Ford is recalling no less than 661,000 Explorers in North America due to an issue with their roof rails.
Documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveal that it inquired about the issue in early 2020 after receiving 11 reports of roof rail covers detaching from the SUV. The NHTSA asked Ford to issue a recall for the issue in April 2020 but the automaker said this wasn’t necessary given the low likelihood of a roof rail detaching. It also pointed to the small weight of the rails and the fact that drivers would likely notice a loose roof rail cover as reasons why a recall wasn’t necessary.
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In September last year, Ford informed the NHTSA that it wanted to address the issue with a customer satisfaction program that would provide owners who experience the condition outside of warranty with a one-time repair. This program was launched in November and between December 2020 and March 2021, the car manufacturer monitored field data related to the issue.
Fast forward to April 2021 and the NHTSA has requested that Ford does indeed issue a safety recall.
The American car manufacturer says that the roof rail covers can detach from the vehicle because of retention pins that may loosen over time. The recall encompasses all 2016 through 2019 model year Explorers and includes 620,483 vehicles in the U.S., 34,419 in Canada, and 4,260 in Mexico. Dealers will fix the issue by installing push-pins and replace any damaged rail clips and roof rail covers.
