Ford Recalls 40,000 Transit Connects To Fix Windshield Problem

When you look out your vehicle's windshield, did you know that it was part of its overall structure? Though it may not look like it, the slim pane of what looks like glass is a key to the front end of your vehicle.

Windshield Is Key To Vehicle Structure

It is amazing how what seems to be a lightweight piece of glass can mean so much to the vehicle's structure, yet it does. The windshield provides visibility out of the vehicle and provides a certain amount of structural rigidity and stability for the vehicle's front end.

A crack in the windshield needs repair quickly, or spider lines will spread across the viewing surface. And, if the crack is big enough, it has to be repaired so that the windshield doesn't split or break.

Granted, the windshield is a vegetable-based laminate (multiple layers), but it is still a formidable item it breaks. If the broken windshield falls in on the passenger (or driver), it can easily injure a front-seat passenger.

Faced with the importance of the windshield, Ford has issued a new recall for nearly 40,000 2016 and 2020 Transit Connect vans. The recall is that the vans may have been manufactured without enough adhesion to the van. (Windshields are manufactured and held in place with highly effective glues.) The windshield can detach from the vehicle in Transit Connects affected by the recall. Of course, this does increase the risk of injuries to those inside (as noted).

Ford Will Notify Vehicle Owners Shortly

Ford plans to notify owners of the affected Transit Connects in the next couple of weeks. Once the owners receive their notification, they can drive their Transit Connect vans to their dealer, where technicians will inspect the windshield.

If technicians find a problem with the windshield, they will remove and reinstall it free of charge.

For more information, Transit Connect owners can contact Ford customer service at 866-436-7332. Ford's identification number for this recall is 22S20. Or, owners can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website, www.nhtsa.gov. Owners also can contact the safety agency's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236. The agency's identification number is 22V192.

Photo Courtesy 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 that 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.