U.S. federal regulators have opened a probe into Ford Motor Co.’s 2022 recall of more than 44,000 E-series vehicles after consumers alleged that issues persisted.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it received 11 complaints last year regarding power steering line detachments in the vehicles that Ford inspected two years ago. At the time, the Detroit automaker said that its E-series models may lose power steering and brake assist due to leaks of the necessary fluid. That makes the risk of a crash is more likely, according to the NHTSA.
“On our ruined Mother’s Day vacation, we were driving highway speeds at a downgrade coming into Nevada and lost all power steering,” one driver complained to the NHTSA in May 2022. They said the incident occurred as the individual’s motorhome and trailer were on a highway in Nevada, leaving them “dangerously close to falling off the highway and tumbling down a hill.”
Leading in recalls
As part of Ford’s fix the company ran inspections of the affected vehicles and replaced parts as necessary, free of charge. But several vehicles — including ambulances and at least one wheelchair lift-equipped school bus — have still experienced those issues, according to the NHTSA.
The regulator said its recall query covers certain E-350 and E-450 vehicles equipped with dual rear wheels built between 2021 and 2022.
On January 26, Ford told the NHTSA it would file a new recall to update the necessary components on vehicles that had not yet been inspected and any vehicles that passed inspection within the last 12 months.
Notably, Ford has been the leader in recalls for the past three years. The automaker issued 56 recalls last year that affected a total of 6.3 million vehicles.