Ford is recalling 252,936 Explorers from the 2020-2022 model years because their driveshaft can disconnect and cause the vehicle to roll-away while in park.
According to the NHTSA, the affected vehicles have a three-point mounted axle design and, on some units, the rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture.
As the defect description explains, “Powertrain torque through the driveline causes axle rotation of the pinion angled towards the subframe, which exerts a bending force on the rear axle bolt.” It goes onto to add, “After numerous peak torque events are experienced, the bolt may suffer a fatigue failure, which will lead to the axle housing moving out of position, resulting in a condition described by customers and dealer technicians variably as loud, grinding, binding, or clunking noises.”
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If the rear axle bolt breaks, the driveshaft may become disconnected resulting in a loss of transmission torque to the rear wheels, which is necessary to hold the vehicle in park. As a result, vehicles could roll-away and potentially cause a crash or injury, if the parking brake is not applied.
The cause of the issue is a joint design that is “not robust to peak axle input torques and manufacturing variability” with the primary contributor being an “insufficient bearing area for maximum joint loads.”
There are two different fixes for the issue as certain models will have a bushing and axle cover replaced, while others will receive updated software that engages the electronic parking brake when the vehicle is put into park. Owners should receive a notification in the mail in early June and the repairs will be made at no cost.
The automaker discovered the issue after reviewing warranty claims and noted as of April 5th of this year, there have been 235 warranty claims involving the rear axle bolt since December 2019. However, the company isn’t aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issue.
