Ford Recalls 327,000 F-Series Trucks Over Fire Risk – Again

Ford is recalling more than 300 thousand units of the 2015-2019 F-150 and 2017-2019 Super Duty pickup trucks due to engine block heater cable defects.

You may remember that back in December 2018, the Blue Oval recalled 874,000 of its trucks over concerns that engine block heater cable issues could result in fires.

This latest campaign affects 327,000 examples of the vehicles that were already recalled in December, with Ford asserting that the inspections carried out in the initial recall may not have resolved the issue. In fact, the automaker believes the inspection process from the initial recall may have damaged splice connectors on certain trucks, something that could cause shorts, trip household circuit breakers, and potentially start fires, Auto News reports.

Ford says that it is aware of two vehicle fires which may have come from the engine block heater following the recall late last year. One of these incidents happened in Canada, while the other occurred in the United States. The company says it is not aware of any injuries caused by the issue.

To temporarily rectify the problem and ensure its pickup trucks don’t go up in flames, Ford technicians will disable the block heater cable by simply cutting off the plug end and sealing the end cap. They will then fit affected vehicles with appropriate replacement parts, but at this stage, these are not available yet.

The recall impacts 2015-2019 F-150 vehicles built at the Dearborn Truck Plant from March 18, 2014 to November 17, 2018, and at the Kansas City Assembly Plant from August 21, 2014 to November 17, 2018, as well as F-Series Super Duty vehicles built at the Ohio Assembly Plant from February 5, 2016 to November 17, 2018 and at the Kentucky Truck Plant from October 5, 2015 and November 17, 2018.