Select 2013-2017 Ford Explorers have a problem that diminishes steering control and is related to at least 13 reported accidents and six injuries, Ford announced on Wednesday.
The company has issued a new safety recall for 375,200 vehicles in North America and Canada to fix a situation related to a previous recall.
Ford said some Explorers registered in places where corrosion is common “have experienced a fracture of the outboard section of the rear suspension toe link after completion of a prior safety recall repair.”
This fracture “significantly diminishes steering control, increasing the risk of a crash,” Ford said in its news release.
The company said it is aware of 13 reports of accidents and six reports of injuries related to this condition.
The recall affects approximately 350,000 Explorers in the U.S. and 25,200 in Canada. These SUVs were built at the Chicago Assembly Plant from Sept. 4, 2012, to Jan. 25, 2017.
Ford dealers will complete a torque inspection of the cross-axis ball joint and replace it as necessary for Explorer owners, the company said.
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Ford safety recalls within the past 60 days have included issues related to fire risk, tire pressure monitoring and backup cameras that suddenly go dark.
The camera issue affected 700,000 vehicles including the 2020 Ford Explorer, F-Series, Mustang, Transit, Expedition, Escape, Ranger, Edge and Lincoln Corsair and Nautilus.
In documents posted by the U.S. government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford said a poor electrical connection caused the problem.
Ford CEO Jim Farley told industry analysts in October after the company’s impressive third-quarter earnings report that Ford needed to improve the quality of its products and reduce costs associated with manufacturing issues.
The Dearborn automaker has issued safety recalls on many of its 2020 and older vehicles, resulting in significant costs to Ford. Farley, as chief operating officer, flagged the issue as a priority earlier this year. He took over as CEO on Oct. 1.
On Monday, Ford Chief Financial Officer John Lawler told industry analysts at a forum hosted by Credit Suisse that the company was taking steps to improve manufacturing quality and reduce costs.
Contact Phoebe Wall Howard at 313-222-6512 orphoward@freepress.com.Follow her on Twitter@phoebesaid. Read more on Ford and sign up for our autos newsletter.