Around this time last year, a story was published about a $ 400 refund given to some 2017-2019 Ford F-150 truck owners for class action lawsuit settlement. The problem involved faulty door locks that resulted in the door locks freezing.
Ford issued recalls on this issue that applied to both some F-150 and some Ford Ranger trucks.
In the past few days, Ford Motor Company announced a few more recalls this time around that had nothing to do with door locks. Most of the safety recalls address a windshield adhesion issue as well as another very minor issue related to some trucks that may still have the controversial Takata airbags.
Takata airbags have been classified as dangerous and unsafe in all vehicles and have affected many different makes and models from numerous automakers. Let’s look at the recent recalls and let’s also try to resolve some of the issues that are encountered with the current generation Ford F-150 as some owners have complained about rust issues and then there is also a known problem with battery drain.
First, let’s look at the familiar callbacks.
Recall of the safety regulations for selected 2020-21 Ford F-Series vehicles for windshield adhesion
Affected vehicles do not meet federal safety standards for motor vehicles because the windshields are not sufficiently connected to the body structure. In the event of an accident, the windshield may not stay in place sufficiently, which can increase the risk of occupant injury.
This measure affects 79,017 vehicles in the US and federal territory, 6,986 in Canada and 1,347 in Mexico, including:
• 2021 Ford F-150 vehicles built at the Dearborn Truck Plant from October 27, 2020 to February 3, 2021
• 2020-21 Ford Super Duty vehicles built at the Kentucky Truck Plant from October 13, 2020 through January 23, 2021
Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this condition.
Owner notifications begin the week of April 6th. Dealers remove and install the windshield using standard maintenance procedures. The Ford reference number for this recall is 21C06.
Safety recall for select 2020 Ford F-Series Super Duty vehicles with 6.7 liter engines for labels with incorrect payload information
Affected vehicles display overrated payload capacity values on the tire and loading information label, overrated reserve capacity values for accessories on the safety certification label and overrated weight values on the truck / camper loading documentation. If the vehicles are loaded with the payload specified on the tire and load information label, they may exceed the gross vehicle weight rating or the gross axle weight rating. This can cause the tires to be loaded beyond their nominal capacity, overload the suspension and increase the braking distance, which can increase the risk of an accident.
This move affects 9,979 2020 Ford F-Series Super Duty vehicles in the US and federal territories and 1,750 in Canada. They were built at the Kentucky Truck Plant from May 13, 2019 to September 19, 2020.
Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this condition.
Owner notifications begin the week of March 22nd. The dealers replace the label with the tire and loading information, the safety certificate and, if necessary, the loading document for the motorhome. The Ford reference number for this recall is 21S06.
Safety recall for selected vehicles that may have had obsolete Takata service parts installed in collision and theft repairs after the Takata recall is complete
Ford found that certain Takata airbag modules were not removed from the service inventory after the parts became available for permanent repair. After extensive investigations and tracings, Ford was unable to explain some of the outdated Takata service parts, suggesting that they may have been installed on vehicles as part of collision or theft repairs.
Ford is not aware of any reports of accidents or injuries associated with this issue. This recall affects two different vehicle populations:
Population 1
• Ford used dealer records to identify 1,117 vehicles with collision repairs that may have been performed with an outdated service part after the Takata recall was completed. This affects 1,067 vehicles in the United States and Germany, 49 in Canada and one in Mexico.
• The group includes certain 2004-11 Ford Ranger, 2005-14 Ford Mustang, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-12 Ford Fusion, 2009-11 Mercury Milan, 2010-12 Lincoln MKZ, 2007-10 Ford Edge, and 2007-10 Lincoln MKX Vehicles.
• Dealers will check the inflator or driver or passenger airbag module and replace it if necessary.
Population 2
• Ford was unable to find 45 single stage inflators compatible with 2004-06 Ford Ranger vehicles. It is possible that these obsolete Takata service parts were installed for repairs following collision damage or theft.
• This population is 2004-2006 Ford Ranger vehicles that had a Takata recall permanent fix prior to service parts cleaning, including 144,340 in the US and federal territories, 8,762 in Canada, and five in Mexico .
• At the request of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford is issuing a safety recall for all 153,107 of these vehicles, informing owners that they can visit their dealer for an airbag inflator inspection and, if necessary, replacement of an airbag inflator.
Customer notifications begin the week of March 8th. The Ford reference number for this recall is 21S05.
2021 Ford F-150 battery drain and rust problems
Some early delivery models of the 2021 Ford F-150 that have nothing to do with the new Hybrid PowerBoost power plant have problems with dead batteries in the 12-volt motor battery. The trucks go into deep sleep mode. This story was first reported by the Detroit Free Press after noticing some complaints on the f150gen14.com forum.
“A population of vehicles that were built before we started shipping to dealerships needed a software update to prevent batteries from losing their charge,” said Ford spokesman Said Deep to the Free Press. “Our dealers were notified last week and customer letters will be sent out next week as part of a customer satisfaction program on this matter.”
Ford denied knowing the root cause of this problem or whether it was confined to a small amount of trucks.
In the same f150gen14 forum, some owners complained equally about rust on the rear axle and differentials. I asked Ford about this problem and this was their official explanation:
“While some F-150 underbody steel components may show signs of surface rust, it will not affect the performance or life of the parts,” said Fords Dawn McKenzie.
With Ford announcing wireless updates for the 2021 F-150, such issues cannot be addressed wirelessly. In addition, any problems, even minor ones like these in the early deliveries, can have deleterious effects. It is important to note, however, that none of the 14th generation F-150s have faced product recalls and any issues identified appeared to be in isolation.
I want to hear from you if you have had to deal with any of these issues, especially if you have a 2021 F-150. Leave me your comment with your thoughts.
Jimmy Dinsmore has been an auto journalist for more than a decade and a writer since high school. His column on the driver’s side features new car reviews that appear in several newspapers across the country. He is also co-author of the books “Mustang by Design” and “Ford Trucks: A Unique Look at the Technical History of the Most Popular American Truck”. Jimmy also works in the social media marketing world for a Canadian company that makes automotive training aids. Follow Jimmy on Facebook, Twitter and his special Ford F-150 coverage on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can read most of Jimmy’s stories by searching Torque News Ford for the Ford Daily Vehicle Review.
