Manufacturers bombard us with so many new safety innovations nowadays that we can forget about some of the less exotic technical advances that have been quietly keeping us safe from harm for years.
Okay, so the anti-pinch systems that save our kids’ fingers from getting trapped when we flick a switch to roll up the rear window without being able to see what’s going on back there aren’t exactly on a par with seatbelts or anti-lock brakes in the pantheon of safety systems. But pre-anti-pinch windows had a nasty bite so it’s reassuring to know that all modern glass is non-carnivorous.
Or so we thought because it seems the windows in Ford’s big passenger trucks might still have a taste for human sausages. The automaker has announced a recall of certain 2023 Super Duty F250, F350, F450, and F550 trucks because their driver and front passenger windows might not detect an obstacle and automatically reverse direction.
Just under 1,340 F-Series trucks that were supposed to be re-flashed with a software update before leaving the factory ended up being shipped with the wrong code, and although Ford says the door module will relearn its limits and regain its anti-pinch feature within two up-down cycles it has opted to call the trucks back to dealers. A total of 913 F-250s, 323 F-350s, 24 F-450s and 49 F-550s built between January and March of 2003 will be treated to a software update to cure the problem before the windows have a chance to snack on some pinkies.
Related: Ford Recalls 870,000 F-150s Because The Parking Brake Could Engage While Driving
Meanwhile, Ford technicians are also bracing themselves for ten times as many Transit vans descending on dealerships to have an entirely different problem rectified. Around 112,000 Transit Connects from 2014-16 are at risk of their door latch pawl cracking, which could prevent the door from latching properly and may result in it flying open while driving. If you’ve got one of these vans you’ll soon be receiving a letter inviting you to have the latch fixed at your friendly local Ford dealer at a time of your choosing.