Ford Recalls 2022 Broncos, Rangers To Repair Poorly Bonded Windshields

Imagine driving on an Interstate in the high-speed lane with your vehicle’s odometer hitting 75, and the windshield starts to tear away. Even as you slow down, the wear continues to the point where the windshield becomes a danger because it just might fall into the front seat of your vehicle.

How To Handle This Problem Driving

What do you do? If the windshield is still part of the vehicle, you quickly hit your blinker, look out for oncoming traffic as you slow down, and dive toward the breakdown lane or a breakdown turnout. If everything is successful, your next stop is calling a ramp truck to get your vehicle off the road. You have to get away from the vehicle as there are too many chances for you to be injured by another speeding driver who may be speeding by and who may either be distracted by a screen or a phone call or who is just daydreaming. Whatever the case, after you stop your car, you must get back from the roadway but remain near the vehicle on the grass or behind any fence or Jersey barrier.

Be sure to go with the ramp truck driver, as this is the best way to get to a site where you can either rent a vehicle or get to a place where you can rent a vehicle. You do have to remember to contact your insurance company to start a claim – it shouldn’t cost you for the 30-day rental.

So, why am I talking about this? It’s pretty simple. Ford has a problem with about 63,000 2022 Broncos and Rangers where there is a bonding problem with the front windshield. Or, to put it in the somewhat cryptic – and very understated style – of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a “windshield that separates from a vehicle … can increase the risk of injury” in a crash. Because of this problem, affected vehicles miss Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 212, windshield mounting (visibility).

Problem Could Mean Crash, Injury

So, Ford has recalled the SUV and the midsized pickup to check for this problem. Or, as Ford put in its filing with the safety agency, the automaker had recalled “certain 2022 Bronco and Ranger vehicles” because the windshield may not have been adequately bonded when they were constructed. This could lead to a crash and injury though there was no mention of either in the notice from the NHTSA.

Ford will notify owners next week – July 11, 2022 – of the problem. Once owners of the affected vehicles receive a notification letter, they can schedule a service visit with their dealer. Service technicians will check the windshield at their dealers, and if it is found to be bonded incorrectly, the dealer will remove and reinstall the windshield correctly free of charge.

Consumer Information

For more information, owners can contact Ford customer service at 866-436-7332. The Ford identifier on this recall is 22C12. Or, owners can contact the NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236. Alternatively, owners can visit the agency’s website at www.nhtsa.gov for more information. The NHTSA identification number is 22V451.

Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Co.

Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971 when an otherwise normal news editor said, "You're our new car editor," and dumped about 27 pounds of auto stuff on my desk. I was in heaven as I have been a gearhead from my early days. As a teen, I spent the usual number of misspent hours hanging out at gas stations Shell and Texaco (a big thing in my youth) and working on cars. From there on, it was a straight line to my first column for the paper, "You Auto Know," an enterprise I handled faithfully for 32 years. Not many people know that I also handled computer documentation for a good part of my living while writing YAN. My best writing, though, was always in cars. My work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, etc. You can follow me on: Twitter or Facebook.