Ford Recalls Almost 350,000 Vehicles Because They Could Roll Away

If you happen to own a 2018 Ford F-150 or Expedition with a 10-speed auto, or a F-650 and F-750 with a six-speed auto, then you may want to contact the automaker, as there’s a recall involving your ride.

According to the Michigan-based company, the “clip that locks the gearshift cable to the transmission may not be fully seated”, so the gear state selected by the driver might actually be in a different position.

Users could also think that they have shifted into ‘park’, when it’s actually in gear, and would be able to remove the ignition key without getting a warning chime. This is a concern because if the parking brake is not applied, then the vehicle could rollaway, increasing the risk of injury or crash.

Ford hasn’t announced when owners will be notified, but they have advised dealers to “inspect and verify that the shift cable locking clip was properly installed”, and to adjust it and secure the locking clip where it needs to be done.

Affected vehicles include:

2018 Ford F-150 vehicles built at Dearborn Assembly Plant, Jan. 5, 2017 to Feb. 16, 2018
2018 Ford F-150 vehicles built at Kansas City Assembly Plant, Jan. 25, 2017 to Feb. 16, 2018
2018 Ford Expedition vehicles built at Kentucky Truck Plant, April 3, 2017 to Jan. 30, 2018
2018 Ford F-650 and F-750 vehicles built at Ohio Assembly Plant, April 25, 2017 to March 9, 2018

Overall, this recall involves 347,425 vehicles in North America, with 292,909 in the United States and federalized territories, 51,742 in Canada and 2,774 in Mexico.

But wait, there’s more

A second safety campaign is being conducted by the company, which covers 161 units of the 2017-2018 Ford F-150, 2018 Expedition, 2018 Mustang and 2018 Lincoln Navigator, equipped with the ten-speed automatic gearbox.

In this case, the vehicles may lose their ‘park’ function due to a “potentially missing roll pin that attaches the park pawl rod guide cup to the transmission case”. Just like in the previous scenario, this issue could allow drivers to remove the ignition key and not get a warning chime.

Owners should hear from Ford soon, and the fix will see technicians install the roll pin, if required, free of charge.