A host of Ford Ranger, Bronco, and F-250 Super Duty models are being recalled in the United States because they display incorrect vehicle capacity weight values on the tire and loading information label. While that may sound like a small issue on the surface, it could have serious effects.
Ford’s recall notice issued through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) notes that the 2023 Ranger and Bronco models impacted have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 6,000 lbs on the safety certification level. Meanwhile, the Ford F-250 Super Duty has a stated GVWR of 10,000 lbs or less.
The carmaker notes that when calculating the payload of impact models, it used a nominal base curb weight value that did not adequately account for vehicle-to-vehicle weight variabilities that can occur in the manufacturing process. In addition, affected Ranger vehicles had mod-center/dealer-installed option values entered incorrectly into the systems used to calculate VIN-specific values.
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Long story short, Ford is concerned that the incorrect values could lead to a vehicle being loaded beyond its load-carrying capacity, noting that this could increase the risk of a crash.
A total of 29,607 vehicles are involved in the recall. These consist of a total of 4,668 Bronco models built between September 3, 2021 and March 31, 2023, some 16,009 Ford F-250s manufactured between March 16, 2022 and March 31, 2023, as well as 8,930 Ranger models made from September 11, 2018 to June 27, 2022.
Ford dealerships will be notified of the recall on June 30, 2023 while owners will be notified from July 5. These owners will be mailed a new label that they can place over the existing one or should they prefer, they can head to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the new label installed.
