250,000 FORD EXPLORERS RECALLED FOR ROLLAWAY RISK
Ford is recalling a quarter of a million Ford Explorers due to the risk of rollaway accidents occurring while the vehicle is in the park. According to The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the defect is caused by the rear axle horizontal mounting bolts fracturing prematurely and causing the driveshaft to disconnect, resulting in a loss of transmission torque in the rear wheels. This poses a severe risk of injury to those entering or exiting the vehicle after placing it in the park, as the torque is necessary to hold vehicles in place. The issue is said to have been discovered by Ford’s engineering department on August 10th, 2021 through warranty claims.
The vehicles affected in the recall include certain:
- 2020-2022 Explorers
- 2020-2022 Explorer Hybrid
- 2020-2022 Explorer Plug-In Hybrid
- 2020-2021 Explorer Police Interceptor
- 2020-2021 Explorer Police Interceptor Hybrid
The NHTSA estimates that there are around 142 deaths and 2,000 injuries each year from rollaway incidents, however; these numbers may be a small percentage of the total since not all are reported. Rollaway accidents accounted for 17 percent of all non-traffic fatalities and injuries. Drivers underestimate how difficult it is to stop a moving vehicle, how easily someone can be knocked under its wheels, and how deadly even a slow-moving vehicle weighing several tons can be.
Hearing loud, grinding, or clanking noises from the rear end of your vehicle could be a clear sign of failure and you should get it inspected as soon as possible. Dealers will inspect and update the defective parts free of charge. Ford also plans to reimburse those who previously repaired the fault before the recall was issued. Owners will be notified by mail beginning on June 6. This is not the first recall by the automaker. Ford has been involved in an array of recalls in recent years, which included the Ford Fusion, Lincoln, and Mustang. Earlier this month, a recall was issued by Ford on over 650,000 vehicles due to malfunctioning windshield wipers.
Rollaway defects can cause serious harm to not only the vehicle occupants but also to anyone on the roadways, including pedestrians and cyclists. To find out if your vehicle is included in the recall, visit the National Highway Traffic Administration’s website and enter your vehicle’s 17-digit identification number (VIN). If you have any of the mentioned vehicles and you were injured due to the rollaway defect, contact one of our auto defect attorneys today.
Call (888) 902-6245 or send us a message to see what we can do for you.