Several of Ford’s 2013 model year vehicles have been recalled. A total of 465,000 vehicles are being recalled, 389,000 of them in the US, while the remainder are in Mexico and Canada. There are three recalls in all, so click past the jump to see the breakdowns and more details.
Automotive News (AN) is reporting the recalls, even though they haven’t hit the NHTSA’s web site as of yet. The culprits are the fuel delivery modules, steering gear parts, and engine block heaters in a variety of Ford products, including the newly-redesigned Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ, the latter of which is expected to bring Lincoln back from the brink of irrelevance (and dissolution).
The majority of the recalled vehicles are for fire concerns because of leaks in the fuel system, and a very small amount of faulty steering gear parts and block heaters will be bringing cars back to dealers. The faulty fuel system parts reside in the gas tank, and owners of the affected vehicles have noticed leaks and even smelled a fuel odor. Ford reported to AN that it has received 600 complaints from owners of the now-recalled vehicles, but no injuries or actual fires have been reported.
In a second recall, 500 Lincoln MKZs are being recalled because the insulation on the engine block heater cord may break, allowing its handler to be shocked.
The third and final recall involves only 23 Ford Fusions, because of a missing internal retainer clip. Due to the missing clip, the vehicles’ drivers may lose the ability to control the vehicle, increasing the likelihood of an accident occurring.
Here’s a breakdown of which vehicles are being recalled, how many, and for which issue:
| Model | Recall | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | Fuel System | 190,896 |
| Ford Taurus | Fuel System | 79,567 |
| Ford Flex | Fuel System | 27,574 |
| Ford Fusion | Fuel System | 122,638 |
| Steering | 23 | |
| Police Interceptor Utility | Fuel System | 8,384 |
| Police Interceptor Sedan | Fuel System | 11,517 |
| Lincoln MKS | Fuel System | 13,381 |
| Lincoln MKT | Fuel System | 6,599 |
| Lincoln MKZ | Fuel System | 5,512 |
| Block Heater | 500 |
by John Suit
Source: Automotive News (subscription required)