, Ford has announced two separate recalls affecting approximately 1 million vehicles sold in the United States. While one recall focuses on a crucial issue with the taillights of the 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning, the other pertains to the absence of instructions for adjusting or removing certain head restraints in various models.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a notice regarding the first recall, which affects 16,375 units of the 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning. The reason behind the recall is the potential development of microcracks in the rear LED lightbar during the assembly plant tailgate installation process or in extreme low-temperature conditions, reaching as low as -40°C.
These microcracks may allow moisture to enter the lightbar assembly, leading to a possible electrical failure of the reverse lights. The affected models include the F-150 Lightning Platinum and Lariat variants manufactured between October 14, 2021, and March 28, 2023. To rectify this issue, Ford and Lincoln dealers will replace the faulty lightbar.
Ford’s second recall affects a substantial number of vehicles, specifically 979,797 units. This recall encompasses 400,192 units of the 2018-2023 Expedition manufactured from March 14, 2017, to May 14, 2023, as well as 92,896 examples of the 2018-2023 Lincoln Navigator manufactured from March 16, 2017, to May 14, 2023. Additionally, the recall includes 486,709 Ford F-Series Super Duty models built from March 6, 2018, to May 25, 2023, for the 2019-2023 model years.
The reason behind this recall is the absence of instructions in the owner’s manual regarding the adjustment or removal of certain head restraints. For the Expedition and Navigator models, there are no instructions provided for removing the third-row center head restraint. Similarly, in the F-Series Super Duty, there are no instructions available for removing the first or second center head restraints. Ford aims to resolve this issue by mailing owner’s manual addendums to affected vehicle owners. The addendums will contain the necessary instructions, and owners will be instructed to keep them in the glovebox for reference.
