FORD’S LATEST RECALL AFFECTS OVER 450,000 TRUCKS AND SUVS

Topline

Automaking giant Ford will recall over 450,000 trucks and SUVs, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Wednesday morning, the latest in a troubling string of recalls amid multiple federal investigations into safety issues.

Key Facts

The recall affects Ford’s Bronco Sport manufactured between 2021 and 2024, as well as its Maverick truck made from 2022 to 2023, over an issue with the vehicles’ batteries.

According to the NHTSA, those vehicles could fail to detect a low battery charge, potentially resulting in drivers’ inability to use features such as hazard lights and potentially eliminate the use of drive power, “increasing the risk of a crash.”

Motorists driving those models can have their vehicles’ body control and powertrain control modules recalibrated at a Ford dealership free of charge, the NFTSA said.

Key Background

The recall is the latest holdup for Ford’s trucks in the past year, with the NHTSA launching an investigation into the automaker last month over an automatic transmission issue causing 2014 F-150 models to randomly downshift, after the administration said it received 86 complaints over F-150 trucks. Ford recalled another 113,000 F-150s in January made between 2021 and 2023, with the NHTSA citing an issue with the vehicles’ rear axle hub bolt that could “fatigue and break,” causing trucks to roll away while parked and without the parking brake applied. Another Ford recall affected over 870,000 F-150s in January 2023, due to an issue with the vehicles’ parking brake activating while in drive, while Ford recalled nearly 2 million of its 2011-2019 Explorer SUVs in January over a potential detaching windshield exterior clip.

Contra

Despite the recent hiccups, investors have still expressed optimism in the automaker, with its shares largely remaining even on the year, hovering around the $12 mark. Ford’s shares have increased just over 0.5% Wednesday morning, to just over $12.

Tangent

Ford has also conducted multiple rounds of sweeping layoffs over the past two years, part of a group of automakers reducing operating expenses, reportedly cutting over 1,000 salaried and contract employees last June, and slashing more positions amid a months-long standoff with the United Auto Workers Union last fall. During the union’s strike, Ford told Forbes it cut just over 1,300 employees before the union reached a tentative deal with Ford in October.