Ford Recalls Some 2013-2016 Lincoln MKZs To Swap Out Headlight Assemblies

Have you noticed the words "supply chain lately" keep popping up in various contexts? For example, in the food crisis that is brewing, the terms "supply chain" refer to the packing houses that the president is trying to keep open through his actions.

Auto ‘Supply Chain’ Problems Crop Up

In the automotive world, the words popped up as plants started closing down more and more as some plants began running low on parts, at first, and the assembly lines began winding down. Then there came the actions of the automakers to shut down the assembly lines for extended periods (still shutdown) as the "supply chains" closed down.

And now, as the industry begins thinking about reopening in a few weeks, the term "supply chain" will likely take a prominent place in some upcoming stories about the industry reopening. It will be likely that some of the stories about the reopening will talk about the needs of some plants first. Later stories may continue the discussion and could quickly mention – remember this is when the industry is just coming back online -- there are "holes" in the incoming inventory.

Of course, by this point in the industry's reopening, it is quite likely that the automakers will fix and "holes" that exist in their "supply chains" will be set by the time all of the lines are up and running but it may be likely that the "supply chain" story will be talked about by some until then.

With that said, though, Ford has issued a new recall for a small number of 2013 – 2016 Lincoln MKZs for issues with their replacement headlights that got into the wrong "supply chain" a few years ago.

' Supply Chain' Issue Leads To Wrong Parts

According to the automaker, due to a backorder of replacement headlight assemblies in North America, some dealers began ordering and installing headlight assemblies designed for the Korean and Chinese markets.

Though the headlights were similar and appeared to function correctly, the assemblies didn't meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). The noncompliance issues for the headlights included: for headlight beam patterns, illuminated side markers, horizontal adjustments, and U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) markings.

As noted, this isn't the biggest recall of the year, but it does indicate that Ford is committed to assisting its customers and their safety. To that end, the automaker noted that its recall action affects 130 replacement headlights, including 37 vehicles, identified by Ford, in the United States. Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries caused by this issue.

Dealers Will Inspect And Replace Parts

Ford dealers will inspect the headlight assemblies of any vehicles identified and will replace the assemblies as needed. Also, Ford will contact those customers who may have purchased the headlights as over-the-counter replacement parts.

The Ford Motor Co. identifier on this recall is 20C10.

Marc Stern has been an auto writer since 1971. It was a position that filled two boyhood dreams: One was that I would write, and two that I write about cars. When I took over as my newspaper's auto editor, I began a 32-year career as an automotive columnist. There isn't much on four wheels that I haven't driven or reviewed. My work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, and others. Today, I am the Ford F150 reporter for Torque News. I write how-to and help columns for online sites such as Fixya.com and others. You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Most of Marc's stories can be found at Torque News Ford coverage. Check back again and search for Torque News Ford F-150 news for more F-150 truck news coverage.