For the second time in three months, Ford is recalling large quantities of the best-selling F-150 vehicles in North America over a several-year time frame for fire risks.
The manufacturer has just recalled 900,000 F-150 and Super Duty trucks to replace an engine block heater cable to due to the risk of fire.
The recall involves more than 410,000 vehicles sold in the U.S. and nearly 464,000 in Canada. Affected models include:
* 2015-19 F-150 vehicles built at Ford’s Dearborn, Michigan, truck plant between March 18, 2014, and Nov. 17, 2018, and at its Kansas City plant between Aug. 21, 2014, and Nov. 17, 2018.
* 2017-19 Super Duty vehicles built at Ford’s Ohio assembly plant between Feb. 5, 2016, and Nov. 17, 2018, and at its Kentucky truck plant between Oct. 8, 2015, and Nov. 17, 2018.
Truck owners use the heater cable to warm their engines so they’ll start more efficiently in cold weather. The cable is a cord hanging from the vehicle that’s usually attached to an extension cord plugged into a garage or home.
Water and contaminants can get into the cable’s splice connector, corroding and damaging the cable over time, Ford said. The problem can cause the connector to short, making the heater inoperable and possibly tripping breakers or outlets while the vehicle is parked and the heater plugged in.
“The risk to safety only exists while the vehicle is parked and the block heater cable is plugged into an electrical outlet,” a Ford representative said via a press release.
The recall was enacted after Ford received reports of three fires related to the cable splice connector. One incident causing minor damages. No accidents or injuries were reported.
Ford recall about 2 million F-150s in September to fix a seatbelt defect that could have caused the truck to catch on fire.
Article Last Updated: December 21, 2018.
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