Oct. 18 (UPI) — Ford Motor Co. has recalled 1.3 million pickup trucks because of an issue that could allow a door to open while driving in certain conditions — the same problem the automaker had with some cars.
The company said in a release Wednesday it will install a water shield to side door latches in F-150s from 2015-17 and Super Duty for 2017. Affected trucks are 1.1 million in the United States, more than 222,000 in Canada and 21,000 trucks in Mexico.
The company said the fixes will cost $267 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission
Ford said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries linked to the problem.
“In affected vehicles, a frozen door latch or a bent or kinked actuation cable may result in a door that will not open or will not close condition,” Ford said in a statement. “Should a customer be able to open and close the door with these conditions, the door may appear closed, but the latch may not fully engage the door striker with the potential that the door could open while driving, increasing the risk of injury.”
The automaker said it will notify customers by letter the week of Nov. 13 to let them know if their trucks are part of the recall.
Ford said the affected trucks were manufactured at three plants — in Dearborn, Mich.; Kansas City, Mo., and Louisville, Ky.
Earlier this year, the company repaired latches to fix a potential fire hazard in 211,000 Fiesta, Fusion and Lincoln MKZ cars. It recorded a $295 million charge. Last year, it recalled 830,000 Focus, Escape SUVs and Mustang models for a similar issue — at a cost of $640 million.
The Center for Auto Safety, a nonprofit group founded by Ralph Nader, on Monday called on Ford to recall more than 1 million Explorer SUVs for alleged risk of carbon-monoxide poisoning. The automaker offered to repair vehicles to give customers “peace of mind.”
