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It's very ironic. Ford introduced its first compact pickup, the Maverick, earlier this year, and now it is being recalled because of damage caused during the installation of the vehicle's spray-in bedliner.
Nearly 5,500 Mavericks Recalled
You may not think this is ironic, but you can see why when you think about it. Here you have a well-built, almost-just-introduced vehicle, and now nearly 5,500 Maverick owners have to turn around and head to their dealer shops for repair.
Additionally, Ford has issued a recall for its full-sized F-150 series to repair misaligned cruise control radar modules.
On its introduction earlier this year, the automotive press raved about it. And it is quite a vehicle for several reasons. First, it was (and is) Ford's first compact pickup. Yes, there have been compact pickups through the decades, but none has remained around. Even the Ford/Mazda compact Ranger (B3000) has morphed into a mid-sized (almost full-sized from some angles) pickup. It is far different from the pickup the automaker sold from 2000 to 2011 when its sale halted (it was reintroduced as a more significant pickup four years ago).
The Maverick is a solid vehicle. Basically, a front-drive pickup – Honda and Kia also have front-drive pickups, but they aren't compacts – the unit-body Maverick handles its chores very well, according to journalists who have put the Maverick through its paces.
Its body style is along the lines of Ford's full-sized, four-door SuperCrew F-150 model. However, the Maverick is hardly full-sized, and instead, it is a compact pickup – the first in America with a standard full-hybrid powertrain that provides excellent fuel economy. The hybrid powertrain uses a 2.5-liter 191-horsepowerAtkinson-cycle four. The powertrain reaches maximum power when the standard internal combustion engine combines with the hybrid. The Maverick's estimated fuel economy is 40 mpg, and it has a range of 500 miles on a tank of gas.
Maverick Offers Two Transmissions
The Maverick's standard transmission is a CVT (continuously variable), and there is also an eight-speed automatic is available with front- or all-wheel-drive versions. Depending on the powertrain, the Maverick can tow up to 4,000 pounds.
The compact pickup, introduced last June, is Ford's first compact, and of course, things do go wrong during the assembly process. For this episode, there may have been damage due to drill holes during the installation of the spray-in bedliner. This means they fail to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 301, providing fuel system integrity. NHTSA says the damaged fuel tank may leak, increasing the fire risk.
The safety agency will begin notifying owners of the affected vehicles in about a month. At that time, dealer technicians will inspect and replace the fuel tank free of charge.
Where To Call For Information
For more information, Maverick owners can contact Ford customer service at 866-436-7332. The Ford recall number for this issue is 21C35. The NHTSA campaign number is 21V976. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236. Or, they can visit the agency's website at www.nhtsa.gov.
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.
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