Ford F-150 Recall Issued Over Defective Door Latches

Roughly 1.3 million Ford F-150 pickup trucks have been recalled, after the manufacturer recognized the potential for the door latch to fail and allow the door to open suddenly, posing risk that occupants may be ejected and suffer severe injury. 

The Ford F-150 recall was announced on October 18, 2017, after determining Ford Motor Company determined that the defective door latch may allow water to enter and disrupt the locking mechanism.

Although Ford indicates that it is not aware of any injuries or accidents associated with the defective F-150 door latches, the problem may prevent the door from staying secured, posing a distraction hazard for drivers and potentially causing occupants to fall out of the pickup truck while it is in motion.

The Ford F-150 door latches may allow water to enter the locking mechanism, which could freeze around the door latch or result in a bent or kinked actuation cable that will not actually latch the door when it is shut.

Ford is warning customers to be cautious of the door latches up until service has been performed, as the doors may appear to have latched correctly, but could open unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion.

The recall involves approximately 1,344,605 million Ford pickup trucks including 2015 through 2017 F-150 trucks built at the Dearborn Assembly Plant from March 12, 2014 to December 31, 2016, 2015 through 2017 Ford F-150 built at the Kansas City Assembly Plant from August 11, 2014 to December 30, 2016, and 2017 Super Duty vehicles built at the Kentucky Assembly Plant from October 8, 2015 to September 1, 2016.

According to Ford, an estimated 1,101,107 impacted vehicles were sold throughout the United States and an additional 222,408 vehicles were distributed for sale in Canada, and 21,090 in Mexico.

Ford has not released an official date for repair remedies, however, the manufacturer stated the customers will be notified via written correspondence by mid-November with instructions on how to schedule a free repair at a local dealer. Dealers will be instructed to install water shields over the door latches and inspect and repair the door latch actuation cables if needed.

This new F-150 recall by Ford Motor Company adds to prior door latch recalls issued by the auto maker, which have now impacted more than 5 million vehicles since August 2016, and are projected to cost the company nearly a billion in revenue.

The recall follows Ford Motor Company’s announcement to cut $14 billion in costs to focus their attention toward improving electric and self-driving cars. This most recent door latch recall is anticipated to cost Ford another $267 million just prior to the end of the calendar year.