Ford Issues Recall Of 50,000 EV Charging Cables Over Fire Risk

So far, most, if not all, recalls concerned automobiles. The advent of electric cars, however, means that another item comes into play.

Case at hand: Ford is recalling approximately 50,000 charging cables it sent out with three of its popular EVs due to fire concerns. In a statement, the Blue Oval confirmed that the cables were shipped with the Focus Electric EV, Fusion Energi and C-Max Energi.

According to the manufacturer, the 120-volt convenience charging cord could increase the temperature at the wall socket if it’s plugged into an AC outlet which is worn, damaged, or isn’t on a dedicated circuit. If the wall outlet gets too hot, there’s a fire risk.

Ford claims that it has already received “some” reports of fires from customers, but didn’t disclose their number.

To resolve the issue, Ford dealers will begin to stock new charging cables that contain a thermistor which can determine if the outlet is getting too hot and pause charging until it cools off. To get the new cable free of charge, owners of the affected vehicles will simply need to make a trip to their local Ford dealer

Customers will be notified via first-class mail if they need a new cable. They will also be reminded of the types of wall outlets that can support EV charging and warned to not use extension cords with EV charging cables.

Focus Electrics involved in the recall were built between September 15, 2011 through March 14, 2015. Fusion Energi models that need new cables were manufactured in Mexico between September 4, 2012 and March 5, 2015, while affected Ford C-Max Energi MPVs were built between April 13, 2012 and March 14, 2015.

In total, 49,197 of these three EVs are in the United States and the remaining 1327 are in Canada.