Ford Recalls Half A Million Vehicles Over Peculiar Crash Risk To Other Drivers
The last thing you want to see when cruising down the highway is a bunch of metal bits being flung in your direction from the vehicle in front of you. It sounds like something straight out of a Final Destination movie, but is actually a risk on around half a million older Ford Explorer models, which prompted Ford and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to issue a recall.
At issue is a faulty B-pillar trim application stemming in part from a design change at the plant. At some point, Ford's assembly process added a foam donut to the back (or attachment side) of 2016 and 2017 Ford Explorer models, which was determined to increase the outward reaction force. Combined with "inconsistent usages of hand rollers used to ensure complete adhesion of the part to door sheet metal," the trim can fly off.
That's obviously not something you want to see happen, and according to the recall notice, it presents multiple safety risks, including crash, fire, death, and injury.
According to the recall notice, this affects 492,145 Ford Explorer models assembled between June 25, 2015 to April 4, 2017 (both dates include a two-week buffer that Ford added in an abundance of caution). If you own an affected model, be on the lookout for a notification from Ford. There's also a quick visual check you can perform to see if your Explorer might be affected.
"Customers may visually notice the B-pillar trim appliques separating from the top of the front doors when entering/exiting the vehicle and/or hear wind noise and rattling noise as they drives," states the recall notice (PDF).
Ford says it is aware of 1,482 warranty claims related to B-pillar applications falling off. Fortunately, there are not reports of accidents or injuries.
Separately, Ford and the NHTSA also issued a recall for 63,898 Ford Maverick vehicles for the 2025 model year, over an air bag indicator light issue. According to the Maverick recall (PDF), the light on the dashboard can become loose or dislodged.
"The air bag indicator light may fail to warn occupants of a deactivated air bag, increasing the risk of
injury in a crash," the recall notice states.
It's been a bit of a rough stretch for Ford in recent months. Just last month, Ford recalled over 1 million vehicles over a software glitch that can cause the rear view camera display to malfunction, causing a crash risk. And in August of last year, Ford and Mazda issued "Do Not Drive" warnings for over 457,000 motorists over defection Takata-made airbag inflators.
