Ford Recalls SUVs, Heavy-Duty Trucks For Seat Problems; Vans For Airbag Curtain Issues

Ford has recalled nearly 30,000 vehicles in three recalls announced this week. The vehicles include SUVs, heavy-duty trucks, and small vans. Earlier, I reported on another SUV recall.

Ford’s First Weekly Recall

In the first recall, Ford has recalled about 27,000 Lincoln MKX and Nautilus SUVs with an issue for their 16-way front power seats.

In the affected vehicles there may be insufficient clearance between the driver and/or the front passenger seat wiring harness and the seat cushion pan. In turn, this could cause wiring harness abrasion.

If certain wires in the harness come in contact with the seat cushion frame, the airbag system may not function properly at times. The issue may prevent the airbags from deploying as intended, increasing the risk of injuries.

Ford is not aware of any reports of any accidents or injuries related to this condition. Dealers will install flocking tape on the exposed edge of the 16-way seat cushion frames, inspect the wire harness, and repair or replace whatever is needed.

The automaker says the vehicles were built at the Oakville Assembly Plant from Nov. 11. 2014 to Jan. 24, 2020. Ford says that 19,299 vehicles involved in the recall are in the U.S. and its territories, 4,262 are in Canada, and 1,023 are in Mexico. The Ford reference number for this recall is 20S37.

Ford’s Second Weekly Recall

In the second recall, Ford has recalled 1,330 F-650 and F-750 heavy-duty trucks with 7.3-liter engines. The trucks were built without some thermal protection components intended to reduce the interior cabin floor and seat attachment temperatures.

The missing components may include an underbody heat shield, a thermal insulator patch under the floor mat, or covers for the seat bolts and seat pedestals.

In vehicles built without these protection components, the interior cabin floor and seat attachments may generate high temperatures during certain high-load, high-ambient temperature driving conditions. Drivers may receive minor burns or skin irritations due to contact.

There are no reports of accidents or injuries related to this condition. It affects a total of 1,330 U.S. and Canadian heavy-duty trucks.

Dealers will install the underbody heat shield, thermal insulator patch under the floor mat, seat base covers and seat bolt covers.

The vehicles were built at Ohio Assembly Plant from March 18 to June 8, 2020. The Ford reference number is 20S36.

The third recall is small and involves 80 Ford Escape and Transit vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the airbag curtain may not inflate properly during deployment, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

There have been no accidents or injuries related to this problem. The action affects 68 vehicles in the U.S. and 12 in Canada.

Dealers will replace the curtain airbag modules. The Ford reference number for this recall is 20S35.

The automaker built the Escapes at the Louisville Assembly Plant on March 18, 2020, while the Transits were built at the Kansas City Assembly Plant from Feb. 18 to March 19, 2020.

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.